The Exit 8 players get thirst trapped by middle-aged NPC man 

That unremarkable middle-aged office worker you keep walking past in The Exit 8? He’s all the rage now, with fanart and all manner of homages being dedicated to him. It seems people have fallen for his bewitching ways and mature appeal, causing somewhat of a sensation. 

The Exit 8 is a short walking simulator game in which you wander the seemingly endless backrooms of a Japanese subway station in order to find your way out. To get to  the exit, you must look out for any anomalies along the way and turn back as soon as you identify one. On the other hand, you must not turn back if there is no anomaly in sight.   

The game has a looping structure, and with each loop you go through, you cross paths with an unnamed man who appears to be on his way to work, donning dress pants and a white shirt, briefcase in hand. As you are complete strangers, there’s obviously no conversation or any kind of interaction going on, so you just kind of keep awkwardly walking past each other. Everyone who’s played the game has likely spent a good while scrutinizing the mysterious man for fear they may get jumped or something. 

However, before you know it, Mr. Receding Hairline has exploded in popularity among players. As he is the only real person that the player encounters repeatedly while trapped in the backrooms, it could be that he’s become a source of security and familiarity for players, which has, in turn, escalated into more passionate sentiments. Although he may appear lackluster at first glance (and at second glance), the guy wears his plain white shirt and black pants with a masculine grace, teasing long, slender legs and a broad chest and shoulders. Unsurprisingly, his sleeper build has not gone unnoticed. 

All of this has contributed to many users finding the man irresistible, and some have even taken to exploiting a certain anomaly to trap him and have him to themselves. As the community’s affection for the silent NPC grows, he has appeared in fanart, cosplay and has even been recreated in 3D in games such as Phantasy Star Online 2 and Soulcalibur VI. 

The Exit 8 was created by Japanese indie developer Kotake Create, who has previously shared with us that the middle-aged man is a character he became attached to during development, and that he particularly enjoys reading players’ comments about him. 

It could be that players have fallen victim to a “mere-exposure effect,” causing the outbursts of affection. It’s also equally possible that the long time players spend analyzing him in search of anomalies has caused them to wake up to his daddy-like qualities. At any rate, he has certainly become an icon of The Exit 8. 

The Exit 8 is available for the PC (Steam). 

Written by. Amber V based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-12-15 13:12 JST)