GameVortex writes: "Some games just have a distinctive look, and this is one of them. Mostly the visuals draw on a silhouette art style, but there are some textures and colors that break the look a bit. Big differences in the look of each stage help keep tedium from setting in, as you migrate from burning to freezing to water-logged environments. There are some simple sequences that open each stage, done in a static, cartoon style. The lead character, Mr. Esc, has lots of neat animations and moves around with lots of panache. His so-called Companions are an interesting bunch, drawn in the same silhouette style, but with lots of variation in size and style. You can browse the Companions rescued in each level and read little blurbs about their backgrounds as you view a little snapshot of them. All this paints a neat picture of Exit DS as a game that stands out from the crowd with its graphics".
Carl Williams writes, "When you think minimalist gaming you probably think of the Atari 2600. That era of consoles had to rely on good gameplay with great controls to keep the player interested. They didn’t have awesome HD graphics and 7.1 surround sound to work with. Those crutches would come a couple of decades later. That is what attracts me to independent and homebrew developers, often they are saddled with similar restraints. Take Exit by nukeSpoon for example. This is one of those minimalist style games that is using modern technology quite well. It is in the style of the original Nintendo Game Boy but it is a first person atmospheric adventure. Find out if it is better than you think after the jump."
Take control of Mr. ESC (Escape) in this "escape" action game. In each level, your goal is to search the stage for people and lead them to the exit under constraint of time. When you have another character under your supervision, you'll need to issue commands, ordering them to wait and use items. EXIT is one of the first Japanese PSP titles to support infrastructure mode, allowing for over 100 new stages to be downloaded for free.
Taito are renowned for their classic arcade series, even releasing many compilations for multiple systems. However, my favorite product of the developing giant takes the form of the ultimate rescue-puzzle, Exit.
