'Exit 8' REVIEW: A video game adaptation done exactly how it should be
'Exit 8' REVIEW: A video game adaptation done exactly how it should be
The Walking Man (Kochi Yamato) creepily smiling in the middle of the underground passageway | Still courtesy of Goodfellas
Imagine going about a normal day, commuting, your muscle memory tracing the familiar steps of the train station, when you suddenly notice that you keep going back in circles. You’re in disbelief, but it’s becoming impossible to ignore that something’s not right. This is exactly the concept behind Exit 8.
First released in November 2023 by indie developer Kotake Create, The Exit 8 (commonly shortened as ‘Exit 8’) is a walking simulator horror game set in a Japanese subway. It traps its player in a looping underground passageway where the only way forward is to notice subtle, almost imperceptible “anomalies” and to turn back before it’s too late. What makes it so effective is how it builds anticipation, turning every corner into a gamble and every detail into a potential threat. It’s no surprise how the game’s brisk success and viral reach made it a cultural talking point.
By 2025, Exit 8 made its way to cinema, adapted into a feature film produced by Toho (known for Godzilla) and directed by Genki Kawamura, best-selling author of If Cats Disappeared from the World. The film expands the game’s minimalist horror into new territory for a broader audience, taking its simple premise and upping the ante with a layered narrative. Instead of an anonymous commuter endlessly walking the same halls, we follow The Lost Man, whose personal story bleeds into the liminal subway environment. While the game thrived on tension and repetition, the film amplifies it with atmosphere, character psychology, and visual flair, using the loop as both a literal trap and a metaphor for being stuck in a cycle he can’t quite escape.
The Lost Man (Ninomiya Kazunari) with The Boy (Naru Asanuma) | Still from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
One of its most striking creative choices is the shift in perspective: the film opens in a first-person point of view — an homage to the game’s immersive style — before gradually pulling back into third-person as the plot thickens. I especially appreciated how it begins with The Lost Man (Ninomiya Kazunari)’s predicament with his partner (Nana Komatsu) and then passes the focus to The Walking Man (Kochi Yamato)’s distress, and ultimately arrives at The Boy (Naru Asanuma) lost inside the passageway. Without spelling everything out, the film runs a track of generational ties bound by parenthood through its looping nightmare.
Some of the anomalies are lifted straight from the game, rewarding fans who know what to look for, while some are surprisingly original touches that give Exit 8 a deeper sense of dread. A standout instance is the addition of lockers alongside a photobooth tucked into a corner of the repeating halls — a nod to Japan’s real-world ‘coin locker baby’ cases and connects them thematically to the film’s concern with children and the country’s declining birth rate. This anchors the story in social realities, hinting at issues larger than the immediate horror of the subway’s infinite maze.
The Lost Man and the lockers | Still from the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Part of what keeps it engaging is how seamlessly the film flows through waves of different genres. It starts as a horror-thriller, punctuated by moments of eerie tension, but it’s also unafraid to be funny in places. Gradually, it swells into a family drama and even brushes against the edges of a disaster film, but none of it actually feels disjointed. Each tonal shift grows naturally from each character’s arcs, so the emotional stakes rise hand in hand with its spectacle.
Above all, Exit 8 is undeniably fun. Nerve-wracking as it is, the film invites audiences to become active participants — scanning hallways, spotting anomalies, rooting for the characters to survive and notice what we might have missed. There’s an energizing quality to watching Exit 8 with a crowd or even with friends: the shared gasps, the laughs of relief, and the collective hunt for clues. It is communal, immersive horror done exactly how it should be.
Exit 8 is now showing exclusively in SM Cinemas nationwide from September 17, 2025.
