The Exit 8

I-The Exit 8 ngumdlalo wokusabisa nokuzidlalela (walking simulator) ogxile ekwesabeni okungokwengqondo, owathumba umhlaba wezemidlalo ngesikhathi ukhishwa mhla zingama-29 kuLwezi 2023. Lo mdlalo owadalwa ngumthuthukisi oyedwa, u-KOTAKE CREATE, washicilelwa ngokubambisana no-PLAYISM, uthathe ugqozi olukhulu ezindaweni ezizwakalisa isizungu (liminal spaces) kanye nesimo esesabekayo semigudu engaphansi komhlaba yaseJapane. Ngokususa izinhlelo eziyinkimbinkimbi zokulwa nokubalwa kwezinto, umthuthukisi wakwazi ukudala umdlalo owagcwala kumasocial media wonke umuntu ewukhuluma, ogxile kakhulu ekubhekisiseni, ekusebenziseni inkumbulo, kanye nokwakha umuzwa wokukhathazeka, okwagcina ngokuchaza kabusha uhlobo lwemidlalo eyethusayo yokuthola okungahambisani nemithetho (anomaly-spotting). Isisekelo nomdlalo ngokwawo kulula ngendlela ekhohlisayo. Umdlali uthatha indima yomuntu ongaziwa obhajwe emgudwini wesitimela okhanyiswe kakhulu obonakala ungapheli. Indawo yileyo ejwayelekile yasesiteshini saseJapane, epheleliswe ngaphansi okufakwe amathayela, imigwaqo ephuzi yezimpumputhe, iminyango ehlukahlukene, amaphosta ezikhangiso, kanye nomuntu oyedwa ophakathi nendawo obizwa ngokuthi "The Walking Man" ohamba njalo adlule kumdlali. Umdlalo usebenza ngemithetho eqinile ebhaliwe ebhodini ekuqaleni: bhekisisa indawo; uma kungekho okungajwayelekile, qhubeka uhamba; uma kukhona okungajwayelekile, phenduka ubuyele emuva ngokushesha. Ukwenza isinqumo esifanele kuvumela umdlali ukuba adlulele kwesinye isigaba, okukhonjiswa yizimpawu eziphuzi eziphezulu ezibala kusuka ku-"Exit 0" kuya ku-"Exit 8", okuyiyo eyisa ezitebhisini zokuphuma. Ukunganaki okungajwayelekile, ukubona izinto ezingekho, noma ukubanjwa yingozi kuyenza isikrini simnyame bese umdlali ebuyela ku-Exit 0. Ingxenye enkulu yokwesaba ivela ezinhlobonhlobo zezinto ezingaphezu kuka-30 ezingajwayelekile, ezisuka ezintweni ezincane ezingabonwa kalula kuya ezimweni ezethusayo nezishintsha umhlaba wangempela. Lezi zingozi zingabandakanya umnyango okungasekho, isibambo somnyango esithuthele phakathi, izibani zophahla ezingahlelekile, noma amathayela engeziwe aphuma phansi. Amaphosta ezikhangiso nawo ayumthombo wokungakhululeki; angase akhule ngosayizi, abonise intombazane enemifanekiso ubuso bayo obuncibilikile, aziphindaphinde, noma abe namehlo ahambayo alandela umdlali. Umuntu ohambayo, ovame ukuhamba ngokuzola, uyincenye yezinye izingozi. Ezikhathini ezithile, angase amoyizele umdlali ngendlela eyesabekayo, amgqolozele ngokuqondile, ahambe ngesivinini esesabekayo, avele njengomuntu omkhulu kakhulu, noma ubuso bakhe bube nokukhubazeka. Ezinye izinto ezingajwayelekile zinamandla okushintsha umgudu ngokuphelele, njengamanzi anegazi agcwalisa indawo, amawele avale indlela, udaka olumnyama oluphuma ezintubeni zomoya, isilo esicashile ezindongeni, noma isithunzi esesabekayo esibhekile emnyango ovuleke kancane. Ukuze uthole ukuphela kweqiniso, abadlali bakhuthazwa ukuba badlale umdlalo baze babhekane nazo zonke izingozi ezingenzeka. Ukuthuthukiswa kwe-The Exit 8 kwakuyizivivinyo zokuklama umdlalo ngendlela elula kodwa enomthelela omkhulu. Edalwe kusetshenziswa i-Unreal Engine 5, umdlalo wathatha izinyanga eziyisishiyagalolunye. U-KOTAKE CREATE wawuklama ngesabelomali esincane, ehlosile ukuba uwuqedele ngokushesha ngemva kokuzizwa ekhungathekile kwelinye iphrojekthi. Imvelo yamodeliwe ngendlela eqondile ngokulandela iziteshi zezitimela zangempela zaseJapane, ikakhulukazi i-Kiyosumi-shirakawa e-Tokyo. Ngokomshini, umthuthukisi wathatha ugqozi olukhulu ochungechungeni lwemidlalo yase-Finland ethi "I'm on Observation Duty," efanisa uhlobo lokubheka umehluko nendlela yokudlala yomuntu wokuqala. Ngemva kokukhishwa, i-The Exit 8 yathola ukubuyekezwa okuhle kakhulu futhi yaphumelela kakhulu kwezentengiso. Abagxeki nabadlali bancome ukusetshenziswa kwayo kwemephu yangaphakathi, bephawula ukuthi ukungaguquguquki kwemgudu kwenza ukwesaba komdlali kube umthombo omkhulu wokwesaba. Umdlalo watholwa izikhathi ezingaphezu kwezigidi ezimbili futhi wawina imiklomelo ehloniphekile, kuhlanganisa nemiklomelo yase-Japan Game Awards ne-CEDEC. Ukuduma kwayo kwaholela ekutheni ifakwe kuwo wonke amapulatifomu amakhulu okudlala, kuhlanganisa i-PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, kanye namadivayisi eselula, kanye nenguqulo ye-VR eyadalwa ngo-2024. Umthelela wamasiko we-The Exit 8 uwedlula kude izibalo zokuthengisa zokuqala. Ifomula yayo yezinga elilodwa eyakha uhlobo olusha lwemidlalo ebizwa ngokuthi "Exit 8-likes," igcwalise amapulatifomu njenge-Steam ne-itch.io ngemidlalo efanayo. Ngaphezu kwalokho, izindaba nezimo zomdlalo kwaholela ekudalweni kwengxenye yesibili, i-Platform 8, kanye nokwenziwa kwefilimu yaseJapane ebizwa ngokuthi ngumdlalo wokwesaba, eyanda ngezindikimba zayo zokuhlukaniswa kwabantu emadolobheni nokukhathazeka. Ekugcineni, i-The Exit 8 imelela ubuciko ekuthuthukisweni kwemidlalo ezimele, efakazela ukuthi ngomklamo ocijile wemvelo kanye nomdlalo obamba umuntu, ukwesaba okumsulwa kungatholakala ngokuhamba nje emgudwini ongenalutho.