Spoilers will take the elevator.

Full disclosure up front, I’ve heard of but never played the original game. That being said, I don’t think you really need that experience. What I would concede is that this is such a specific premise that caters to a niche audience, that I also admit that casual viewers might grow easily annoyed with being left out. Figuring out puzzles in gaming is just like in movies, for some it’s just not their cup of tea. Because of that, I will tell it to you straight out: there is no exposition. Instructions are not included.

(Credit: NEON)

Exit 8 (2025) is directed by Genki Kawamura, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kentaro Hirase. It is based on the 2023 video game The Exit 8 created by developer Kotake Create. Just as any puzzle, the movie does not pause to teach you the mechanics. You have to learn as you go and if discovering is not your thing, this is not the film for you. A man is riding the subway, burdened by life struggles. When he gets out, he’s supposed to leave via Exit 8, but finds himself trapped in an endless loop.

Our protagonist must unravel the mystery of his surroundings by carefully looking for anomalies. If he finds one, he must retrace his steps. If he doesn’t, he must continue. And if he gets it wrong, he is back to square one. Now, what constitutes an anomaly and what not, is key. The film does enter a blurry narrative in which the lost man’s past and potential future are in play. We’re also going to run into a couple of interesting characters, but whether they are potential players or part of the game is anybody’s guess.

It works with more than a few caveats. The narrative flow is intentionally broken, and conveniently we have to excuse it due to the looping premise. That also means the movie never feels the need to explain how things happen with a vague existential idea of why they do. There is no correlation between state of mind and occurrence, which means any and all logic is just happenstance. Once the rules are clear, the novelty has an expiration time and so it can’t overstay its welcome.

Recommended for the puzzle-loving crowd that loves to untangle mysteries. Everyone else should avoid it. Narrative-wise, it takes leaps that might appeal or annoy the viewer. Casual audiences might want to read the plot before embarking in this forever round trip. If puzzles and mysteries with a helping heap of the liminal paranormal genre is your think, this is absolutely worth a watch.

That will do for now.