Platform 8 review

There have been dozens and dozens of wonderful games to play in 2024, but very few surprised and delighted me more than Exit 8. Spotting anomalies in an endlessly repeating subway was compelling, intriguing and above all else ridiculously tense, and if it had actually released this year it’d be proudly on display on my GOTY list. The sequel Platform 8 did release back in June though, and now it’s available on the Switch, PS4, and PS5.

Initially it feels like Platform 8 is set up similarly to the first game, but instead of walking through an endless loop of subways you’re walking down endlessly repeating train carriages. It won’t take you too long to start recognising the man on his phone, the poster of doughnuts, and the row of hanging handles as you pass them again and again, but occasionally something will stand out as not quite right. Whereas Exit 8 was all about spotting these subtle differences in the environment, this time around there are always anomalies and you need to avoid them correctly to make it to the eighth platform.

I’ll admit when I first started playing Platform 8 I had no idea what I was doing. I was so used to turning around and running from anomalies that whenever something went wrong I assumed that’s what I needed to do to proceed on my train journey. Whereas the tension previously came from being so uncertain you hadn’t spotted a small detail, on this particular journey it’s all about figuring out how to survive. Often this involves looking for messages on electronic displays or written on the floor, but in the heat of the moment it’s easier said than done.

Because of the constant threat coming your way, Platform 8 is more of an outright horror game this time around, with sinister shifting human shapes and other creepy characters that are out to get you. The race to figure out how to survive these encounters is always frantic and full of fear, especially because if you fail you’ll be sent right back to the first stop on your journey.

It’s hard to talk about what these horror encounters entail without spoiling them outright, although one in particular stands out in my memory more due to how you survived it. A particularly sinister anomaly blocked my path, and after looking at it in horror for a few seconds I spotted a sign stating “DO NOT LOOK”. In a panicked rush I obeyed this instruction, only to realise that the only thing worse than looking at this hideous threat was not looking at it. This is how Platform 8 really gets your heart racing, and by god does it work.

I did really enjoy my time with this unnerving sequel, but I must admit what really made Exit 8 special was how it messed with your head when looking for any tiny differences in the subway corridor. Losing that tension makes Platform 8 feel more like just another short indie horror game, and while it’s a very good one of those it’s hard to be quite as blown away.

I played Platform 8 on the Switch, and just like its predecessor it runs perfectly there. It’s rare to see a game with such high fidelity visuals run so smoothly on the now older handheld console, but because it only features one small repeating area it can perform this magical feat with relative ease. Being able to play the game in handheld mode while tucked up in bed is great too, and is the perfect way to ensure you’ll never be able to get to sleep.

While Platform 8 is an interesting and unnerving short horror experience, it’s hard to be as excited about it as Exit 8. The more active anomalies that must be avoided are definitely scarier this time around, but losing the tension of having to scour the environment for differences does make the game feel less special. Still, if you’ve got an hour free and want to be creeped out, this is a wonderful way to do it, no matter where you play it.