Exception Review
To err is robot.
Ever wondered how exactly viruses affect a computer? Well, in the platformer Exception, you can find out – albeit through a dramatised and slightly nutty tale of anthropomorphic system processes and the totalitarian regime they overthrow.
A hapless grandma downloads a virus onto her computer, upheaving the lives of the ‘threads’ that live within it, characterised as robot workers. The story is told using comic-book cutscenes between level worlds. They’re nicely stylised but feel somewhat removed from the platforming action, to the point that the game even apparently thinks so, with the default option being “watch later.”
Exception is generously stuffed with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it levels, many of which take under 30 seconds to complete. They’re bursting with creativity, too, using pretty much every trick in the platforming book. There are levels where you’re chased by a giant robot, laser beams or a wall of death; levels with moving and disappearing platforms; and levels that close in and crush you if you’re not fast enough. Some stages feature secret passages or methods of traversing them that can shave valuable seconds off your completion time if you discover them.
The main hook is platform-flipping buttons that turn levels around, upside down, inside-out or otherwise transform them, letting you reach previously inaccessible areas. It’s a neat trick which adds a disorienting pizzazz to the proceedings. Your initial split-second instinct is to wonder where you need to go next, but there’s usually some subtle signposting in the form of glowing arrows to help guide you.
Wall-jumping is your best friend in Exception, both as a necessary method to get where you need to go and a stunt that can net you a cheeky shortcut every now and then. The absence of double jump, on the other hand, feels like a disappointing omission at a time when so many other platformers are featuring it. The platforming mechanics are also not the most precise I’ve experienced, feeling a little floaty and unpredictable, particularly when dashing and jump pads are thrown into the equation. But it’s far from sloppy.
While the first few worlds are pretty easy, there’s a noticeable bump in difficulty at around the fifth world. The number of hazards increases, along with the demands on your precision and timing. This is arguably where the game really hits its stride, presenting a satisfying level of challenge. Of course, with levels so short, it’s no big deal to retry one ten times.
Perhaps your most important goal – other than making it to the end of a level in one piece – is doing so as fast as possible. Each level completion screen displays your speed down to a hundredth of a second, a corresponding star score and an online leaderboard to show how you fare against the world.
You can also fulfill certain conditions during a level to earn modifiers that shave a few seconds or milliseconds off your time. ‘Allied Assault,’ oddly enough, is for attacking civilians. ‘Slasher’ is for… slashing a lot of things, I guess (it never properly explains them). ‘Turtle’ is a strange trade-off, taking a generous 2 ½ seconds off your time, but on the proviso you don’t ever use the run button.
I love Exception’s focus on speed. It’s exhilarating to bounce off of walls, dodging lasers and blowing up enemies while levels morph around you. The timer also adds a compelling hook to the experience. Complete a level for the first time with a shabby one-star score and you’ll likely not be able to resist hitting the ‘retry’ button to see if you can do better next time. A pounding synthwave soundtrack perfectly complements the sci-fi platforming, as does the pulsating neon that saturates every level.
Stars you earn from completing levels unlock new abilities, while collectable blueprint chips upgrade them. But these abilities are seriously underwhelming, consisting of charged attacks you can unleash in numerous directions. They feel at odds with what Exception is about, requiring you to wait and hold down a button to pull the moves off.
I’m happy to be proven wrong by people who will likely master the game far beyond the level that I achieved, but I found these moves almost completely useless, to the point I’d have just as happily accepted cosmetic unlocks in their place.
Likewise, some levels feature boss battles against big robots or vehicles that launch themselves at you and hurl fire and explosives. These combat sections feel a little clumsy and, once again, at odds with the breakneck platforming that is Exception’s forte. But thankfully, they rarely last too long.
The Switch version I tested was subject to a little slowdown at times, though nothing severe, and I expect this to be a platform-specific issue. Overall, while a few design decisions miss their mark, Exception is a thrilling, breakneck platformer with solid level design that begs to be rerun until you dominate the leaderboards.
[Reviewed on Switch]