Exo One [Review]
Exuberance in motion and velocity, now on PlayStation.
Exo One. Credit: All in! Games / Future Friends Games / Exbleative.
In Exo One, you are a space marble, some kind of experimental vehicle. You’ll learn this from snippets of voiceover that sound like they come from dream memory; all of it is vague but ultimately unimportant, because that’s not what will draw your attention. Previously available on PC and Xbox consoles, Exo One has now come to PlayStation.
Within the first few minutes, you’ll understand everything you need to about this game. Increase your relative gravity to plummet and gain speed, then decrease it to negate any resistance as you roll up an incline to soar into the air. Flatten yourself to glide. That’s pretty much it. It sounds simple, and it is. What it matters is the feeling it gives you. The feeling of total freedom and the rush of speed is delightfully addictive. At the same time, it’s also meditative and relaxing.
Exo One. Credit: All in! Games / Future Friends Games / Exbleative.
From planet to planet, you’ll be soaring through the air at supersonic speeds. And it’s gorgeous. Dust clouds, rain that leaves droplets on the camera lens and other weather effects, fluffy cloud cover that you’ll burst through, dramatic shadows and lighting, and of course the sound that accompanies it all—Exo One is a feast for the senses.
Exo One is a short game, only a couple hours long, but that’s fine. This isn’t a music game, but playing it reminds me of how I felt playing Rez, so I’ll come back to it again and again. I’ll turn the lights off and put headphones on to take another trip to the stars and reexperience the game’s wonderful headspace.
Exo One is available now on PC (Steam), PlayStation 4 / 5, and Xbox One / Series X|S.
Overall Score: 8/10
Played on: PS5
