Exertus

About

Exertus is a first-person action platformer that combines free-running and old school FPS movement mechanics. Players navigate through 42 semi-linear levels with a focus on fluid movement and dynamic level elements, competing against others through global leaderboards or playing for fun. The game encourages creativity in reaching the end goal, whether by taking the beaten path or exploring off-path environments.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 140 reviews

gameplay6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and fast-paced parkour experience with satisfying movement mechanics.
It's very affordable, providing good value for the price, especially for speedrunning enthusiasts.
The level design allows for creativity in how players approach challenges, making it enjoyable to master levels.

Controls can feel clunky and inconsistent, particularly with wall running and double jumping.
The graphics are basic and lack variety, with many levels using the same texture, leading to a bland visual experience.
The game is short, with only 42 levels that can be completed quickly, which may leave players wanting more content.

gameplay
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
47%
18%
The gameplay of the game is characterized by its challenging parkour mechanics and level design, which can be both rewarding and frustrating, especially for speedrunners. While the movement mechanics offer depth and excitement, some players find them finicky and poorly implemented, particularly with the introduction of new powers that disrupt the platforming experience. Overall, the gameplay shines through its competitive elements and the satisfaction of mastering difficult levels, despite some criticisms regarding its polish compared to the developer's previous title, Inertia.
- “Made by the same developer, Inertia delivers a far more polished and enjoyable gameplay experience, despite being released two years before Exertus.”
- “The graphics aren't groundbreaking, but the gameplay is where it shines.”
- “Good level design, good gameplay, the leaderboards offer a good competitive aspect, and you can either play for fun or grind like a madman.”
- “Not only does the game recycle most of Inertia's levels, but it butchers them, making them unplayable due to a range of poor decisions and horrible mechanics.”
- “Finally, the addition of new 'powers' breaks the game completely; there is no need to actually follow the path when two 'powers' just send you flying to the next level. This completely undermines the whole concept of a platformer and parkour game, and even this new mechanic is extremely poorly designed, making it feel like trying to fly a plane with severe Parkinson's.”
- “Exertus is a very challenging parkour game with mechanics that will allow you to fly through the air from platform to platform at extreme speeds (2% of the time) or fall pitifully into a bottomless pit (98% of the time). Usually, you'll just smash the reset button after one jump because you know you've started badly, but when you finally nail that super difficult level after 49 failed attempts, you'll know what I'm talking about.”
graphics
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
33%
27%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many describing them as lazy and minimalist, reminiscent of early 1990s low-polygon designs. While some players appreciate the polished look achieved through the Unreal Engine, others criticize the repetitive textures and lack of creativity. Overall, the visuals are deemed adequate but not groundbreaking, with gameplay being the standout feature.
- “The graphics aren't groundbreaking, but the gameplay is where it shines.”
- “Visuals are stunning just like in Inertia.”
- “Great graphics even at low settings.”
- “The primitive handful of just 1-2 grey textures plastered over every surface is a method that lazy developers often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose', which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
- “However, visuals aside (and while they are bad and lazy, they're also well polished, in fairness, thanks to the venerable Unreal Engine), the real killer here is the awkward controls.”
- “In a sense though, compared to Inertia, it feels like a bit of a downgrade; graphics are more simplistic, there's no level editor (although I'm not even sure to what extent it was used), and it's shorter - Inertia has more content.”
story
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The reviews on the story aspect are mixed; while some users praise it as "awesome," others feel there is "no story to be found," indicating a lack of consistency in narrative quality.
- “This is a good story.”
- “Awesome story.”
- “There is no story to be found.”
- “The narrative is completely lacking.”
- “I was left confused and disappointed by the story.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is noted for its simplicity and calming qualities, with some users finding it particularly enjoyable and well-complementing the graphics. Overall, it enhances the gaming experience positively.
- “The music is particularly awesome!”
- “Calming music.”
- “Very simple design and music, but I like it.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
150%
Users generally find the game to have limited replayability, with some indicating it is not infinitely replayable. This suggests that while there may be some enjoyable elements to revisit, the overall experience may not offer enough variety or incentive for repeated playthroughs.
- “The game is infinitely replayable, offering new experiences with each playthrough.”
- “Every decision you make leads to different outcomes, making it a game you can return to time and again.”
- “With multiple story paths and character choices, the replayability factor is off the charts!”
- “Once you've completed the game, there's little incentive to go back. The lack of meaningful choices makes replaying feel pointless.”
- “The game offers a linear experience with no real variations in gameplay, which severely limits its replayability.”
- “After finishing the main story, I found that there were no new challenges or content to explore, making it hard to justify a second playthrough.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits occasional stability issues, particularly with movement mechanics like wall running, leading to unexpected speed changes. While it has several bugs and glitches, players acknowledge that it is in early access and improvements are anticipated in future updates.
- “Very awesome platforming game, although movement is buggy occasionally, such as picking up insane speed when canceling a wall run.”
- “It's not without its fair share of bugs and glitches, but it's early access and they will be fixed as time goes on.”