Exo One

Intriguing and startlingly original, Exo One offers a quiet, meditative experience that's both foreign and mysterious.

84%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, optimization

91% User Score Based on 2,936 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 7 reviews

Platforms

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About

Exo One is a single player casual racing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by KrisWB and was released on November 18, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

In "Exo One," experience a thrilling journey through space and time as you pilot an alien craft using a unique gravity-based traversal system. Master this alien locomotion to explore desolate alien landscapes, build momentum to reach exhilarating speeds, and solve environmental puzzles. Immerse yourself in the atmospheric visuals, ambient sounds, and a captivating guitar soundtrack as you venture beyond the solar system on mankind's first interplanetary expedition.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,936 reviews

story172 positive mentions

grinding20 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and beautiful environments that create an immersive experience.
Relaxing gameplay with satisfying movement mechanics that allow for fluid traversal.
Unique and thought-provoking story that adds depth to the overall experience.

Very short playtime, typically around 2-3 hours, which may not justify the price for some players.
The story can be confusing and is delivered in a cryptic manner, making it hard to follow.
Limited replayability due to the linear nature of the levels and lack of a level select option after completion.

story
720 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
69%
7%
The story in "Exo One" is often described as vague, cryptic, and minimal, leaving players feeling lost or confused about its narrative. While some appreciate the atmospheric and interpretive nature of the storytelling, many find it intrusive or disconnected from the gameplay, with fragmented dialogue and abstract themes that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game is praised for its stunning visuals and unique mechanics, but the story is generally seen as a secondary element that could benefit from more clarity and depth.
- “The game's minimalist storytelling approach leaves room for interpretation and introspection, adding a layer of depth and intrigue to the overall experience.”
- “Its seamless blend of exploration, flight mechanics, and atmospheric storytelling creates a harmonious and immersive experience that lingers in the mind long after the journey ends.”
- “The story is intriguing and leaves a bit of room for interpretation.”
- “The story is there, but it doesn't really do or add much to the game.”
- “The story is difficult to follow.”
- “The story is vague and confusing, but I liked it.”
gameplay
594 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
53%
3%
The gameplay of "Exo One" is characterized by its simple yet satisfying mechanics centered around gliding and manipulating gravity, which many players find enjoyable and rewarding once mastered. However, the game is criticized for its short duration, repetitive gameplay, and lack of depth, leading to a feeling of missed potential in fully exploring its mechanics. While the visuals and atmosphere are praised, some players feel that the gameplay does not evolve significantly throughout the experience, making it more of a meditative journey than a traditional game.
- “The gameplay mechanics of Exo One are a delicate balance of exhilarating flight, precise maneuvering, and gravity-defying traversal that make every moment in the Exo One spacecraft a thrilling experience.”
- “The gameplay, the visuals, and even the story, they all complement each other and deliver a truly memorable experience.”
- “The mechanics are fun to learn and try out.”
- “Part of that is true, but the movement mechanics ended up being more of a hassle for me than an enjoyable experience, and it wasn't until I adjusted my expectations for the game that I had a good time with it.”
- “The gameplay itself is boring at best and frustrating at worst - nowhere is that pacing you're waiting for that you saw from the gameplay videos, never found are the spots of simple complexity or skill-based play.”
- “The planets are nice and feel atmospheric, but I find the gameplay very boring and tedious.”
graphics
417 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
29%
1%
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their stunning beauty and immersive quality, often described as breathtaking and reminiscent of high-quality art. Many players noted the impressive visual effects, atmospheric environments, and unique art style that enhance the overall experience, despite some criticisms regarding texture quality and occasional bugs. Overall, the visuals are a standout feature, contributing significantly to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
- “The game's visuals are a symphony of beauty and mystery, with otherworldly environments, dynamic weather effects, and surreal vistas that evoke a sense of cosmic grandeur and exploration.”
- “The visuals are stunning, and the music fits perfectly.”
