By Ronald Gordon 

I’ve been trying to make a change in my life recently, which is an ironic thought as I used to be quite afraid of change. I believe that we, as humans, are burdened by the fact that someday things will change, that something in our everyday experience will be different in a way we couldn’t have expected. It’s also a hilarious epiphany, especially considering this thought hit me as I sat and watched a man have a panic attack about being stuck in an endlessly looping train station. 

The Exit 8 was originally a game developed by Kotake Create and published by Playism, wherein the player is tasked with walking through a train station hallway and following a simple set of rules: “Don’t overlook any anomalies. If you find anomalies, turn back immediately. If you don’t find anomalies, do not turn back. To go out from Exit 8.” These so-called anomalies can vary, sometimes being as simple as a light flickering or as frightful as an ocean flooding the hall. If you notice something off, retreat immediately and walk to the beginning, but if you don’t see a problem with your surroundings, you’re free to walk on. The only consequence to your lack of awareness is being sent right back down to Exit 0 to repeat the loop again, no matter how far along you were beforehand. 

The game doesn’t need much story, and it attracted over two million players on its premise alone since its launch in 2023, and it continues to grow. The movie, on the other hand, delivers a gut punch of a narrative through the perspective of a few faces trapped in the same loop the player finds themself in. Perhaps because it was directed by Genki Kawamura, producer and writer of myriad movies and books, and written by Kotake Create themselves, the film nearly left me in tears. For me, that’s not a common occurrence! 

The characters don’t have names, and there’s barely even a handful of them that speak, but their stories are as deep as they come. Our main character, simply known as The Lost Man, receives a phone call as he’s getting off his train to work; his girlfriend is pregnant. After the news, he’s thrown into an internal limbo. Does he go out of his way to be there for her, or does he continue as he’s been and get to work? Is his life going to follow in the same loop as it always has? Will he allow it to change? Just as he ponders these questions, his internal loop becomes external. He enters a new hallway; the camera pans out to third person. 

“Go out from Exit 8.” 

I felt different after coming out of that theatre, much like the Lost Man. I’ve felt that my life exists in a state of limbo that’s gone unchanged for too long. Yet change isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone. You have to want it enough to chase and grab hold of it with white knuckles. You have to try in order to truly make a difference in your life. This article is the first step in that direction for me, offering up a more personal touch to a review of what might be one of my top five movies of 2026. In doing this, I feel I’ve gone out from Exit 8, at least in one instance.

If you’re looking for a fantastic film to slot in for April, watch The Exit 8! You won’t regret it. 

Ronald Gordon is a New York Videogame Critics Circle Member and Mentor. He was the first of our writers – or any intern anywhere – to complete an internship at Rockstar Games.

---