Exile

Moby ID: 9379
BBC Micro Specs
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Description

When a terraforming team on an unexplored planet sends some disturbing messages back to Earth and then stops responding altogether, a space-adventurer is sent to find out what happened.

The gameplay is a side-on 8-dimensionally scrolling action-adventure set on a planet. The player must find a way to the lower depths of the planet to rescue the terraforming team and defeat the evil Triax!

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Screenshots

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Credits (BBC Micro version)

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 83% (based on 18 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 17 ratings with 1 reviews)

Probably the only true 'action-adventure' ever released (I'm not joking)

The Good
Exile is absolutely unique. I guarantee that you've never played a game like this before. It looks like an weird action game, except oddly you can pick up objects and interact with the enviroment. And wait a minute, was that a puzzle? Yes, this game is probably the only true mixture of action and adventure that I've ever played. No levels. No lives. No stupid puzzles involving bizarre objects and COMPLETELY non-linear. I cannot recommend this game enough.

The Bad
There's very little to like dislike about this game. I know that when I first played it I didn't know what the hell I was doing until I bothered to read the controls (you REALLY have to). As such this game comes across as very boring and unplayable if you don't know what you're doing. Bother to teach yourself the controls however, and you'll discover the game. Also the Amiga 'AGA' version supposedly has 'superior' graphics, but the downside to this is that the view-area is shrunk to fit these new graphics. This renders the game virtually unplayable in comparison to the older releases (as you can't see where you are in relation to anything else!). Go with the Amiga ECS or Atari ST version instead.

The Bottom Line
Like nothing you've ever played, but quite possibly the ultimate action-adventure game. Take an evening off and immerse yourself, you'll be glad you did.

Amiga · by Johnny "ThunderPeel2001" Walker (476) · 2003

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Exile appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Version differences

Original BBC Micro version of the game was ported to Acorn Electron, C64, Amiga, Amiga CD32 and Atari ST, all offering the same epic world but with some alterations. * The Electron version saw Finn's space suit change colour to yellow instead of magenta and Triax is cyan rather than green while other graphical changes were down to Electron's less power hardware. * Commodore 64 version was ported by original creators but 16-bit version was ordered to be done by outside programmers. However all other improvements but the code itself were also made by original creators. * Amiga and Atari ST versions had graphics redone but improvements in this department had its own problems despite the superior technology and it was the reason why Amiga 500 version was just a straight port with enhanced visuals. The Atari ST version was faster than its Amiga counterpart. * Amiga 1200 version had a revamped look and extra areas. The CD32 edition was based on the Amiga 1200 version with the graphics 50% zoomed in to fit a console environment which threw up some scrolling problems.

Awards

  • Amiga Power
    • 1991 - Best Game
  • Commodore Force
    • December 1993 (Issue 13) – #58 “Readers' Top 100”
  • Commodore Format
    • July 1993 (Issue 34) - Modern Classics: Arcade Adventure
  • Retro Gamer
    • September 2004 (Issue #8) – #78 Best Game Of All Time (Readers' Vote)

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  • MobyGames ID: 9379
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Johnny "ThunderPeel2001" Walker.

Electron added by fwibbler. Amiga CD32 added by Kabushi. BBC Micro added by Terok Nor.

Additional contributors: Martin Smith, Patrick Bregger, mailmanppa, FatherJack.

Game added June 14, 2003. Last modified September 12, 2023.