When Capcom announced Exoprimal in 2021, the gaming community ran wild with speculation. The sight of dinosaurs and futuristic technology immediately sparked thoughts of a long-awaited Dino Crisis revival. However, as more details emerged, it became clear that Exoprimal was its own thing, trading survival horror for bombastic cooperative action.
Drawing inspiration from the likes of Left 4 Dead, Exoprimal promised a thrilling PvE experience, pitting teams of players against relentless hordes of dinosaur-like creatures known as Exos. The game’s focus on cooperative play and competitive modes, coupled with the unique premise of piloting mechanized Exosuits to combat the Exo threat, set the stage for a new franchise from Capcom.
Covering the basics
Exoprimal is the latest third-person shooter from Capcom, set in a dystopian future where massive dinosaur-like creatures called Exos have overrun the planet. Players take on the role of an Exofighter, piloting mechanical battle suits called Exosuits to take down the rampaging Exos.
The core gameplay loop of Exoprimal involves completing objectives-based missions across various environments overrun by Exos, either alone or cooperatively with up to four players. There’s a decent variety to the mission objectives, like defending areas, escorting convoys, or taking down specific targets. The Exos come in different shapes and sizes, from smaller raptor-like creatures to massive bruisers and flying beasts, each requiring different tactics to take down.
Engaging gameplay
Fortunately, the Exosuits provide the tools needed to counter the Exo threat. There are five distinct Exosuits to choose from, each with their own unique weapons and abilities. The well-rounded Witchdoctor utilizes shotgun blasts and area-of-effect attacks, while the stealthy Infiltrator wields a sniper rifle. The bruising Murasame and lithe Skyrider offer close-quarters melee and aerial combat respectively. My personal favorite is the Artillery, sporting deployable turrets and a charged particle beam offering immense damage.
Mastering both your Exosuit and coordinating with teammates is crucial to overcoming the Exo hordes, which can swarm objectives in massive numbers. Combat is fast-paced and frenetic, requiring quick reflexes and smart use of abilities. While the Exosuits are not the most nimble, their powerful attacks create immensely satisfying impacts against the Exos. The din of combat reaches fever pitch when the action gets heated, creating an exhilarating push-and-pull as you try to keep the Exo numbers in check.
Lack of variety
While the core combat loop is solid, Exoprimal does suffer from some repetition over its main Operations and Spec Ops modes. Objectives only have minor variations between missions, and most of the dozen or so maps feel somewhat generic, lacking any real standouts. The enemy variety could also use some expansion beyond the different Exo types. It remains fun gunning down Exos with friends, but the content feels a bit sparse for a full-priced multiplayer-focused title.
Visuals and Perfomance
The environments, while varied in terms of settings, lack standout visual elements and can feel somewhat generic. The lack of visual diversity in the maps can contribute to a sense of repetition and diminish the overall visual appeal of the game. Additionally, the enemy variety could have been expanded beyond the different types of Exos, which would have added more visual interest to the gameplay.
On Xbox Cloud Gaming, Exoprimal unfortunately does not make the best use of the streaming platform. The visuals, while serviceable, are quite blurry and muddied even for a cloud title. Exoprimal clearly seems optimized for local console hardware, with the stream compression doing no favors for the game’s textures and effects. Despite these limitations, the game manages to maintain a decent frame rate, ensuring smooth gameplay.
Conclusion
Overall, Exoprimal delivers a solid dose of co-op action. Sadly, it is held back by repetitive mission design and lackluster cloud streaming visuals. The Exosuits bring unique combat abilities to the table that complement the battles against the Exo hordes. However, the sparse map selection and repetitive objectives limit Exoprimal’s long-term appeal.
The cloud version’s visual compromises also diminish the experience. Gamers seeking a new co-op shooter will find some fun here, but Exoprimal doesn’t fully realize its potential. Let’s hope that, as a “game as service”, future updates help balance the odds.
Exoprimal
Summary
Review Summary:
Exoprimal, Capcom’s third-person shooter, pits players against waves of dinosaur-like Exos in PvE missions. Piloting mechanized Exosuits adds a unique twist, making for engaging combat that demands teamwork and strategic coordination. However, Exoprimal suffers from repetitive objectives, lackluster enemy variety, and visually unimpressive environments.
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