Exo One Critic Reviews

As confusing as this might sound, Exo One is every bit relaxing as it is intense. Its exploration of the mysterious and deep reaches of space combined with its perfectly arranged soundtrack creates a different kind of sci-fi experience that should definitely be checked out by fans of the genre. As far as I know, this is Exbleative’s first title, but it’s an absolute banger. I’ll be eager to see future projects from the studio, science fiction-based or otherwise.

In Exo One, each world has its own characteristics, which make the journey truly unique.

Exo One is a notably well-crafted audiovisual journey that is quite enjoyable to simply play through. While the story is lackluster and can even sometimes get in the way of the real joy of actually playing the game, it still adds some degree of depth and direction. Still, the game could do with an option to skip the story all-together and a level selection option after beating it to go back to your favorite planets. Leaving the story aside, flying through the different planets alongside your alien craft is quite an experience on Exo One. Headphones recommended.

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

Exo One is almost a perfect sci-fi puzzle game, let down by one poor level right in the middle. The movement, the beauty of its scenery, and the peculiarity of the narrative is something I really appreciate about video games as an art form.

Exo One delights with innovation and an immersive atmosphere - if you let it.

Despite offering a faster-than-light flight through the galaxy, Exo One‘s wider angle is a slower-paced and melancholy journey through a beautifully-realised cosmos. There are some issues with bugs, and the unhurried pacing won’t be for everyone, but Exo One is an unmissable voyage for those who know what they’re getting into.

A very powerful experience, which can be completed in less than three hours but capable of burning itself into your eyes and mind.

This absorbing, flawed, daringly singular adventure firmly places Weston and team among the kind of risk-taking explorers to which his game pays tribute.

Exo One can be included in the list of most unique games that have appeared this year. Not because it is so innovative, but in which other game do you ride like a marble through the cosmos? This game puts you in a state of movement and wonder.

There are none of the dials and tickers that usually clutter the screen in sci-fi games and films: your HUD is empty save for the occasional text prompt to inform you of your distance to the monolith, or the raindrops that smear across the screen. The uninterrupted views and undulating rhythms invite a near meditative state, the thrill of which deepens as your skill at manoeuvring the craft increases. A joyous, otherworldly ride.

Exo One is an enjoyable other-world experience that challenges players with the mastery of an alien spacecraft. Tight controls and great physics more than make up for the odd repetitive spot, making Exo One an absolute must for anyone with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. Even without one, I’d still recommend picking it up.

Visually with some breathtakings moments of space beauty, Exo One is like a No Man’s Sky made by Thatgamecompany, a journey trough beautiful alien planets where you cannot die nor lose. Where is the challenge, then? In the journey itself, a contemplating and at the same time interactive journey with a simple and accessible gameplay where gain momentum is the key to all. The story is not very well narrated and the game is simply too short, but jumping trough asteroids fields and sea worlds is definitely something.

Despite everything, a very nice adventure to discover.

Short and sweet but in no way significantly dented by its own strict vision and run-time, Exo One‘s picturesque voyage through one far-flung planet to the next, though not without fault, is more engaging and novel than it is mildly indulgent.

Exo One is a great experience with a great concept, although sometimes its own level design can feel detrimental to its own success.

An otherworldly journey that runs out of things to do.

Beyond its success as a mood piece, it's tempting to recommend Exo One solely for its scenery. As a machine for generating desktop wallpapers or screensavers, it's first rate. Some of you, I feel, will love it for this alone. But as I said up top, maybe I just don't like sci-fi vistas as much as I thought I did. Long before Exo One's short three hours reached their conclusion, I just wanted it to be Exo Done.

Exo One is not a mechanically deep game, nor a narratively enthralling one, but nevertheless, I see myself returning to it many times in the future. The game pulls off a fantasy I’ve heretofore only approached in my dreams: to leave all remnants of Earthliness behind and skim the surface of an alien world, the desert as smooth as polished glass.