Exception

TL,DR Elevator pitch: Take the original arcade version of Strider, slick it up for modern masochistic Meat Boy speedrunners, dip it in copious amounts of neon, chrome and pixely-voxely... thingies... and ya got yourself an Exception. I'm not going to lie, I played the game for 30 minutes to get a feel for the basic gameplay loop. Once I'd had my fill (after the first big boss that literally destroys the stage around you) I jumped to a playthrough video online to see if anything really develops to change that basic gameplay over the course of the game. I can't say that it does. This game is running, jumping, occasional slashing and constant path optimization -- for the entire game. The "combat" additions really only serve to increase your movement options, and even then I don't see them being necessary to complete the game. The game simply isn't about combat, it's about speed and movement across punishing terrains. If that's your bag, baby, well welcome home! Controls are solid, if...

Exception is a very solid IL-based speedrun focused game that's fairly polished and great fun to play.

This game is very fun. You can pick it up and play real quick. As it states you should use a controller. The soundtrack is AMAZING. The levels are fun and just get better as the game goes on. You don't have to upgrade your stuff but I am no completionist but it does have that capacity. The story was really fun. Short and sweet. You won't regret playing through this.

This is amazing! Super fast paced. Gloriously bright and colorful Pulse-pounding synthwave soundtrack. This game is fantastic. https://youtu.be/GG46rGdtAPU

Platforming is not always my genre, though I had a wonderful time with this one. The available moves are quick to learn. Each of the (numerous!) level concepts is inventive and elegant enough to stick in memory. Retrying a level for either item collection, speed, or pacifism encourages a fresh perspective and the character always feels so fast and powerful.

A great challenge platformer. * The controls feel somewhat too heavy, but you get used to it. * The game flow (try-die-repeat) is perfect, there is no downtime or annoying loading screens, everything is very snappy. * Instant leaderboards, so you can instantly see after each attempt how good it was and how much further you can push your time (if the intrinsic motivation isn't enough). * Gameplay variety: each level can be played in a few categories that often provide quite different experiences. * The music comes from staples of the genre, so no complaints there. * The visual style is great. It may look too bright and overloaded in screenshots, but it is much better in dynamics. * The story is an unexpected bonus -- it is small and non-invasive, but it is there and it is cute, presented via comics between episodes. Overall, I like this game a lot, it hits all those singleplayer-Trackmania vibes for me ("run the track until you are happy with the time, then move on to the next one") ...

Really good game, I enjoyed it a lot so far. There's nice cut scenes and a story in between finishing every world and the game looks very nice too. Not to mention how cool the gameplay is. It gets increasingly harder but yet not too challenging. Also after playing through the game once, you can play through it again to get all the bytes and unlock all the upgrades. And after that you can replay the levels individually again to get your name on the speedrun leaderboards. However, there were a few bytes that I'm pretty sure were impossible to pick up (altough i might just be missing something). Also, the final level wasn't challenging enough in my opinion. Good game in general and I would say it's worth the price. Edit: FREE? Def worth your time

HIDDEN GEM ALERT!... This is a Puzzle Precision Platforming Masterpiece. Its beautiful . It's a diamond!

The game has a cool story that isn't essential to the game. The art direction reminds me of early 2000s PC games that I've played before like Darwinia. The levels are incredibly quick to finish, some taking less than 15 seconds, but a leaderboard is included during the story mode, which makes playing those levels more rewarding. Overall, a solid game that is well worth the price.

2.5$ spent, 28mn in, 12 maps done, 1.5 level achieved, twice 4 stars (max), rest between 1 and 3 (can definitely improve), 1 upgrade acquired (head stomp) and a lot of jumps (could not count them). Nice speedrun. Flashy. Responsive. Run or run faster. Jump. Beat. Catch bonuses. Find secrets. All ok. Pure arcade. Game recommends to play with a paddle (PS4 for me, no issue) but gives you keyboard tips. No big issue. Player recommends the game if you like the genre.