It’s hard to admit, but going into Exoprimal, it’s easy not to expect much just based on the concept alone. Robots fighting dinosaurs sounds cool, but it also comes off like a campy B-movie that would be a weird mix between Power Rangers and Jurassic Park. But Exoprimal manages to take the best of both and smashes them together to create an experience unlike any other.
It’s so rare that a multiplayer game is able to capture you in an organic way without micro-transactions and endless objectives to complete. In Exoprimal, you are simply a destructive force pointed at the hordes of dinosaurs, free to shoot or carve them up to your heart’s content. While the fast-paced action can be a lot at first, there’s a ton of genuine fun to be had fighting these ancient lizards.
There are some moments that are better than others, with some match types being more fun. But even the most boring of moments in Exoprimal are still engaging enough that they go by quickly.
No story is cool enough for this game
If there is any narrative in this game, it doesn’t matter. Exoprimal is at its best when it is setting you loose against the different dinosaurs. There are moments when it does try to explain the universe and how things work, but you probably won’t remember that due to the captivating gameplay that is far more enjoyable than listening to the little tidbits of lore.
There is no explanation cool enough for roughly 1,000 dinosaurs falling from the roof of a skyscraper or a horde of pterodactyls circling a plane as it flies barely over your head. The spectacle is the best part of Exoprimal, and if the game is able to recreate the feeling of some moments in the beta in the full game and post-launch content, it will be memorable, to say the least.
Even the character creator doesn’t really serve a purpose since your character doesn’t have a personality or any characteristics outside of the few face options and suit colors. This isn’t a detraction, it just feels like something extra meant to sell the game to a bigger audience. It would’ve been nice if it was fleshed out just a little bit more, though.
The real personalities come through in the exosuits, with each one seemingly being voiced by a different AI. Each one really feels like a different character, with most of the voices matching the type of standard trope that the suit resembles. The voices are fine and the callouts and automatic “thank yous” are helpful for those who don’t have a mic and teammates who speak different languages.
Nothing is more exciting than seeing a horde of dinosaurs land in front of you before you charge into them with any number of attacks and combos. Each exosuit has different abilities that make playing the game a truly varied experience, much in the same way a game like Overwatch might, except it’s even fun to play support in Exoprimal.
Speaking of Overwatch, there are a couple of characters that seem to resemble some of the heroes from that game. One of the clearest examples is the support character Nimbus, an exosuit that glides around on skate-like wheels and can switch between healing and damaging effects. That being said, these suits have more abilities typically than each Overwatch character.
Like with any other game, players will find a character or two that they prefer and stick to those for most of their playtime. But if you want to try the different exosuits, they’re each approachable in a way that feels pretty easy to understand. Some suits are better for specific objectives, such as using a fast suit for energy module collection or a durable one to charge up a hammer.
Built-in strategy at the mercy of players
The gameplay loop is fairly simple in the Exoprimal beta, with players only allowed to test out the five-vs-five playlist. This pits two teams of five against each other as they eliminate dinosaurs and complete objectives, eventually joining together at the end in a final PvP objective. One team can enter the final stage before the other if they finish their objectives, which adds a sense of pressure on the losing team.
What’s more important than anything in Exoprimal is teamwork, which is the factor that will either make or break your game. This starts from the moment you load into the lobby, with your team needing to be reasonably balanced to stand a chance. If your team doesn’t have a tank, for example, there’s no one to deflect damage or pull enemies off the healer, which ended poorly every time.
Even the most balanced teams can lose if they don’t focus on the objective, though, as much as the game tries to give them all the hints they need. The overall AI running the combat simulation talks throughout the match, giving players tips on when they need to get back to the objective. It also gives constant updates when your teammates do something important, which sounds annoying, but it’s helpful.
Exoprimal does a lot to facilitate teamwork and keep things as even as it can during the actual matches. The majority of the matches felt well-balanced, with only one or two being complete landslides in either direction. It was really interesting seeing this and it will be a testament to the game’s abilities if it’s able to recreate this when players of all skill levels jump in on March 16 at 7pm CT.
Most of the time, it allows players to increase the threat of the dinosaurs that spawn, based on how much the characters can score in an allotted time limit. The other type of interference lets players summon a dinosaur, leash it, and then play as it around the enemy team’s objective. Both of these are fun in there own ways, but playing as one of the boss dinosaurs feels so awesome.
Overall, Exoprimal has a lot of potential to be a multiplayer hit, given that it can find its audience among the deluge of games releasing this year. Fighting against hordes of dinosaurs is hours of fun, with each exosuit providing a varied gameplay experience. While it does succumb to some of the pitfalls of all multiplayer games, like bad teamwork, there were many more good moments than bad.