- “Stunning visuals, immersive sound design & music - the most basic controls yet delivers the most satisfying experience any explorer of the cosmos could want.”
- “But following maps became not only less interesting, but also graphically worse looking, tedious and buggy.”
- “Bad textures on highest graphical settings.”
- “The textures and graphics on a lot of the later maps is just lazy and sad, the controls are heavy and frustrating at times especially around dense areas.”
music
406 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
42%
1%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and atmospheric qualities, often described as ambient or post-rock, which enhances the immersive experience of exploring stunning alien landscapes. While many players appreciate the soundtrack's emotional depth and its ability to evoke feelings of serenity, some express a desire for more frequent and varied musical cues throughout gameplay, as the music can be sparse at times. Overall, the combination of captivating visuals and a well-composed soundtrack creates a unique and relaxing gaming experience.
- “The music is incredibly well composed and relaxing.”
- “The soundtrack is serene, yet has a touch of loneliness.”
- “The visuals and music are like a dream.”
- “The music is very minimal; again, I think this was purposeful as you are able to play your own music while playing, which makes the experience 10x better.”
- “The problem with the soundtrack is that there's not enough of it.”
- “This game would be so much more relaxing if they played music all the time and included more relaxing music.”
atmosphere
230 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
76%
23%
1%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its breathtaking visuals, immersive sound design, and relaxing, zen-like experience. Many players describe it as a captivating blend of exploration and atmospheric storytelling, evoking feelings of awe and tranquility as they navigate through beautifully crafted environments. While some critiques mention repetitive gameplay, the overall consensus highlights the game's ability to create a mesmerizing and atmospheric journey that resonates long after playing.
- “A breathtaking yet relaxing atmosphere.”
- “Its seamless blend of exploration, flight mechanics, and atmospheric storytelling creates a harmonious and immersive experience that lingers in the mind long after the journey ends.”
- “Beautiful, immersive atmospheres and sound... the movement is mesmerizing... and I particularly love that it's about discovery.”
- “The game feels great, has amazing visuals with even better atmosphere scenarios, but it is completely ruined by the repetitive and boring gameplay loop.”
- “Those pictures flashing in your face while you are having fun with the beautiful scenery are really breaking the mood and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere was okay, and it was pretty, but strip all that away and you've got a pretty boring game.”
replayability
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
67%
6%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable for speedrunning and mastering controls, while others criticize its limited content and linearity, leading to boredom after a few runs. Many agree that although the game offers a satisfying experience and some replay value through achievements and time challenges, it ultimately lacks depth and variety, making it less appealing for extended play. Overall, it is seen as a short but potentially enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its mechanics and visuals, though it could benefit from additional content to enhance replayability.
- “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.”
- “This game may be short, about 4 hours for me, but for $17 it has a ton of replay value, and those 4 hours were extremely fun and impactful.”
- “The gameplay is fun and satisfying, but there isn't really any reward for exploration and it doesn't have much replayability since you have to go through the water world and jungle world to get to some of the better ones.”
- “Zero replayability value.”
- “Limited replayability: once you've completed the game, there's not much incentive to go back and play again, as there are no alternate paths or endings to explore.”
- “It just isn't worth $20 and has pretty limited replayability.”
emotional
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
4%
The emotional aspect of the game has garnered mixed yet profound responses from players, with many expressing feelings of wonder, sadness, and joy throughout their experience. While some criticized the story and controls, others found the combination of music, visuals, and gameplay to create a deeply moving experience that resonated on a personal level, often leading to unexpected emotional reactions. Overall, despite its simplicity and abstract narrative, the game has left a lasting emotional impact on many players, making it a memorable experience.
- “Overall... it made me feel something... something profound and beautiful...”
- “This game was an emotional roller coaster that changed the meaning of life for me.”
- “I cried not only from the story, but from the fact that it was over.”
- “Garbage controls, clunky movement, boring story, and ridiculously bad voice acting.”
