Born and raised in the arcades of the 80’s, platformers are one of my favorite game genres and Traxmaster’s new combat platformer is no “Exception”. Seriously, that’s the title, and Exception is one slick game that could easily be overlooked during this time of big-budget and big-name titles dominating the market, but if you have a spare $15 and a whole lot of time (in 30-60 second increments) then prepare to be dazzled and amazed, not only with some highly addicting gameplay, but also flashy neon graphics and one of the absolute best soundtracks I’ve heard in years. This is right up there with the TRON remake soundtrack featuring Daft Punk.
Exception shows its brilliance before you ever start playing with a feature-rich options menu that supports resolutions up to 4K and more graphical settings that many AAA titles offer. The game is highly scalable to just about any system and will blow you away with vibrant colors, crazy special effects, and 2D levels that occupy a 3D world; a fact made entirely clear when these same levels start to flip and spin around during actual gameplay to totally change your environment.
Perhaps one of the coolest features of Exception is the separation of game and story, so those only here for the game can easily skip the stylish art panels that tell of the inner world of the PC that belongs to grandma (aka Alice34) who foolishly clicks on a free software pop-up ad and totally infects her system with a powerful virus. You play as a gang of software threads trying to defeat the virus and restore freedom to the system by completing dozens of challenging levels.
The game is fairly straightforward in design. You can run and jump and slash with your energy sword. You can crisscross between walls or leap across chasms with deadly black energy below and destroy all sorts of robotic enemies and various structures that all represent the internal workings of a PC. There are collectible bytes hidden around the levels and usually one or two green activators that will flip or spin the level around your character, often granting you access to other collectibles and eventually the end point of the stage. Your goal is to do each level as thoroughly and as quickly as possible, and various time deduction bonuses are awarded for completing objectives like Total Destruction, Wall Hugger, Tortoise, etc.
Most stages are 30 seconds or less (if you want the good star rankings), but chances are you won’t get that time on your first try. By design, the game is super-addicting and highly replayable with an instant reload of any stage so you can try and try again. Often, you won’t realize the fastest path through a level until you have played it 2-3 times. The more stages you complete the closer you get to unlocking attack upgrades. First up is a stomp move that lets you jump and slam down to destroy stuff, and later you get the ability to throw your sword for ranged attacks. It’s a nice upgrade system that keeps the game fresh as the levels get tougher.
There are 17 illustrated story breaks that you can opt to view as you unlock them or save them for later. Considering how much of the longevity of Exception is in replaying the stages it was nice to not be forced to watch or even have to skip cutscenes on future replays. The story is actually quite clever and charmingly presented, and I encourage everyone to experience it at least once. And of course, the story is backed by that outstanding soundtrack that needs to be sold separately. With two-hours of Synthwave tracks from artists including Kalax and Waveshaper this could be the soundtrack to my life.
Exception is highly replayable, not just for the leaderboards but also in the way that no two trips through a level are identical. You can chain attacks for crazy combo bonuses, go for total destruction, search of hidden bytes, or skip all that and go for a record-breaking speed run. By design, the short levels encourage either retrying the current level for a better score or “just taking a peek” at the next level then spending 20-30 minutes mastering that one. Between the gameplay, graphics, and music, this is digital crack that will blow your mind while testing your reflexes. Check it out!
