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The Exit 8

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The Exit 8
Game's logo
Developer(s)Kotake Create
Publisher(s)Kotake Create
Playism (Switch version)
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • 29 November 2023
  • Nintendo Switch
  • 17 April 2024
Genre(s)Walking sim, horror, puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

The Exit 8[a] is a 2023 walking simulator-based puzzle horror video game developed and published by Japanese indie developer Kotake Create.[b] The game revolves around the player walking through a Japanese metro station passageways, trying to spot inaccuracies to reach the exit of the station. The game was released on Steam on 29 November 2023 and was later released for Nintendo Switch on 17 April 2024 under the publisher Playism.

The Exit 8 received positive reviews. In the wake of the game's release, many games released that took heavy inspiration from Exit 8 and were subsequently dubbed "Exit 8-likes". A sequel to the game called Platform 8 was released in May 2024.

Gameplay

Example image. Will replace later.

The Exit 8 is a first-person three-dimensional (3D) walking simulator type game with elements of puzzle and psychological horror. Inspired by the concept of liminal spaces such as The Backrooms, the game is set in the passageways of the Japanese metro.[1] The player walks through a seemingly endless set of repeating corridors in order to reach the eight exit as to leave the station. The core gameplay of The Exit 8 is similar to games like spot the difference, where the player must look out for and identify anomalies in the room's layout.[2] If there are no anomalies, the player should proceed down the corridor; whereas if there is an anomaly, the player should turn around and walk the way they came. The player needs to be correct eight times in a row to reach the end of the station.[3] Should the player be incorrect with any assessment of a given room layout, their progress will reset.[4]

Anomalies in the game can range from subtle differences such as different messages on signs, repeating poster designs, proportion differences with the passer-by or power outages. Certain anomalies can actually reset the player's progress should they not turn back quick enough such as a flood of red water or a man camouflaged as the wall tiles that will chase after the player if they get too close.[5]

Development and release

Development

A picture of Kiyosumi-shirakawa Station, a location many players have compared to the passageway in the game.[6]

The Exit 8 was developed by Japanese indie developer Kotake Create,[b] also known as Kotakenotokeke, who developed the game in Unreal Engine 5. The game was created during Kotake Create's years-long development of another game without releasing anything, which makes them upset.[7] In an interview with Japanese website Game Makers, Kotake Create stated that the game took over nine months to develop, split between six months of planning and prototyping and three months of final development.[2] Kotake Create stated that they love the surreal atmosphere of underground passageways, which inspires them to created a game based on loops. They also took inspiration from I'm on Observation Duty, a horror game based on surveillance cameras and finding anomalies, which makes them realize that spot the difference could integrate well with horror themes. Other horror games that influenced the development include P.T. and Twelve Minutes.[7]

Release

The game was first announced on 3 November 2023 with a trailer posted on the developer's twitter account, with the release planned for later that month in both Japanese and English.[8] The Exit 8 would release worldwide on Steam on 29 November 2023.[9] During the Japanese broadcast of a Nintendo Indie World presentation on 17 April 2024, the game was subsequently released on the same day worldwide for the Nintendo Switch.[10][11] This version of the game was published by Japanese publishing company Playism.[12]

Sequel

In an interview with Japanese website Game*Spark following the release of The Exit 8, Kotake Create mentioned the possibility of creating a sequel to the game, stating that they would rather make a new game instead of updating the original with new anomalies.[13][7] In a subsequent interview with GameMakers, Kotake Create mentioned that they were considering soliciting real-world advertisements as opposed to the fictional advertisements seen in Exit 8 to "reduce the operating costs".[14] This would later be added upon in late-February 2024, where the developer sent an announcement on their Twitter account that they would be accepting submissions for these guest advertisements to appear in a sequel to The Exit 8.[15] In the following month, Kotake Create launched a Steam page for the sequel under the name Platform 8, with a release window of between "the end of April or beginning of May".[16] Unlike its predecessor, Platform 8 is set on a train that never ends, where the player must spot anomalies to escape the train. The game released on Steam worldwide on May 31, 2024.[17][18] Following the release of Platform 8, Kotake Create stated that they do not want to make anymore sequels in this series, feeling that they are satisfied with the games and wanted to continue working on Strange Shadows, the horror adventure game whose development paused during their development of The Exit 8, planned for 2025.[19]

