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EXO ONE : FUTURE FRISBEE SIMULATOR EDITION
Okay, in the past, I’ve made it pretty clear that I don’t like physics games. Or puzzle games. Or physics-based puzzle games (those are specifically the worst). Exo One definitely falls into the former more than the latter, but I would be remiss not to clarify my bias against such games before I reviewed Exo One. Simply put, Exo One being an almost entirely physics-based game immediately puts it at an unfair disadvantage when placed in front of me for analysis. That being said, I’m actually going to spoil the review’s ending by immediately putting the game in Tier II. It ain’t bad. It ain’t bad at all
Exo One has you playing as what my Twitch Stream started calling a “gravity marble” which isn’t entirely untrue. In hindsight, “futuristic transmogrifying gravity frisbee” may be a bit more accurate, but doesn’t exactly roll of the tongue. In function, you are a sphere that can manipulate gravity, flatten itself into a disc and fly.
Mechanically speaking, you have roughly 3 actions at your disposal. The first, greatest and most unique is the ability to rapidly shift the effects of gravity on your sphere. Essentially, you can wildly fluctuate the effects of kinetic and potential energy, one moment increasing gravity drastically while you are rolling down a hill, only to release the gravity at the bottom, causing you to ramp up an incline on the other side, sending you flying into the air. This simple mechanic is easy enough to understand while also being complex enough to allow a certain expression of mastery over the technique. Your timing, angle and release all factor into how effectively you’ll rocket up into the sky.
The second action is to flatten yourself into a disc, using the more aerodynamic shape to glide along in the sky. It’s nothing too terribly dynamic–it’s the kind of flight mechanic you saw in Super Mario, Sonic–anything where you glide really. You can extend the length of your glide by dipping down and back up, but inevitably you’ll stall out and need to gain more momentum on land. Effectively, it’s an extension of movement that allows you to cover distance faster. Third, there’s the double-jump. Not much to say about it–extremely standard as far as modern-day platforming goes, and is used to nudge yourself around in the air to redirect course, or to gain *just* a little elevation to reach that platform you want to land on.
As far as complexity in the gameplay itself, there isn’t much to be found. Your goal is to travel from point A to point B through a series of planets, each with very slight variations on the physics engine. One level gives you extended flight time, another has you traveling through water, there’s one with lower overall gravity–you get the point. There are technically collectibles on each level, but they’re sparse and not really the point of your journey. You can go after them if you want, but are completely avoidable if you just don’t care.
The story is loosely told through a series of flashbacks and subtitled narration that is sci-fi enough to fit the genre, but also not terribly deep. Put quickly, the whole goal is to go back in time in order to prevent a single mistake and save the lives of handful of astronauts onboard a doomed craft.
If the game hasn’t sounded amazing yet, that’s because if it were just these things, it would be mediocre at best (and as you might know, mediocrity alone is justification for nothing more than Tier 3). No, what really pushes Exo One out of the bland realm of “just another physics game” are its amazing visuals, soothing atmosphere and very polished delivery. Sure, you’re just a sphere. Sure, the objective has less depth than a “connect-the-dots” puzzle on the back of a cereal box. But boy, is it a *very* smooth ride to the end.
Each planet is visually stunning and unique from the others. Dunes cascading off into the distance, ocean waves surging all around, dark purple clouds angrily storming–everything you’ll see in Exo One is truly beautiful. Couple this with the simplistic controls (simple in the sense that they do not distract you from enjoying the scenery) and mellow soundtrack, you’ve got a very good mood piece. If you had a stressful day and just needed some time to disassociate, unwind, and let your mind drift, Exo One would be the perfect way to do it. Actually, I would recommend it. Overthinking anything in Exo One kind of misses the point and I was probably at fault for doing so during the beginning of my plathrough.
I was quite surprised after finishing the game to find that the planets were in part, procedurally generated. This means that from a speed-running perspective, one would need a good grasp of the game’s mechanics and not just memorized button inputs. On that note, this game is perfect for speedrunning and from what I understand already has a strong community of runners dedicated to it.
That being said, it’s quite short for the asking price. I took about 3.5 hours to finish it, but I tend to finish games slowly. Many said they finished it in about 2. However, I’m not sure it’s really the kind of game you buy to play for “value.” It’s more an interesting experience; a sort of mental cleanser that can be enjoyed effortless and put aside just as easily. (Or intensely speed-run if that’s your thing.) If you’re in the mood for good vibes on a sci-fi backdrop, I recommend checking it out.
And so while my critical analysis of Exo One ends here, it would be a missed opportunity to not comment on my long hiatus from writing reviews on PICD, which is to say, “Yaaaaaaaay. I’m back baby.” Or some such. Actually, the review is almost entirely the result of the appreciated prodding a singular “Tesselcraig” has provided me, not only by course of the recent interest he’s taken in the PICD blog, but also due to his provision of the Exo One game to me in the first place. So, here’s to you Tesselcraig! You’ve managed to get me restarted on at least one new review, let’s hope there’s a few more to follow.