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EXIT
review | PLAYSTATION PORTABLE
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Publisher: Taito.
Developer: Taito. Released: March 2006 (Europe). Genre: Puzzle-platformer. Other versions: X360; DS. Posted 24th February 2026. By Shane Battams © 2026 |
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Taito’s first original title for the PlayStation Portable would see them looking towards the puzzle genre, and even amongst a crowded early software market, Exit would prove a standout. Its eye-catching style may lead you to believe it’s a casual experience, but a catalogue of devious brainteasers prove anything but. Forcing you to make snap decisions under time constraints, it captures the frantic life of an escape artist who aids people facing disaster. It suffers a few issues, but for those who can work under pressure, Taito’s effort is certainly worth a spin.
Mr. ESC is a professional escapologist who uses his talent to help those in need. Across 100 levels divided across ten sections, you will be placed into a stage and required to escape while often helping multiple civilians to exit too. Each section opens with a comic-book style scene that establishes the hazards you’ll face, ranging from intermittent earthquakes to power outages. They’re brief, but capture Mr. ESC’s personality; his cool demeanour and careful preparation proving endearing characteristics. They also look stylish, much like the rest of the game, and fit like a glove. Of course, escaping is not as simple as walking to the neon-lit exit. A slew of hazards can hurt both you and those you strive to save, be it deep drops, electric shocks, or fire.
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Exit is a clever and super-stylish puzzle-platformer, and one that's a great fit for Sony's handheld
Mr. ESC is nimble and able to navigate the environment smoothly as he can jump, run and in turn perform a longer jump. He can also crouch and use certain items, such as fire extinguishers. Marshalling civilians proves a tad trickier, as there are four types. Young Adults can jump and navigate fairly similarly to MR. ESC, albeit with less agility. Adults are stronger and can push bigger objects, yet need help climbing certain ledges. Children can access small gaps but can’t push objects and need assistance with most ledges. Patients require carrying around, or pushing, should a stretcher be available. This quartet of people forces you to think, and utilise each of their strengths to open a path forward. There’s also other aspects to factor, such as pressure switches for certain doors, elevators, and fragile paths that falter under weight pressure.
Luckily, Exit benefits from fantastic level design that utilises these myriad elements to create fiendish yet gratifying challenges. The learning curve rises gradually, forcing you to utilise crates or other objects to create paths, for example. Each situation brings unique hazards which reset the parameters and keep you guessing. It often requires careful thought as you can lock yourself out of completing levels, forcing a restart, but each stage also has a time limit, requiring you to keep moving to avoid failure. Unfortunately, the controls and friendly AI have a tendency to get in the way, which is a shame. Jumps are typically fine, but performing a sprint jump can be unresponsive, resulting in Mr. ESC falling helplessly to his death. AI pathfinding can be a pain. You can order companions to follow, but they may struggle to traverse stairs, instead walk under you, resulting in the loss of valuable time. It can be frustrating to lose out on a perfect run due to elements out of your control, but otherwise, it plays like a treat.
Luckily, Exit benefits from fantastic level design that utilises these myriad elements to create fiendish yet gratifying challenges. The learning curve rises gradually, forcing you to utilise crates or other objects to create paths, for example. Each situation brings unique hazards which reset the parameters and keep you guessing. It often requires careful thought as you can lock yourself out of completing levels, forcing a restart, but each stage also has a time limit, requiring you to keep moving to avoid failure. Unfortunately, the controls and friendly AI have a tendency to get in the way, which is a shame. Jumps are typically fine, but performing a sprint jump can be unresponsive, resulting in Mr. ESC falling helplessly to his death. AI pathfinding can be a pain. You can order companions to follow, but they may struggle to traverse stairs, instead walk under you, resulting in the loss of valuable time. It can be frustrating to lose out on a perfect run due to elements out of your control, but otherwise, it plays like a treat.
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And for fans who can bear its issues, there’s plenty here to keep you engaged across both short and long sessions. Those 100 levels will likely take around 10 hours to polish off, though this will vary depending on how quickly you are able to figure out the solutions. Dependent on your time and – for a few levels – how many civilians you save, you will be scored out of 100. This not only offers incentive for return visits, but is also necessary to unlock the last few sections. It all keeps that UMD spinning.
Exit’s standout aspect is its presentation. The cartoon-style environments bears colourful details and characterise each location while highlighting hazards. Character models create a stark contrast, with their wire-shaded outlines clearly visible. But they bear neat little touches which add personality, despite their monochrome appearance. Whether it’s Mr. ESC’s red tie and yellow hat, glamorous women, or kids with cowboy hats, there’s charm to each person, especially when coupled with comedic biographies unlocked with their rescue. It also runs nicely and loading times are pretty brisk. The sound isn’t quite as consistent, but the music is a highlight. The jazzy tracks do a great job of building a tempo, whether it’s the blend of cinematic horns and DJ scratches of Situation 1 or the funky riffs of Situation 3, they all prove pleasing on the ears. Less enjoyable are the repetitive voice clips, which include repetitive observations from Mr. ESC or grating one-liners from companions. They also sound low quality next to the impressive soundtrack.
Exit’s standout aspect is its presentation. The cartoon-style environments bears colourful details and characterise each location while highlighting hazards. Character models create a stark contrast, with their wire-shaded outlines clearly visible. But they bear neat little touches which add personality, despite their monochrome appearance. Whether it’s Mr. ESC’s red tie and yellow hat, glamorous women, or kids with cowboy hats, there’s charm to each person, especially when coupled with comedic biographies unlocked with their rescue. It also runs nicely and loading times are pretty brisk. The sound isn’t quite as consistent, but the music is a highlight. The jazzy tracks do a great job of building a tempo, whether it’s the blend of cinematic horns and DJ scratches of Situation 1 or the funky riffs of Situation 3, they all prove pleasing on the ears. Less enjoyable are the repetitive voice clips, which include repetitive observations from Mr. ESC or grating one-liners from companions. They also sound low quality next to the impressive soundtrack.
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Exit proved a great puzzler, offering a frantic mix of decision-making and time pressure that keeps you guessing. It’s a shame Taito would make only one further title in the series. Dozens of levels, challenging yet well-designed brainteasers and stylish presentation make for an enjoyable game, and one that finds a comfortable home on the PSP. It’s marred slightly by irritations with controls and AI, but these can be overlooked by the patient. If you’re looking for a worthwhile puzzle game for your handheld, and don’t mind some work-related stress, this one is worth checking out.
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VERDICT
"Despite some control and AI irritations, Exit blends decision-making and time pressure to make for a great puzzler with dozens of levels, well-designed brainteasers and stylish presentation." OVERALL: 8/10 |
OTHER CREATIVE 2D PORTABLE GAMES REVIEWED
LocoRoco (2006, PlayStation Portable)
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Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2011, DS)
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