Dilemma: The co-op shooter Exoprimal threatens with dino storms and raptor floods. Vali is surprisingly keen on this – but on the other hand, she has her doubts too!
These damn dinos. You’re planning a relaxing weekend in the fresh air and suddenly it has to rain velociraptors again. No rain jacket will help against the biting reptiles, you’ll need a thickly armoured exo-suit. At least Exoprimal predicts such a future for the year 2040.
In the new co-op shooter from Capcom, everything revolves around bad-tempered dinosaurs that pour down on big cities and want to be put in their place by me and four of my friends (yes, you play as a team of five). Exoprimal aims to stand out from the competition with a delightfully over-the-top premise and a few unused co-op tricks – but my scepticism still prevails.
What kind of game will Exoprimal be?
The Story: The plot of Exoprimal is quickly summarised. Actually, I don’t need to know much more than that it’s raining dinos from the sky and I have to flatten them. This happens on behalf of the Aibius corporation or its hyper-advanced AI Leviathan. It knows exactly when and where the next shower of raptors will fall. In a team with a total of five members, I play exterminator and cleaning crew at the same time and throw myself into the fray.
By the way, Takuro Fuse explains to me how the developers at Capcom came up with the rather absurd idea behind Exoprimal. According to the art director, they wanted to provide a change from the familiar zombies in the co-op segment, which is why a variety of dinosaurs was considered the next best threat. In Exoprimal, mankind has long since become accustomed to dino storms. If it rains raptors again, I’ll find out about it in the weather report. I’m sure they’ll have an app for that in 2040.
Gameplay: In terms of gameplay, Exoprimal is basically like other representatives of the co-op genre. Together with my comrades-in-arms, I go into battle against the masses of dinos and have the choice between different exosuits, each of which is assigned to three different classes: Attack, Tank and Support. So far, six exosuits have been unveiled, but more are expected to be revealed in the coming months.
What’s exciting is that I can change exosuits at any time during a match in progress. Director Takuro Hiraoka explains this design decision by saying that all suits should complement each other and build on each other’s abilities. If the tank falls or is not available at the moment, I spontaneously change the exosuit and take matters into my own hands. Exoprimal could thus prove to be refreshingly flexible during an ongoing match.
At the current time, Capcom has revealed six game modes that fall back on familiar patterns. Sometimes a VTOL has to be escorted, sometimes a particularly thick dino chunk has to be killed, other modes resemble capture-the-flag or certain points on the map have to be captured.
PvE and PvP: Are you wondering how capture-the-flag is supposed to work against AI-controlled dinos? It’s simple: In Exoprimal, not only prehistoric reptiles are fought, but also an opposing team consisting of five human players. An exciting idea, but one that still has to prove itself in practice.
The two squads compete for the primary mission objectives, of course, but are also supposed to be forced to work together from time to time. So if particularly fat dinos prove too stubborn, the enemy of my enemy becomes my friend. Another nice trick: with the help of a special exo-rig, I can take control of dinosaurs in the meantime and make my human adversaries sweat a lot.
Why I rejoice and fear
If I’m honest, Exoprimal has such a silly premise that I find it really delightful again! That’s why I’m definitely looking forward to the new co-op shooter, which could add some fresh new ideas to the genre. And of course, as a dino fan, I’m happy about every new game that lets me compete against velociraptors or a T-Rex – even if I’d secretly hoped for a new Dino Crysis, which Exoprimal has nothing to do with, as producer Ichiro Kiyokawa tells me.
Balancing and post-launch: However, I can’t help but view Exoprimal with a healthy pinch of scepticism. For example, it remains to be seen how well the balancing in the PvE battles will turn out and how Capcom will ensure that no trolls are up to mischief. Whether Exoprimal will entertain and function in the long term is also a question of time – with regard to post-launch support, for example, director Takuro Hiraoka did not want to provide any details yet.
The overview or rather the lack of it: However, I have real jitters about the overview in the heat of the moment. The footage shown so far doesn’t make me optimistic about this. With the fast-paced gameplay, the flashy (weapon) effects and of course the many, many dinos, it already seems very overloaded.
If you add a HUD with mission instructions, it could be really exhausting. Games like my beloved World War Z have already shown that the enemy mass principle can work. But let’s see, I haven’t had the chance to try out Exoprimal myself yet.
When can I play this?
Dino and co-op fans will have to wait a while longer for the release of Exoprimal. The shooter from Capcom is not scheduled to be released until 2023, and there is currently no exact release schedule. In the weeks or months before launch, however, (closed) beta phases are planned. On the (official website) you can already apply for it, and sometime in July the time will come.
It is also certain that Exoprimal will be released as a full-price title. Accordingly, no Free2Play concept or a comparable variant is planned. The launch will take place not only on the PC but also on consoles – i.e. Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Playstation 4 and Xbox One.
What do you think of Exoprimal: Does the dino shooter with its outrageous number of dinos appeal to you? Or would you rather do without the baller orgy? And most importantly, what does the dino game of your dreams look like? Let us know in the comments
