I'm not one known for eloquence, but here goes: (tl;dr: (Play-through still in progress) relaxing movement and exploration centric game combined with 2001 A Space Odyssey, worth a buy and buying the soundtrack from bandcamp: https://rhyslindsay.bandcamp.com/album/exo-one-original-soundtrack ,also: EPILEPSY WARNING (20 HZ FLASHING LIGHTS) )

I genuinely forget what caused me to come across Exo One back in 2017, maybe a post in Games on the SomethingAwful Forums? Either way, the concept of exploring alien landscapes with a ball, and the movement mechanics that could come with it, appealed to me. I missed the kickstarter, but was able to preorder it on humble bundle. I then largely forgot about it for the next 4 years, aside from trying out 1 or 2 demos over that period.

With kickstarter products, I've found it's best to put them out of your mind until they either show up on your front door, or show up in your email, removing any feelings of frustration and leaving you with pleasant moments of surprise, and sometimes confusion, if you didn't remember ordering something. When this showed up on Steam, I was pleasantly surprised, and went to find my humble key (since humble didn't alert me that it had released). After a quick download I was off to the races.

One of the first things that surprised me is that there is some kind of story to it. I guess I should've expected one, but from the demo I was expecting an aimless game of exploring some procedurally generated worlds via some unique movement mechanics. Making your own fun, essentially. And that would've been fine with me, but they've gone with a story that has me curious as I continue to play. When one makes heavy mention of Jupiter and uses visual effects that are a homage to Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite from 2001 A Space Odyssey, I can't help but wonder where it goes.

Compared to the earlier demo, the finished game is quite well optimized. Even with my 4-5 year old Titan XP, I can run this game at 4K with max settings and largely play above 60 FPS, usually in the 70s to 80s range, though there are times when it will dip into the 50s but not at a pace where the frame rate would be considered to wildly fluctuate and cause discomfort for the player. Even when it does dip, the frame pacing is still solid, and I feel no jitters. Both combine for a smooth gameplay experience, which one needs in a game all about movement.

The graphics are gorgeous. The lighting, shadow, and particle effects are top notch, and the color palette is saturated and warm. These all combine to really set the mood on some levels. I must really tip my hat to the use of blues, especially combined with low intense lighting, it really does give off an air of mystery, and makes you wanna just wallow in it. The transition between worlds sequence, clearly a homage to Douglas Trumbull's Stargate sequence from 2001's Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite, is a worthy homage, but doesn't compare to the beauty of the awe-inspiring original. To be fair though, nothing really has in the 53 years since.

The controls are simple, but take some getting used to. There is no failure state or time limit, so you're free to mess around as much as you want. Once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to move pretty fluidly on land and in air. The levels also so far have different effects that you can take advantage of with your mechanics, allowing for some additional movement options.

Sound design is nice and punchy. And the soundtrack is melancholic and reserved, tracks only occasionally play, leaving you largely with the sounds of the exoplanetary elements. I'd say it's worth a pickup, but if you do, don't buy from steam, buy from the artist's bandcamp: https://rhyslindsay.bandcamp.com/album/exo-one-original-soundtrack . Nearly all the profits go to the artist, and you can get the soundtrack in any audio format you want, including lossless WAV format.

I can't say much about the camera or it's controls, because I largely just go where my ball's movement takes me, but I found it easy enough to turn the camera towards anything I wanted to see. You can also adjust the FOV, but again, I didn't mess around with that, the default worked fine for me.

The only downside I can say so far is that like some other reviews have pointed out, is that some of the flashing lights contained within the game can hit that 20 HZ sweet spot for triggering seizures in those that have epilepsy. So those with epilepsy, be warned, this game possibly might not be for you.

All in All, so far Exo One is a very pretty looking and sounding relaxing space exploration game with some unique and fun movement mechanics. One that I would say is not only worth picking up, but was worth the 4 year wait. Once I finish the game, if I change my mind about anything, or have anything additional to say, I'll update my review.

Thank you to anyone that took the time to read this review. I hope it wasn't too much of a waste of your time. I hope you and your loved ones have a safe and happy holiday season, and a safe and happy rest of 2021.