Exile's End

According to the developers, 'Exile's End' is specifically meant as a tribute to "science fiction films and anime of the 80's" and "classic Commodore 64/Amiga action-adventure games," and both of these are reflected in the graphical style. Highly-detailed sprite work creates a beautifully retro aesthetic while maintaining visual clarity, and the cutscenes are stunning works of pixel art.

I have to admit I found myself wishing there were a bit more color in the environments, though. This seems to have been a conscious art design choice in order to make things feel a bit more gritty (i.e. "science fiction of the 80s"), but I found myself tiring of the muddled and muted browns, greens and greys after a while.

Many old action-adventure games were lauded for the sense of isolation they created, and that feeling seems to have been a priority in the creation of the 'Exile's End' soundtrack. When the sound design wasn't pumping my ears full of tense, synth-driven rhythms, it was creeping me out with ambient background noise. While I may have tired of the rather unappealing color palettes used in the visuals, the audio brought the environments to life in vivid, delightfully spooky detail.

With a high level of difficulty and a pixelated aesthetic, 'Exile's End' is an affectionate tribute to a decidedly different era of gaming. My time with 'Exile's End' was decidedly mixed, although I must admit I'm not in the target demographic of players that really enjoy this type of experience. I admired the visual and sound design for creating some truly creepy environments, and for serving up a loving tribute to the Commodore 64/Amiga era, but I was left a bit more cold in the gameplay department. Getting lost in expansive, empty 2D maps isn't exactly my idea of a good time, and I've never been one to get terribly excited about "old-school" difficulty. With that said, fans of this sort of isolated retro experience might get a real kick out of Marvelous' take on the genre.