Games worth discovering

Exoprimal (First Impressions)

3K View2023-07-15

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

Released: July 14th, 2023

Price: $60 USD

If you've been following what Capcom has made and created throughout the years in terms of Multiplayer or Co-op. You may have witnessed their fruitless attempts to force their way into the PvP aspect of games with a low success rate.

The problem is that they have been attempting to make this work for a very long time, notably with their Resident Evil brand, which has always been a complete flop in terms of success with co-op multiplayer or even with PvP.

When word got out that they had acquired a new IP for a new PvP-based objectives game. It didn't set well with me at all due to their past attempts with this idea.

Instead of giving what fans have been asking for for years, they give innovative ways to shove microtransactions down your throat, with little interest in creating content that can be played for hours on end for a reasonable fee.

Issues

PvE is a complete and utter lie

Even though there is a PvE option, the game is not PvE. You will not be playing with only your team. You will always compete with the opposing squad. There is no real reason to play "PvP" mode or "PvE" mode because they are the same thing alongside the game punishing you for choosing to receive less EXP per game because you didn't choose the random mode.

Live Service

The game was enjoyable in the previous beta, but it now feels like a live service that will suffer if it does not receive adequate feedback and promotion.

There is so little gameplay in the beginning and the progression is connected to how much you actually stomach the repetitive nature. It feels like the game is unlikely to be a big hit due to the fact that is is a $60 game.

Don't have a Capcom ID or internet access? Then you can't play this game.

Day 1 Battle Pass & Cosmetics

Is it really necessary to push Battle Pass, Cosmetics, and purchasable characters that are unlocked at a set level (20+) when the game is already $60?

It all feels like a fast cash grab to cash in on the success of other comparable games like Starship Troopers, which you can read about in my previous review.

Teamwork

Putting up with people who aren't focused on the current goal was and still is a major annoyance. Instead of destroying one final flying dinosaur, they would rather kill the same targets that respawn eternally or play unbalanced roles that result in no support, tanks, or even DPS Exosuits sealing your fate to lose PvP.

It's a fundamental concept that isn't followed. This could be because people aren't paying attention or reading, because it feels more like an Overwatch with monotonous objectives like Payload, Capture the Point, and Cull, which doesn't seem too bad until you see yourself falling behind due to the enemy team's progression. It's incredibly distressing and spoils the fun for someone who would like a more difficult PvE portion with less PvP competitive activity stress.

Premise

Tied to PvP

The plot of Exoprimal is not really told through a story mode but rather through the game's gameplay, Dino Survival which is exclusively PvP competition.

You collect Lost Data in these matches to update the Analysis Map in the database and reveal the island's mysteries and what has transpired, as well as how you can eventually escape from this killer AI with a dinosaur obsession.

I don't believe the story telling is terrible. It's done well enough later into the game to pull you back in, that is if you can sit through 5 hours of farming the same maps.

It's a little perplexing at first and leaves you wondering, "But why though?" But it's engaging enough to keep you interested. It's just a shame there's no other way to progress this outside of the tedious PvP battles that make you anxious.

Customization

Limited

You'll seldom see your character outside of a suit until cutscenes, and even then, there's not much here in terms of customization, especially when compared to their recent Street Fighter 6, which was excellent. It's a big drop in quality.

I understand being restricted in some aspects, but the lack of customization, as well as height and build modification, is rather disappointing, especially because it is all integrated as one for the Head and other components. This basically means you may like someone's face but not their body size shape or gender.

Gameplay Impressions

Stressful and Repetitive

Your advancement is entirely determined by the games played, levels reached, and the stories you read. So you'll be playing the same three maps with three basic goals, often in the same spawn rotation, until you unlock more of the game's PvE features.

The first four hours are almost entirely PvP with some weak PvE elements. If you don't have teamwork and use the correct mechs with the correct dinosaurs to topple them and weaken them for extra damage, the enemy can easily get ahead of you with no problems, making for some very difficult gameplay. It's also very frustrating when you fall behind because someone stole an invasion and didn't use it to invade the opposing team to delay their mission progression long enough for you to get ahead.

I honestly don't understand. This game cannot be played without an internet connection. You can't even play a peaceful game in which you and a few other players must survive waves of Dinosaurs with an interesting and diversified set of objectives that change frequently rather than copy pasted and reused early.

While I only lost two of the fifteen matches me and a friend played together, it was because there was always a possibility to flip the game around at any time due to the enemy teams' lack of teamwork in dealing with invades and bosses.

Takes too long to open up

Once again, the game is fundamentally linked to your progress. If you level up quickly, you will be able to access more of the game's storymode which will unlock larger events and vast hoards of dinosaurs and gigas (bosses), but it takes so long to get there that it's not pleasant for folks who just want to play a few fast sessions before getting to the nice stuff.

Conclusion

Mixed feelings

I really enjoy the gameplay, especially the core gameplay. I dislike the PvP feature since it detracts from the basic gameplay. It becomes less about having fun and killing dinosaurs and more about rushing through waves and goals as quickly as possible with the best setups in order to finish quickly and defeat the opposing team. The more you win, the more EXP and BIK you earn, and the more you lose, the less you get and the more you feel like shit, especially when the AI praises or criticizes your previous successes and failures it's all a bit too much.

The community prefers PvE over PvP mixed with PvP or pure PvP. They want raw PvE, with players battling dinosaurs as a team. I believe this exists, however it is unlocked later in the game, around 5-9 hours in, as an unlockable option with much more intriguing dinosaurs to battle, including a Giga version. The problem is that levelling through each level and match with the identical maps, objectives, and gear until you can unlock the complete game is tedious and dull.

My initial thoughts on this game come to a close with the caveat that, while others may disagree, that is what makes gamers unique. You don't have to share their interests or agree with them and are welcome to critic me on mine.

If you want to catch me on one of my streams or locate me on social media, you may do so at the following locations, I'm always playing something new.

- Pawkt