Continuing to go through my back-log of shorter games that I've bought in bulk on sales, I spent a couple nights going through an indie game called Exo One. Exo One is a sci-fi ... um ... adventure game? Puzzle game? Platformer? Infinite runner? I'm really not sure how to classify this game ludically. Exo One feels like somebody thought "let's adapt the last 10 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey into a game" So it's part 2001, with a little bit of Contact thrown in for good measure, and plays similarly to Journey (but without any of the multiplayer aspects that made Journey such a beloved insta-classic). Basically, it's a game about going somewhere, but without really knowing where that "somewhere" is supposed to be. As such, it's the journey that matters; not the destination.
The basic plot, as I understood it (because it's a bit trippy and difficult to follow), is that an alien civilization transmitted data to Earth containing plans on how to build an exotic interstellar space craft (hence, the Contact reference). When a crew of astronauts travel to Jupiter to test the spacecraft, there is some kind of accident or unexplained phenomena that causes one of the astronauts to become lost in space. We play as that astronaut trying to return home -- well, actually, it's a little bit more complicated than that, but what's actually happening falls into spoiler territory, so I'll just leave it at that for now.
The spacecraft itself is a metallic, shapeshifting ball that can transform into a discus-shaped glider. It is equipped with a "gravity drive" that allows it to temporarily multiply the the force of gravity that is applied to it. As such, the core gameplay loop consists of rolling this ball across alien landscapes, using the gravity drive to pick up speed whenever you are falling or rolling downhill, and then jumping and transforming into the discus glider in order to reach higher elevation or travel long distances.
What if the climax of 2001: A Space Odyssey were a game?
Yeah, it's a weird one...
Just keep on rolling
I almost feel like this game needs to be played more than once. The fact that the player is a rolling ball basically means that the game kind of plays itself. In a first playthrough, you can kind of just passively let yourself just roll along and not do a whole lot, and you'll eventually wind up where you're supposed to go and progress to the next level. The game tracks your playtime and awards trophies / achievements for breaking the sound barrier in each level, which inherently motivates the player to try to move fast and complete the levels quickly.
But there are no time limits or formal fail states. You can complete the levels at your own pace. It's possible to kind of soft lock yourself if you put yourself in a situation in which you cannot get enough speed to get to where you need to go. But even then, it's probably just a matter of brute-forcing it until you break free. But there are also hidden unlockables for you to find, not to mention plenty of scenic vistas that will require you to gain significant speed and elevation to be able to see. It's possible to [literally] coast through the game with little-to-no effort, but getting good at the game is actually quite challenging and requires practice and knowledge of the level layouts.
Building and maintaining speed can be tricky, and lining yourself up with ramps, platforms, or speed burst gates can be tough. Especially if you are distracted by the beautiful alien landscapes off in the distance. My first playthrough took just under 2 hours (not counting the times that I restarted levels in order to perform better or get the hidden collectibles), but there are trophies for completing the game in under 60 minutes. The cutscenes are not skippable, which means that I was literally playing the game at less than half speed.
The ship alternates between being a rolling ball, or a gliding discus.
The landscapes are also vast. The scale of the environments really does allow for a tremendous sense of speed and altitude, which you won't experience if you're just casually rolling along. Yet despite the vast environments, I was never confused or lost. It's always obvious where you're supposed to go, and pretty obvious how you should get there.
I was a bit disappointed by the fact that almost all the levels take place on planetary surfaces. This significantly limits the cosmological sights that are available. You won't be using your gravity drive to slingshot around entire planets or stars or moons. I say "almost", because there is one level that takes place on an asteroid orbiting a star. It's one of the game's more creative and spectacular levels, and one of the major highlights of the game. Unfortunately, it's over fairly quickly, and there aren't any other levels even remotely like it. It would have been cool to maybe have a level that takes place in the rings of gas giant, or a dense asteroid belt, or within a nebula or accretion disk of a solar system in the process of forming, but no such luck. Maybe those are ideas for Exo Two?
Each level does offer some gameplay variety though, so they are more than just pretty backdrops. Almost every level has some unique obstacle or opportunity for traversal. Some use ramps and tubes to guide you through narrow corridors. Others have you diving underwater and skipping along waves. One level requires you to navigate with minimal power, such that you can't steer, and can must use the terrain and gravity drive to control your movement. Yet other levels use weather effects to modify how you move, or to limit how much control you have over the spacecraft. So despite the fact that the game really only has 4 things that you can do (activate the gravity drive, steer, jump, and transform to glide mode), there is a surprising variety in how each level plays.
I wish the game weren't so bound to terrestrial surfaces.
However, you're only going to notice this variety if you are actually paying attention and making an effort to move quickly. Remember, you can just coast through the whole game, in which case, you'll likely miss all of this nuance.
Space, the final regret
Perhaps my biggest complaint with Exo One is its overall tone. Despite being a game about exploring alien planets in an exotic spacecraft, and ogling exotic alien landscapes, Exo One is a very melancholic game. Instead of inspiring awe and wonder at where you are going and what you are seeing, the game chooses to instead focus on the player character's sense of survivor's guilt and regret. Even the dedication to astronauts in the ending credits chooses to highlight the danger, risk, and sacrifice inherent to space exploration, rather than the reward of discovery that exploration brings.
The music is morose, which, combined with the bits of narration that are given to us in cutscenes, kind of makes the landscapes more haunting than awe-inspiring.
The story revolves around the character's guilt regarding a tragedy that happened while exploring Jupiter.
I was really hoping for something more uplifting and optimistic -- you know, closer in tone to a game like Journey or Death Stranding. Those are highly meditative games as well, but they have strong themes of overcoming hardship through cooperation and community.
A fast space odyssey
Despite some misgivings, it's hard not to recommend Exo One to any sci-fi enthusiast, or anyone who appreciates a good, experimental game. It's pretty short. Even if you end up not liking it, or you're completely bored, at least it won't drain too much of your time. In fact, you can probably beat the game in less than the time it would take to watch the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey! $17 might be a bit steep for such a short game. $10 or $12 is probably closer to the sweet spot in terms of pricing. But you can always throw it on your wishlist and wait for a sale. That's what I did, and it was totally worth it!