Normally when it comes to discussing games I've played, I'd wait until
the end of the month. And, really, there's no reason not to do it with
this one... except it's such a short game I'm not sure "Exit 8"
qualifies as a game I've really "played". I mean, sure, I started at
the beginning and got all the way to the end... but that was a journey
completed in minutes. Yes, I finished the game... but it was such a
short game it doesn't seem like it's worthy of being added to the
'games I've played' monthly list.

In many ways, "Exit 8" is more of a game concept than a full
experience. It's gameplay loop is similar. Walk through a hallway
(nominally a barren underground tiled tunnel as, apparently, found in
Japan). After a few twists and turns, it connects to another tunnel.
If this new bit of tunnel is identical to the part you passed through
earlier, keep moving forward. If anything is off, turn around. If you
keep progressing through a tunnel with an 'anomaly', you're warped
back to the start. Correctly identify whether the tunnel has an
anomaly or not 8 times, and you finally make it to the eponymous exit.

The game's tech is neat. The core tunnel is fairly straightforward,
and uses portals between its different parts for the looping; it's
nothing too exciting but it has good visuals and works seamlessly
enough that you'll not easily notice what it's doing at first. The
anomalies are procedurally chosen and can range from the simple (an
innocuous blotch on the ceiling) to the outright creepy (a man
embedded into the tile-work who chases after you). There are about 40
anomalies total in the game, and you're unlikely to experience them
all in a single play-through (in fact, the game encourages you to
replay and hunt down all the strangeness by going through the tunnels
more than once, but the procedural engine does a good job of not
repeating them on you).

There's a hint of SCP mythos built into the game's conceit; at times,
it feels like an underground variation of the Overlook Hotel in 'The
Shining' with its weirdly, non-Euclidean architecture. There's a bit
of a fish-eye effect that gives everything a unreal feel. Passing by
the same commuter walking down the hallway in the other direction
again and again doesn't help either. Is he another victim of this
haunted tunnel? Is he one of its creations? Is he dead? Is he... me?
Nothing is explained and the mundanity of the locale contrasted with
the often surreal changes lends to a delightful suspense.

But the real 'terror' of this game is how it instills paranoia in you
about the choices you've made. Did I miss an anomaly? Did that thing I
thought was an anomaly really just my uncertain memory? Because while
sometimes the changes are obvious - a door suddenly opening into
darkness - other times the differences can be incredibly subtle. You
start questioning yourself, doubling back again and again to re-check.
Did that commuter look a bit smaller this time? Was that light at the
far end of the hall flickering or was it a rendering glitch? You're
never sure, and even though the worst that will ever happen to you is
that you get sent back to the start of the game (a game, I'll remind
you, that - with luck and careful observation - you can likely finish
in MINUTES, so it's not like you're even losing a huge investment in
time) but still, it hurts. Because there's so little to see and do in
these (nearly) identical tunnels, being forced to re-walk your path -
especially after getting so close to the end - makes the experience
sometimes seem Sisyphean. And it makes your victory feel even more
momentous even though, in the end, all you did was walk down a tunnel
for a few minutes.

So overall, the experience of this game was really good. "Exit 8" is
an excellent use of restraint, never straying past its own core ideal
and yet still managing to tell an interesting story and engaging its
audience with its simple idea. Still, as much as I enjoyed the game,
I'd also have a hard time recommending it to others. At $4 USD, it's
just a bit overpriced for what you get, even acknowledging its unique
and well-developed concept. It's the sort of thing that would be a
very memorable part of a much larger game*, but as a stand-alone
product? As good as it is, it feels incredibly overpriced. It's a
wonderful example of the innovativeness and artistry we (sadly) too
often only get from Indie developers... but that doesn't make its
price-tag any easier to swallow.

But if you do happen to get your hands on this game - either by having
more money than sense, or as part of some free bundle, or however - do
give the game a shot. It's short, but weirdly effective and well worth
the few minutes it will take you to play it.

* to be fair, I'm not sure the experience would be as memorable if it
WAS part of a larger game; one of the reasons "Exit 8" feels as
effective as it does is because it is so limiting. You can't do
anything but escape in this game, so being cast back to start - denied
an escape - makes it all the more pleasingly torturous and spooky

On 1/11/2024 2:43 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>
> So overall, the experience of this game was really good. "Exit 8" is
> an excellent use of restraint, never straying past its own core ideal
> and yet still managing to tell an interesting story and engaging its
> audience with its simple idea. Still, as much as I enjoyed the game,
> I'd also have a hard time recommending it to others. At $4 USD, it's
> just a bit overpriced for what you get, even acknowledging its unique
> and well-developed concept. It's the sort of thing that would be a
> very memorable part of a much larger game*, but as a stand-alone
> product? As good as it is, it feels incredibly overpriced. It's a
> wonderful example of the innovativeness and artistry we (sadly) too
> often only get from Indie developers... but that doesn't make its
> price-tag any easier to swallow.
>
> But if you do happen to get your hands on this game - either by having
> more money than sense, or as part of some free bundle, or however - do
> give the game a shot. It's short, but weirdly effective and well worth
> the few minutes it will take you to play it.
>

You are right, 4 dollars sounds a bit steep for that kind of game, even
though you make it seem intriguing. Lets see if there's a sale or if it
shows up in some bundle the next few months.