Play Exit DS Online

Summary

Exit DS takes Taito’s original action‑puzzle concept and rewrites it for the DS stylus. I guide Mr. ESC, a coffee‑loving escapologist, by tapping where I want him to go or by drawing a short path for him to follow, which feels surprisingly tactile. Each of the 100 levels throws a time‑pressured scenario—hospital wards, underground labs, office blocks—filled with fires, floods, falling rocks or even meteor showers that must be navigated.

Rescuing trapped companions adds a layer of strategy; the four civilian types (Children, Youngs, Adults, Patients) each have unique movement quirks, and abandoning them can summon Jet, a rival with a jetpack, as a cheeky penalty. Tools like fire extinguishers and pickaxes are limited, so I have to plan my route carefully while juggling darkness that forces me to use a flashlight.

Scores are calculated from rescued people and how close I get to the par time, encouraging replay of the 70 initially unlocked stages. Critics were split—Metacritic shows mixed reviews, while Famitsu’s 33/40 hints that the stylus‑driven puzzles resonated more in Japan than elsewhere.

Storyline

Exit DS puts you in the shoes of Mr. ESC, a daring escapologist tasked with getting out of hospitals, underground labs, offices and other hazardous buildings before time runs out. Along the way you’ll face fires, earthquakes, floods or even meteor showers, and you’ll need to think fast and plan ahead to reach the exit. Mr. ESC can swim, run faster and jump higher than the other trapped people, but he can still be hurt by the same dangers or by falling too far. The survivors fall into four groups—Youngs, Children, Adults and Patients—each with its own abilities, and you can order them to move, use tools or perform tasks, though they stay panicked until Mr. ESC touches them. Injured survivors are rescued by Jet, and the level ends if too many people or Mr. ESC himself become too badly injured.