Exoprimal, Capcom’s take on the PvPvE world, is based on what I like to call the Pacific Rim effect. The 2013 film about giant robots battling Godzilla-like monsters wasn’t meant to send us into an existential crisis, but it did offer plenty of wacky action that made us feel like we were back in our childhood room fighting with plastic dolls.
My first contact with Exoprimal was exactly what I had in mind. It has great armor, an interesting proposal and promises the most exciting action. As we will see in this review, Exoprimal hits the spot in more ways than one, but there are also several underlying issues that have plagued my gaming sessions.
First, I’ll make a little note. The Exoprimal servers saw the light of day for the first time on July 14th, the day that everyone, including us, had access. Even though I’ve played everything I could, including previous demos, I still haven’t been able to experience everything it has to offer. If you will, please take this as an initial analysis that I may update if my opinion on the title changes. If that ever happens, I doubt I’ll suddenly love the game despite the time I’ve put into it.
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The premise of Exoprimal is quite simple at first glance. You are an exo fighter, a pilot of one of the ten exo armor available, whose mission is to destroy dinosaurs to help scientific research of an AI named Leviathan. They don’t volunteer for the Leviathan war drills, but have been swept along with thousands of other ex-fighters from other dimensions. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the very deep story presented in Exoprimal. It’s a pretty crazy approach, but given its premise, we can forgive it. With a seemingly endless cast of characters and a plot that sounds straight out of a B-movie action film (I mean that in the best sense), I was excited to see what happens next with our ragtag crew on a quest for discovery would reveal the mysteries behind the island of Bikitoa, dinosaurs and Leviathan.
In order to unlock cinematic scenes that allow you to progress through the story, you’ll need to dive into Jurassic Tide, which is pretty much the only thing you can do in Exoprimal. This boils down to you and four other teammates defeating hordes of dinosaurs with their respective boss before taking on the opposing team in a chaotic final race (not if you go for the PvE-only option) for the mock war to win. As I said earlier, the exo armor that you can choose from is a real visual treat, each with their own abilities and playstyles. For example, Deadeye is typical soldier armor with his assault rifle and grenade launcher, while Barrage deals heavy splash damage with his explosives. Within the playstyles offered by the three armor categories (attack, armor, and support), there are a multitude of variants. Some like melee combat, others prefer to fly peacefully through the sky.
Everything you do in Exoprimal is accompanied by fun and eye-catching effects that fit the title perfectly. From the simplest of dinosaurs to the deadliest neosaurian you’ll find later, the enemy designs are almost as incredible as the armor itself. The same can be said of the maps: albeit sometimes it feels like the same places over and over again to traverse, each one has its own stunning and captivating visuals.
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If everything is so good, then what’s the problem? Unfortunately, for me at least, Exoprimal’s basic gameplay systems don’t quite live up to the expectations that come with the premise. There are a few exceptions: the late game where your team goes up against another can be messy fun; and fighting bosses in later stages is fun too. However, considering that you’ll spend most of your time shooting down hordes of dinosaurs, Exoprimal is a bit lackluster. You end up sitting back, pressing the buttons to fire or swinging your sword and watch the kill counter grow as kills fly your way. The bullets are the least, and there’s nothing that really makes an impact either. Unlike other shooters where you defeat hundreds of enemies that come at you in hordes, Exoprimal’s PvE sometimes seems almost like a quest that you have to complete or yes or yes to be able to play the interesting role .
Also, all the games are very similar. You run back and forth, killing a set number of dinosaurs and starting over five or six times until you head towards the ultimate goal, which may end up being killing more dinosaurs. Considering that Jurassic Tide is the only way to progress the story (and in general), it’s disheartening to know I have no choice but to return to this multiplayer experience with little to no excitement. It won’t get you as addicted as the kings of live multiplayer. Likewise, there seems to be some balance issues, as once you’re behind it’s almost impossible to come back. They always remind you that you are behind the opposing team, but almost never give you a chance to turn that situation around. Even if they give you a perceived advantage in the form of the Dominator (a device that turns you into a giant dinosaur), it’s useless as they also give it to the opposing team. I understand that they don’t want to punish the players who are ahead, but when you’re the one who loses, you know from the first few minutes of the game that no matter how long it takes 20 minutes, you’re going to lose.
Capcom has had an incredible track record leading up to 2023, but it looks like it’s coming to an end. Exoprimal is by no means a bad game, but it can’t be said to have lived up to expectations either. It has its ups and downs, but if you’re looking for a new multiplayer experience and can get through the Jurassic Tide mode over and over again, this title might be for you.
