| Exit review |
|
While they say there’s a fine art to making an entrance, it is surely a finer talent to be able to make an exit. And if there’s one man who’s got it down to a tee, it’s the main character of Exit for Sony’s PlayStation Portable.
Exit introduces the fanciful and enigmatic Mr. ESC (pronounced escape just like the button on your keyboard). Clad in his dapper red scarf and dandy yellow fedora, the coffee-loving hero has a bit of a unique profession amidst videogame characters. He’s an Escapologist, but thankfully, it isn’t in the style of mullet-maestro David Copperfield’s pomp and farce. In fact, the late great Harry Houdini would have been hard pressed to deal with some of the situations Mr. ESC throws himself in to. Regardless of client base, he’s on hand 24/7 (providing the price is right) to help get people out of all sorts of calamitous situations. And unlike your professional smoke and mirrors hoodwinker, Mr. ESC is also an expert at helping others escape too.
This idea forms the backbone of Exit and over the game's 100 platform-laden levels the player, in control of the stylish Mr. ESC, is faced with a number of critical situations. These range from burning buildings, flooded subways and laboratory accidents through to more out of the ordinary scenarios such as Armageddon and alien invasion. In each level the player is required to make their way to the titular exit within the (usually generous) time limit. Sometimes this means ensuring that Mr. ESC. gets out alive and, during others, that no civilians (called Companions) are left behind or killed in the process.
Danger is present in various forms, often depending on the scenario at hand. Fire, electrocution, drowning, crushing and a whole host of other perils are all placed to dispatch the player and anyone else that comes into contact with them. While Mr. ESC might be in tip top condition, he is far from indestructible, and contact with these perilous dangers (or even falling too far between platforms) will end the current rescue attempt. It would seem that the Escapology rescue profession is a burgeoning business area, as should any harm befall the Companions then Mr. ESC’s arch rival Jet (who bears more than a passing resemblance to The Rocketeer with his helmet and jet pack) will appear to whisk them away to safety and claim all the credit.
In order to overcome the obstacles on each level, there are a number of different items that need to be utilised. These include fire extinguishers, planks to bridge gaps, pickaxes to break icicles or brittle walls, torches to light the way and ropes and ladders that can be used at anchor points to move between levels.
As to be expected from someone who makes a living on the edge, Mr. ESC. is a lithe and nimble character once you get used to controlling him. He can climb objects or leap up to grab ledges before hauling himself up, run and leap large gaps and swim around the environment as required, with the player needing to make full use of these abilities to complete each level. While on initial playing Mr. ESC’s controls may seem a little clunky and awkward, it soon becomes clear that he is much more capable than he first appears. So while at first players may end up cursing his slow pace as he shimmies down ladders or slowly lowers himself off ledges, it’s not long before it becomes obvious that Exit is meant to be a slower paced puzzler regardless of its deceptive action exterior
Despite being so accomplished, no man is an island and Mr. ESC is certainly no exception. In many instances the player will often need to recruit the services of the people he rescues in order to help complete the level. Companions come in a range of different types, including Young People who have similar abilities and are able to jump the same distances etc, Adults who are less nimble and need help to climb obstacles but are able to move heavy loads, Young Children who are slower again and although they need help to climb up and down obstacles they can fit through smaller gaps than anyone else, and finally Patients who are pretty much useless having been hurt in the chaos and need to be carried or placed on trolleys to transport them around.
Once they have been rescued by walking up to them, players will often be required to take control of multiple Companions in order to reach and exit. In most situations, the simple Follow Me command assigned to the left shoulder button will not be enough. While the D-pad and symbol buttons are used to control Mr. Esc, the analogue button allows control of a cursor that is used to select and control companions into moving around and picking up objects. As only one item can be carried at a time, Companions come in handy as an extra set of hands, or for adding more power behind pushing crates and helping heavy Adults clamber over obstacles. The range at which the player can control the cursor over the map is also limited and while it does cover a large area, it means Mr. ESC can never be too far away in order to issue commands, adding an extra element of thinking ahead. In fact, planning three or four steps ahead is paramount to avoid actions such a shifting boxes too far over, rendering the way to the exit unreachable. While these force the player to restart the level, the size of each stage and the time limits involved mean that there is little playtime lost due to careless actions.
Perhaps the most annoying thing about Companions is that they often repeat the same few audio cues over and over. After all there’s only so many times you can hear phrases such as “I’m stinky” before they really begin to grate. Also, while a nice touch, Mr. ESC’s own internal monologues are under-used or worse still, used out of context (such as him complaining about stairs when not actually using any). It would have been nice to see this area improved on and given a bit more polish.
If a short burst of puzzles was one of the key ideas behind the game, then another key concept was certainly to create a game with a unique style and appearance. Characters are all crisply produced black silhouettes with the bold, vibrant colour schemes of the levels and cutscenes making them stand out further in a refreshing way that has been missing from video games since Jet Set Radio. The game employs the rotoscoping method of animation giving it the appearance of a 2D platform puzzler but with a smart 3D edge. It is this high quality of animation that makes the character designs come to life where they might have otherwise appeared dull and boring. The only minor niggle in terms of visuals is that the heavy use of black does sometimes show up the flaws in the PSP’s screen capabilities, but this is rarely an issue.
Mention should also be made of the ability to download additional levels from the Internet meaning that once the initial 100 levels are beaten (which should take some time) an extra element of longevity is added. The release of these levels for anything but the Japanese region of the game seems to have been a bit slow off the mark, though this is something which has now been remedied.
While the ideas behind it may not be anything new, Exit is the sort of game that exudes a charm and style all of its own, helped considerably by its graphical front and jazzy musical accompaniment. It’s this feeling combined with the puzzles that help make it the sort of coffee morning game that is easy to pick up and play in both short bursts or longer stints.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
System: Sony PlayStation Portable
Genre: Platformer
Developer: Studio Taito
Publisher: Ubisoft
Players: 1
Version: United States
Reviewed: Apr 2006
Writer: Jamie Davies
|
Pros:
- Looks unique
- Solid platforming fun
- Playable in short bursts or longer sessions
|
Cons:
- Mr ESC’s manoeuvrability may take some getting used to
- One wrong move can cause the level to end
- Repeated audio cues can be annoying
|
|
|
Exit Video: 11.8MB
|
| |
|
|
|
