Exoprimal Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

As if a giant meteor crushing the dinosaurs to extinction wasn't painful enough, Exoprimal gives you another chance to rain hellfire on the poor prehistoric beasts. It's an obvious sour venture for any dinosaur fan, but before dismissing the game entirely, why not give us a chance to review it for you? While the T. rex and the Velociraptors of Jurassic World break free and chew down humans for dinner, Exporimal’s dinosaurs are a little easier to handle. Even in their hundreds, if not thousands, you can mow down past them in search of safety, with the help of other players, too. 

What’s more? You won’t need to master your wits to get by. Instead, Exoprimal gives you mech technology with special weapons to gain the upper hand and, possibly, come out alive at the end of the ordeal. Sounds like your kind of afternoon? Well, read further into our Exoprimal review to learn the nitty gritty and whether to grab a copy right after or move on swiftly to better tidings.

Dinosaurs Go Rouge, Again

Exoprimal’s premise is very simple. It’s a multiplayer-only hero shooter that pits a group of five players against hordes of dinosaurs and, in the final round, against other players. Okay, maybe not that simple. Let’s start from the beginning. In 2040, hundreds, if not thousands, of dinosaurs, suddenly start pouring out of time portals worldwide. Chaos ensures, as the world’s most ferocious beasts in history, rain carnage on the Earth. 

A sinister AI called Leviathan rises up the food chain three years later. He develops 10 exo-suits, or the usual mech power suits, and entrusts them to humans (you). Perhaps experimenting, Leviathan rewinds time to when the dinosaurs first entered Earth, sending you to an island to destroy them. He restarts the matches repeatedly until he gathers enough data to reign supreme over Earth.

The story. Yes, Exoprimal has a story, albeit a convoluted one, that continues to seep through the campaign. The more missions you complete, the more you unlock “Lost Data.” It’s presumably missing pieces to the game’s mysteries, like how to stop Leviathan, where the dinosaurs came from, and the most crucial one, how to escape the island of doom. There are cutscenes, too, after a certain number of matches. 

Quite frankly, I wasn’t intrigued to learn more about the story. Even the mysteries aren’t as compelling to explore. But the action, though, is where the fun truly lies.

The Heat of Battle

As aforementioned, Exoprimal is a 5v5 multiplayer game. Or, more accurately, a PvPvE one. Let me explain. At first, you can access “Training” mode, which doesn’t take too much of your time. So, if you have a group of friends you’d like to jump into a match with on a dry afternoon, they can learn the ropes quickly and start shooting without a sweat. Then, you can access “Dino Survival,” which, as far as I can tell, is the only mode where the actual game begins. 

Leviathan devises two parallel islands. So, with two groups, each with five players, the AI forces you into his exo-suits and sends you to the islands to complete a list of objectives. Each group will mow down hordes of dinosaurs on separate islands. They’ll also work together to complete relatively simple tasks like securing a control point, protecting an asset, or, the more common one, killing a certain number of dinosaurs.

Remember, each squad has the same objectives they need to clear. It’s a competition to see which group finishes in first place. Those in first place unlock rewards. But the fight isn’t over yet. You have to test your skills now, fighting the other team directly. This is where the fun begins, at least for me. 

The previous PvE matches felt more like a test of teamwork. So, rather than sharpening your accuracy and precision, it felt more like teamwork, which still has plenty of opportunities for a good time in retrospect. You’ll find yourself watching your cooldowns and maximizing the special techniques of each suit to their maximum effect. Leaving no man behind is a no-brainer because supporting one another toward the end goal makes all the difference.

Mindless Fun

The final round, though, is a match against the opposing team. The two islands converge, and you must take down the other players while keeping the dinosaurs at bay. It can be so chaotic at times, with players often engaging in mindless shooting to get to the finish line first. To tilt the scales and up the ante, Leviathan will, at certain points, empower one of your team members to transform into a humongous Triceratops or Carnotaurus for a limited time.

Pray that you have the chance to turn into a dinosaur, because it truly is an exceptional time. It’s like a build-up toward an adrenaline-infused round of chaos and fun. Only when it ends do you realize that you definitely want a second, and plenty more, dose of the same.

Calling All Exo-Suits 

Variety is key for multi-round matches, and Exoprimal does a great job keeping the score high. With 10 suits to choose from, each in the Assault, Tank, or Support category, you can carefully craft your playstyle and customize a suit just for you. 

Assault is the classic attack suit, dealing the maximum damage at different ranges. Zephyr from this class has been most praised for its ultrafast speed and melee-focused power slashes. Tank takes up plenty of damage, shielding the team from incoming attacks, while Support can fly into the sky, healing the team while possessing crowd control AOE damage.

Suits within the same category differ in abilities. So, even if other players choose the same class, you can still bring something different to the table. The more you use a suit, the more you unlock upgrades. 

However, I wouldn’t say the upgrades are to die for. More often than not, you’ll find the upgrades give you a percentage boost to an ability you already possess. Or, it amplifies your special power in some way. 

Looks Great!

Still, the exo-suits have a pretty neat aesthetic. And you can switch them on the fly. Environments, too, stand out upon first stepping foot on the island. And the cutscenes maintain the same in-engine quality. But all that is to be expected from Capcom, which has developed a reputation for high-quality, extra doses of fun in their latest Devil May Cry 5, Resident Evil 4 Remake, and Street Fighter 6 titles. 

What’s worrisome is the redundancy I can already anticipate after playing multiple rounds of Exoprimal. Sure, we have 10 exo-suits, but the upgrades aren’t enticing enough to encourage studiously going after them. Additionally, the map recycles itself too often, such that you’ll find yourself mowing down dinosaurs in familiar places. 

There’s also the issue of dinosaurs succumbing to their deaths too easily. These are the most ferocious beasts in history, so it wouldn’t be far-fetched if they put up a bit of a fight. There’s one pretty tough dinosaur, a “neosaur, ” a mutated creature that may need you to team up with the opposing team for a little while to take it down. But its appearance is usually anticipated, taking away the sudden intensity and panic I feel games like Exoprimal need. 

All this is to say that Exoprimal is nowhere near perfect. It’s a fun game, for sure. And a snappy, responsive playthrough to make up a fun afternoon. Can Exoprimal hoard enough fans to keep the servers running, or will its fanbase look elsewhere to find the longer-lasting effect that’s missing here? Only time will tell.

Verdict

Exoprimal is different. Sure, it’s a summation of familiar gameplay you’ve likely played in games like Left 4 Dead, Overwatch, and Dino Crisis. Remember that one? Still, Exoprimal manages to merge survival, mech, and hero shooter genres to create a unique experience best experienced for oneself. It doesn’t take annoyingly long to master the combat. And there’s enough variety of abilities and skills to go around. The mix between PvE and PvP is also quite enticing, with an intense build-up towards a mindless shooting finale.

But be warned, Exoprimal does have innate issues, some of which we didn’t expect from Capcom. From its announcement, Exoprimal did feel like an odd duck among Capcom’s recent bold hits. So, I went into Exoprimal with no expectations and received a surprisingly silly, fun game for an afternoon well spent. 

I worry, though, that the game’s core gameplay may not sustain constant playthroughs for the weeks and months to come. Environments don’t vary much. And progression doesn’t quite entice me much. I feel time is the best way to assess how great Exoprimal is because, ultimately, it's a strong community that will speak to just how great this game truly is.