Reception

Critical reception

Sales

Upon the release of the game, it was announced that the game had sold 30,000 copies within the first day. By April 17, Kotake Create announced that the Steam release of the game sold 500,000 copies.[21]

Two days after the release of the game on Nintendo Switch The Exit 8 became the top most downloaded switch game that week in Japan, beating out games such as Bunny Garden and Suika Game.[22]

Impact

Following the release of The Exit 8, an influx of indie games inspired by the premise of the game became available online. Dubbed "Exit 8-like" by both news outlets and the developer themselves,[23] these game feature similar or even identical gameplay to Exit 8 but often set in a different environment and often trying to capture the liminal space aesthetic with examples such a shopping centre, hospital or subway trains.[24] One such game, called "0th Floor -The cursed elevator to Floor 0 -", has the game set in an elevator and has the players looking for anomalies on different floors of a building, all of which has a different setting.[25] Some of these Exit 8-likes leaned more into the more horror aspect of the gameplay, such as adding paranormal entities such as monsters and ghosts.[26] One of the more unique Exit 8-likes is "Track No. 9", a two-dimensional pixelated art-style adventure game where the player searches for 34 anomalies on a subway platform.[27]

In response to the the large amount of "copycats", Kotake Create expressed that they do not condone the use of thumbnails or titles on gameplay videos of Exit 8-like games that could be seen as connections to the original game.[28] Additionally the developer shared links to some Exit 8-likes that they were looking forward to and stated that "as a developer, I think it is absolutely ok to make a new game that “puts a new spin on existing games,” as long as it isn’t exactly the same setting or gameplay system etc".[23] One of the most notable examples of this was The Exit 9, which was released on the PlayStation Store in January 2024. Due to the game's strong likeness to The Exit 8, it caused online fans of the game to ask Kotake Create about the copycat to which they denied any involvement with The Exit 9. Verity Townsend from Automaton Media speculated that the developers of the copycat were taking advantage of the fact that the original game was not released on consoles.[29]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: 8番出口, Hepburn: 8-Ban deguchi
  2. ^ a b Stylised as KOTAKE CREATE

