Exile's End

62%
Game Brain Score Based on 81 reviews
  • graphics
  • music
  • story
Exile's End Game Cover
Exile’s End is a true old school Metroidvania experience in both good and bad ways that will ring your nostalgia bells while pulling no punches with the gameplay.
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"Exile's End" is a cinematic platformer inspired by classics like "Another World" and "Flashback." The game follows Jameson, a mercenary investigating a missing president's son on a remote mining planet. After a crash landing, Jameson must explore an alien world, solve puzzles, and fight enemies to uncover the truth. With its moody atmosphere and interconnected environments, "Exile's End" offers a challenging and immersive experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Linux
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
  • Wii
  • Wii U
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

62%
Audience ScoreBased on 81 reviews
graphics29 positive mentions
gameplay4 negative mentions
  • Exile's End features a nostalgic retro aesthetic with beautiful graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
  • The game offers a rewarding sense of character progression, allowing players to start weak and gradually become more powerful as they explore and acquire new abilities.
  • Controls are tight and responsive, making the gameplay enjoyable despite some design flaws.
  • The level design is often dull and uninspired, leading to a tedious gameplay experience with repetitive environments and lackluster enemy encounters.
  • The game suffers from poor direction and a lack of clear objectives, making it frustrating for players to figure out what to do next.
  • Autosaving can have unintended consequences, such as saving damage taken, which can lead to a frustrating experience, especially in the early stages of the game.
  • graphics51 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their nostalgic 90's aesthetic, reminiscent of classic titles like Super Metroid and Flashback, with many reviewers noting the attractive environmental design and atmospheric visuals. However, some criticism arises regarding a perceived decline in graphical quality mid-game, as well as a disconnect between the beautiful graphics and the game's lackluster level design and enemy interaction. Overall, while the graphics are considered a highlight, they are not enough to compensate for other gameplay shortcomings.

    • “The atmospheric score, the simple yet attractive graphics -- they wove a world of adventure that wasn't harshly insistent, that invited me to diffuse my stress into a sprawling, but never confusing, map.”
    • “Exile's End has fantastic environmental graphics for a 2D platformer, making me think of the old Flashback game.”
    • “Love the retro feel; everything from the graphics to the music shows that you don't need AAA level production to make a great game; really looking forward to more games from the developer.”
    • “The game itself has a nice 90's vibe, and while mid-game you will feel that they run out of graphics assets (or rather the budget to create them), it's a nice little game for that few hours while it lasts.”
    • “The graphics look like those games and the sound is like an old Amiga or Atari ST game.”
    • “The game would be great if enemies were more interactive and varied and the level design would do the graphical design justice.”
  • music47 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its catchy, retro-inspired soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere and mood, while others find it repetitive and forgettable. Many players appreciate the nostalgic feel it brings, likening it to classic titles from the late 80s and early 90s, though some criticize it for being overly simplistic or droning. Overall, the music is seen as a significant aspect of the game, contributing positively to the experience for many, despite some dissenting opinions.

    • “If a game has good graphics, a story that is written to be exciting or entertaining, and great music, that’s all they need.”
    • “The music score is quite simply phenomenal.”
    • “The music is a perfect fit for the late 80s early 90s aesthetic the game is going for.”
    • “The music and sound work are forgettable.”
    • “The soundtrack is nothing special, and even becomes very repetitive and droning after a while.”
    • “But sadly ruined by poor level design, repetitive music (5-10 sec looped tracks), awkward controls (missed my jumps more than once), very high difficulty just from the start and stiff animations.”
  • story41 mentions

    The game's story is described as simple and typical of the sci-fi genre, lacking depth and character development, particularly for the protagonist. While some players appreciate the organic unfolding of the plot through exploration and environmental storytelling, others feel that the narrative could have been richer and more suspenseful. Overall, the storytelling is seen as a mixed bag, with engaging elements overshadowed by a lack of drive and clarity.

    • “It's fun to find communiques and tidbits that unfold the plot more organically, rather than only having it fed to you through forced cinematics – even if said cinematics are also a highlight of the game.”
    • “Story elements are told through communication with your ship's AI, through computer entries found in the environment, and through beautifully drawn cutscenes.”
    • “The majority of my playtime came within a single session; I always wanted to see what was beyond that next door, solve that next puzzle, and see the next piece of the story.”
    • “There's also a huge missed opportunity to tell that story through the environment itself.”
    • “I wish that the game did a little better job building up suspense in spots, because it doesn't always feel like it maximizes parts of its story.”
    • “Storywise, there is no real drive to continue playing the game.”
  • gameplay23 mentions

    The gameplay of *Exile's End* has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and lacking in challenge, leading to a score of 4/10. While exploration offers some rewarding elements, the overall level design is considered mediocre and uninspired, failing to create a compelling sense of place. The game is described as a nostalgic throwback to old-school metroidvania titles, but it struggles to deliver engaging gameplay mechanics.

    • “Blending them into a different perspective with top quality gameplay.”
    • “Gameplay-wise, it feels just like the games of yesteryear.”
    • “Exile’s End is a true old school metroidvania experience in both good and bad ways that will ring your nostalgia bells while pulling no punches with the gameplay.”
    • “Exile's End's biggest problem is that it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to present in terms of gameplay.”
    • “However, the mechanics and level design are outright mediocre.”
    • “Some areas are better than others, but overall levels feel like they were made in service to the gameplay rather than to create a sense of 'place' – which wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the gameplay was actually good.”
  • atmosphere12 mentions

    The atmosphere in *Exile's End* is a mixed bag; while it features an appealing score and attractive graphics that create an inviting world, the slower pacing and movement detract from the overall experience. Some players appreciate the atmospheric elements, noting the game's ability to provide a stress-relieving adventure, but others feel that the execution falls short of its cinematic aspirations. Overall, the game offers a visually and audibly engaging environment, though it may not fully deliver on its atmospheric potential.

    • “The atmospheric score, the simple yet attractive graphics -- they wove a world of adventure that wasn't harshly insistent, that invited me to diffuse my stress into a sprawling, but never confusing, map.”
    • “Great atmosphere, cutscenes and overall graphics.”
    • “All to the sounds of a great retro-sounding, yet atmospheric, soundtrack.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly during the early stages, but note that exploration can yield meaningful rewards. However, the need to grind for health items can detract from the overall experience, especially due to issues with camera and combat controls.

    • “As a result, if you are low on health, you'll find yourself grinding for such a pill drop.”
    • “However, the game suffers from a tedious opening sequence, occasional camera and combat control stumbles, and a lackluster map.”
    • “While moving through the stages quickly becomes tedious, exploration does give some very meaningful rewards – so there are some positives in the gameplay.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The game is widely regarded as having little to no replay value, with multiple users expressing a lack of incentive to revisit it after completing the initial playthrough.

    • “It essentially has no replay value in my mind.”
    • “It essentially has no replay value in my mind.”
  • humor2 mentions

    Players find humor in the initial struggle of using rocks as weapons before obtaining more effective armaments, highlighting the absurdity of the situation. However, some frustrations arise with weapon mechanics, particularly the grenade launcher, which can deliver underwhelming damage in certain scenarios, adding a layer of unintended comedy to the gameplay experience.

    • “It takes a while to get your first actual weapon; until you do, you are stuck with rocks, which I thought was funny. The weapons themselves were well designed, except for the grenade launcher, which for some reason, if you hit an enemy on the top of its sprite, would do the same damage as a rock or less.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is not explicitly addressed in the provided texts, which focus more on gameplay mechanics rather than emotional impact. As such, there is insufficient information to summarize any emotional elements.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

60% average critic score

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