- “Forces a boring story down your throat.”
grinding
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
16%
80%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with many levels lacking engaging design and visual appeal. While some stages offer distinct experiences, the majority lead to frustration and a sense of aimlessness, making the grinding feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of gameplay. Many reviewers suggest that the game would benefit from improvements to reduce the monotony of grinding.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It gets a bit faster towards the end, but on the whole it's quite tedious.”
- “Some stages were just needlessly tedious with no real sense of purpose.”
- “Grinding is not fun at all in a game like this; in the end, I felt mostly frustrated and annoyed.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews. While some players report significant performance issues, particularly on lower-end devices, others note that the final version shows improvement compared to earlier demos, running smoothly on mid to high-end hardware. However, stuttering and low frame rates persist for some users, indicating that optimization may still be a concern for a broader audience.
- “I can easily imagine people finding more optimized routes to get to the ends of the levels easier, constantly discovering faster methods to reach the end, and I hope to see a speedrunning community develop here.”
- “Apart from that, the game is very well made, runs smoothly and is very responsive.”
- “Compared to the earlier demo, the finished game is quite well optimized.”
- “The optimization is simply nonexistent; this game gets 63 fps on medium-high settings with my 3060 Ti and it looks like a default Unity game.”
- “There are lots of stuttering when loading LOD.”
- “The performance might suffer on older systems.”
stability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Overall, the stability of the game is mixed among users. While some report a smooth experience with no significant glitches or bugs, others have encountered frustrating issues like flying out into space or control problems in certain environments. Despite these inconsistencies, many players find the game enjoyable and well-optimized, particularly on high-end systems and the Steam Deck.
- “Encountered no glitches to speak of; it works fine.”
- “And for anyone wondering, this game runs great on Steam Deck despite the warnings.”
- “Runs great at 4K on my 1080 Ti.”
- “But following maps became not only less interesting, but also graphically worse looking, tedious and buggy.”
- “There are of course bug-out-your-ship glitches.”
- “You'd think in a game that's only control scheme is based on going fast and smooth movement, the game wouldn't then decide to throw entire mazes at you that force you to slow down, push you around with hard wind that's also super buggy and limits your ability to move and go fast, and at one point literally takes away your controls and says 'fu' to the player.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its whimsical elements, such as the amusing antics of a "funny little ball" and unexpected moments that evoke laughter, like a spaceship spinning wildly. Players appreciate the blend of lightheartedness with emotional undertones, while some find the exaggerated storytelling and quirky bugs add to the comedic charm rather than detract from the experience. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with a reflective tone, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
- “Very fun! I clap my feet in enjoyment while playing this funny little ball game. I go 'wheeee!' every time I go fast, but one time I went too fast and I got scared because I thought I would never slow down.”
- “For a game about a funny little ball, it was still very emotional for some reason.”
- “The story was 100% far too in your face, especially with the overdone looping reversed voices to accompany every line of 'dialogue' to the extent it got funny.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is generally viewed positively, as it offers a fully playable experience without the burden of excessive microtransactions or high upfront costs, contrasting favorably with other titles that impose significant in-app purchases and complicated agreements. Players appreciate the game's quality content and straightforward controls, highlighting its value in a market often criticized for aggressive monetization practices.
- “This isn't Battlefield 2042; it doesn't have a £50 price tag with in-app purchases and a lengthy EULA you have to sign up for or DRM that does who knows what to your PC.”
- “The market is inundated with microtransactions and money grabs, but this game offers a fully playable experience with a good couple of hours of content, high-quality graphics, impressive effects, and a simple control scheme.”
- “The market is inundated with microtransactions and money grabs. It's a fully playable game with a good couple of hours of content, high visual graphics, effects, sonic boom, and a simple control scheme.”
- “This isn't Battlefield 2042; it doesn't have a £50 price tag with in-app purchases and a 20-page long EULA you have to sign up for, or DRM that does goodness knows what to your PC.”