References

  1. ^ Scullion, Chris (6 November 2023). "A new liminal horror game has players trying to escape an endless Japanese subway". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b Vjestica, Amber (14 February 2024). "The Exit 8 dev reveals how he made a top-selling Steam game in UE5 in 9 months". Automaton Media. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  3. ^ Helm, Jordan (18 December 2023). "The Exit 8's Psychological Meddling Offers A Fascinating Proof of Concept". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  4. ^ Thorn, Ed (9 January 2024). "The Exit 8 perfectly captures the surreal horror of navigating a busy tube station". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  5. ^ Roffe, Christina (22 December 2023). "The Exit 8: All Possible Anomalies". Game Rant. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  6. ^ Townsend, Verity (5 December 2023). "The Exit 8 shines light on real-life Japanese stations' creepy passageways". Automaton Media. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "一躍ミームに、話題の短編ホラー間違い探しシム『8番出口』地下通路以外が舞台の"続編"可能性も！？【開発者インタビュー】". Game*Spark (in Japanese). 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  8. ^ Sato, Koutaro (6 November 2023). "Escape the "backrooms" of a Japanese subway station in upcoming UE5 indie game". Automaton Media. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  9. ^ Romano, Sal (17 April 2024). "The Exit 8 now available for Switch". Gematsu. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  10. ^ Hagues, Alana (17 April 2024). "Round Up: All The Games You Missed From Japan's Indie World Showcase (April 2024)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  11. ^ SKY (17 April 2024). "「8番出口」がNintendo Switchで本日配信。異変を見つけたら引き返し，8番出口を目指せ". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  12. ^ Okada, Yuka (18 April 2024). "マジか！　人気ゲーム「8番出口」Switch版がいきなりリリース". ITmedia (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  13. ^ Vjestica, Amber (12 December 2023). "The Exit 8 developer mentions possibility of a sequel". Automaton Media. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  14. ^ "『8番出口』のおじさんは約14万ポリゴン。モデル＝清澄白河駅説の真相は？開発者に制作過程をインタビュー". GameMakers (in Japanese). 14 February 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  15. ^ Yamanaka, Taijiro (23 February 2024). "The Exit 8 dev is looking for real ads to add realistic vibes to the game's sequel". Automaton Media. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  16. ^ Yokoyama, Keiichi (1 April 2024). "The Exit 8's official sequel finally announced". Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  17. ^ Fujiwara, Hideako (31 May 2024). "The Exit 8 creator releases official sequel "Platform 8", with similar backroom vibes and new gameplay". Automaton Media. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  18. ^ Romano, Sal (31 May 2024). "The Exit 8 sequel Platform 8 now available for PC". Gematsu. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  19. ^ Yamanaka, Taijiro (3 June 2024). "The Exit 8 and Platform 8 will have no further sequels – developer is working on a horror adventure title slated for 2025". Automaton Media. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  20. ^ Lada, Jenni (27 April 2024). "Review: The Exit 8 Is Both Comfy and Unsettling on the Switch". Siliconera. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Switch版『8番出口』が本日（4/17）配信開始。異変を見つけて延々と続く地下通路から脱出せよ。PC版売上50万本超ホラームードの間違い探し。470円【インディーワールド】". Famitsu (in Japanese). 18 April 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  22. ^ Nishiwaki, Takeshi (19 April 2024). "SwitchのDLランキングに「8番出口」「バニーガーデン」が1位2位に登場！ 「スイカゲーム」を抜く". Game Impress Watch (in Japanese). Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  23. ^ a b Keiichi, Yokoyama (25 December 2023). "The Exit 8 developer expresses surprising opinion on copycat games". Automaton Media. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  24. ^ Vjestica, Amber (26 January 2024). "Chilla's Art announces new anomaly-spotting horror game inspired by The Exit 8". Automaton Media. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
    Yamanaka, Taijiro (9 February 2024). "Exit 8-like horror walking sim has you trapped in the liminal space of a shopping center". Automaton Media. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
    Basho (6 March 2024). "8番出口やEscape Roomの影響を受けた「Hospital 666」，Steamで配信開始。最大4人の協力プレイで666階を目指そう". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 June 2024.
    Yamanaka, Taijiro (20 December 2023). "The Exit 8 inspires train-hopping subway escape game Station 5". Automaton Media. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  25. ^ Townsend, Verity (4 April 2024). "Keep calm and escape a dodgy elevator in this cursed Exit 8-like". Automaton Media. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  26. ^ "『迷央8丁目』恐怖を前にしても絶対に引き返せない『8番出口』ライクホラーゲーム。Steamストアページが公開、2024年6月ごろにリリース". Famitsu (in Japanese). 24 April 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
    Basho (12 April 2024). "8番出口ライクのびっくり系ホラーゲーム「霊室」，本日配信開始。プレイヤーを脅かす怖い霊現象を鎮めていこう". 4Gamer (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  27. ^ Townsend, Verity (27 March 2024). "Escape an Exit 8-like looping train platform in this free-to-play Japanese browser game". Automaton Media. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  28. ^ Yamanaka, Taijiro (11 January 2024). "地下道歩きホラー『8番出口』開発者、似たゲームの実況動画に「◯◯版8番出口」などのタイトルをつけないでとお願い。ライクはOKだけど紛らわしいのはダメ". Automaton Media (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  29. ^ Townsend, Verity (29 January 2024). "The Exit 8 developer denies involvement with "The Exit 9" copycat game". Automaton Media. Retrieved 12 June 2024.

Official Steam page

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