If I were to encapsulate my thoughts on Exo One in two words, it’d be ‘missed potential’ because what starts with a game all about efficient movement and speed had the potential to expand on these mechanics in a variety of fun ways — except it doesn’t, leading me to want a bit more after the credits roll. Exo One is a game that delivers at the end of the day, but only just.
Exo One has a story, but it’s a thin backdrop (granted, my understanding of the story is muddy even after finishing the game): There’s an expedition to Jupiter that goes disastrously, resulting in the astronauts’ deaths. A probe (controlled by the player) is supposedly sent out to investigate how to bring the astronauts back, going across distant planets in another galaxy and searching for a means. Snippets of the plot are told via voice-over which only adds to some of the confusion; there’s some implication that the probe you control is either controlled by a person also travelling to these other galaxies, or that the probe is sentient?
It isn’t a criticism since the story isn’t necessary for Exo One’s enjoyment; just how it’s presented comes across as artsy. If anything, the flashes of imagery that occasionally pop up to remind you about the lost crew and Jupiter would be comical if not for how sudden and jarring they are.
The main appeal of Exo One is its gameplay, as the spherical probe has few mechanics but makes for immense satisfaction once mastered. The probe can glide, dive and double jump — Bare basics, yes, but linking these inputs together can bring incredible speed and height when traversing the alien worlds. There’s no benefit to achieving incredible velocity other than letting you get around faster, yet the first planet you start on makes for an excellent case in going as swiftly as possible; when you clear the clouds for the first time and get that beautifully picturesque view? Whoof. Exo One is great if you like taking frequent screenshots, as excluding close-up textures, the visuals are something else regarding the splendour and lighting.
Using downward slopes to build up momentum then launching off a ramp, using updrafts and lightning to ascend and recharge the probe to continue gliding — It’s all in service to reach a teleporter to progress to the next level, though there isn’t much that stops you from goofing around. While I ran into two instances of invisible walls, the maps are big, open-ended and affords you plenty of time to practice movement techniques.
Each planet throws in a gimmick, like a water planet where gliding lets the probe skip across the surface or booster gates that fire the probe off like a bullet. Not all planets are fun, however, as one saps most of your abilities while the other has powerful gusts blowing against your path. This leads to my biggest issue with Exo One: it isn’t interested in expanding upon the probe in its gamified aspects. There are upgrades to pick up in each level, but as far as I could tell, they only improve upon the probe’s energy capacity for extended gliding, yet the improvements were nominal at best. I had hoped there would be other upgrades, like adding more jumps when in midair and a turbo dash to regain speed after coming to a stop — Ultimately, the upgrades went from something to actively gun for to simply regarding them as items for the achievement checklist.
I finished Exo One in under two and a half hours, not including going for every upgrade and hunting for achievements. It’s ultimately difficult to recommend Exo One, as its storytelling is flaccid and pursuing upgrades isn’t terribly fulfilling. However, the replay value in getting faster, more efficient times or just mastering the controls in general to fly across levels is incredibly satisfying, so if excellent visuals and good game feel are up your alley, then these criticisms won’t keep you from enjoying Exo One for a few evenings.
