I played Stairway recently, a game which I subsequently discovered was pretty much nothing but a clone of this game, and vowed to play Exit 8 to give the 'find anomalies in a creepy subliminal space' microgenre another chance. I didn't really like Stairway and, unfortunately, most of the issues I had with that title cropped up here too.
Obviously Exit 8 can have some credit over Stairway for (as far as I'm aware) coming up with this concept for a game. And on paper yeah, this sounds like an absolutely fascinating concept. At its best this instills perhaps the best sense of paranoia I've felt while playing a game; I nearly jumped out of my skin at one or two of the anomalies, not because anything particularly scary or loud had happened, but just because something different had happened. The amount this game forces you to focus on its nearly empty environment does do wonders for immersion.
But honestly; the two emotions I felt most strongly during this were frustration and boredom. At the end of the day this is just an elaborate spot the difference puzzle really. You have to get 8 rooms in a row to win the game; I managed to hit seven in a row 4 or 5 times before finally getting a win, and each of those times felt absolutely awful when I turned the corner to see I'd reset my streak yet again.
The anomalies here are much better than in Stairway though, I would say. While Stairway was a memorization game (with anomalies such as which way the lift was going, whether a name was on a coffee cup, etc), Exit 8 is much more about being observant. Basically the anomalies in Exit 8 are all weird. Some of them are still quite subtle and difficult to see, but I never found one and then had to work out whether it actually was an anomaly or not. I think this approach is still much better than in Stairway but yeah... it's still reeeeaaally boring.
So yeah. Great concept on paper and I'm glad it's an experiment that someone was willing to try (and a million people were willing to make copies of apparently). But this microgenre definitely isn't for me, and I think I can be done with it now.
Obviously Exit 8 can have some credit over Stairway for (as far as I'm aware) coming up with this concept for a game. And on paper yeah, this sounds like an absolutely fascinating concept. At its best this instills perhaps the best sense of paranoia I've felt while playing a game; I nearly jumped out of my skin at one or two of the anomalies, not because anything particularly scary or loud had happened, but just because something different had happened. The amount this game forces you to focus on its nearly empty environment does do wonders for immersion.
But honestly; the two emotions I felt most strongly during this were frustration and boredom. At the end of the day this is just an elaborate spot the difference puzzle really. You have to get 8 rooms in a row to win the game; I managed to hit seven in a row 4 or 5 times before finally getting a win, and each of those times felt absolutely awful when I turned the corner to see I'd reset my streak yet again.
The anomalies here are much better than in Stairway though, I would say. While Stairway was a memorization game (with anomalies such as which way the lift was going, whether a name was on a coffee cup, etc), Exit 8 is much more about being observant. Basically the anomalies in Exit 8 are all weird. Some of them are still quite subtle and difficult to see, but I never found one and then had to work out whether it actually was an anomaly or not. I think this approach is still much better than in Stairway but yeah... it's still reeeeaaally boring.
So yeah. Great concept on paper and I'm glad it's an experiment that someone was willing to try (and a million people were willing to make copies of apparently). But this microgenre definitely isn't for me, and I think I can be done with it now.
O conceito desse game apesar de abordar o tema clichê das Backrooms é único e criativo com uma jogabilidade que de início aparenta ser simples, mas ao decorrer do jogo demonstra que é necessário muita atenção do jogador para que haja o avanço dos níveis. Além disso, o terror psicológico acontece de uma forma que nunca tinha visto outro game utilizar. Então, se você for jogar, desejo boa sorte para encontrar a saída. Ah, e antes que eu esqueça, lembre - se disso: nem tudo é o que aparenta ser.
First & Blind Playthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFpf-M0FhKE
The 'Spot The Difference' genre of indie horror gets a welcome rethink with a stylish Japanese subway aesthetic, and PT-esque location-looping putting players directly in the thick of the spooky anomalies. For me, it's a more engaging shift from the screen-watching of cult breakout I'm On Observation Duty, with spookiness ranging from the head smackingly subtle to the downright startling. All anomalies feel like they play fair, and there's extra fun in finding them all (with a convenient counter supplied), and entering into some of their fail states. Simple, but cheap fun. High on quality with potential to do more.
The 'Spot The Difference' genre of indie horror gets a welcome rethink with a stylish Japanese subway aesthetic, and PT-esque location-looping putting players directly in the thick of the spooky anomalies. For me, it's a more engaging shift from the screen-watching of cult breakout I'm On Observation Duty, with spookiness ranging from the head smackingly subtle to the downright startling. All anomalies feel like they play fair, and there's extra fun in finding them all (with a convenient counter supplied), and entering into some of their fail states. Simple, but cheap fun. High on quality with potential to do more.
It's a simple game and simple concept, but it nevertheless takes you through the suite of human emotions: bafflement, total psychosis, and sweet gratification. It's of course fun just solving each anomaly, but the process of sharpening the speed and accuracy of your recognition and memory on each run ads an extra fun gamey element to the end of one's playthrough.
it's more of a Spot the Difference game than it is a horror game and that's fine it kind of just reminded me of that really popular YouTube video that's like how-to-make-realistic environments in blender idk something like that
not really worth 4 bucks though in my opinion since you can beat it in like 10 minutes
not really worth 4 bucks though in my opinion since you can beat it in like 10 minutes
Una idea simple : encuentra las diferencias. Cada vez que pasas por el pasillo, si todo está bien, sigues. Si no, das la vuelta. Hasta llegar a la salida. Las diferencias tienen un toque un poco turbador (las hay de audio también), por lo que estás en cierta tensión.
Es un concepto interesante, muy creepypasta, te da un par de horas de juego y es muy barato, así que todo bien
Es un concepto interesante, muy creepypasta, te da un par de horas de juego y es muy barato, así que todo bien
Una experiencia corta, acabo de pasarmelo ahora mismo. Aunque sea corta, y no tenga un ambiente muy de terror, ha sido capaz de sacarme un buen susto sin el uso de jumpscares. No contiene lore porque no es necesario. Te lo puedes pasar al 100% en menos de 2 horas.
Una vez te sabes las anomalías se vuelve demasiado fácil, así que tiene sentido como experiencia única, y por 3 euros me parece una buena relación calidad-precio
Una vez te sabes las anomalías se vuelve demasiado fácil, así que tiene sentido como experiencia única, y por 3 euros me parece una buena relación calidad-precio
Very simple premise that I felt was executed well. I thought it wasn't particularly scary when I first started, but then felt myself start to get a bit on edge the more I played. However, by the end, I felt less tense and more just focused on spotting the anomalies taking away any of the fear as I became more familiar with what I might see. Overall it does not overstay its welcome and is worth trying out if the concept even remotely appeals to you.