Exoprimal Looks Great! Open Beta Impressions

The Exoprimal Open Beta was last weekend and we checked it out for you. Read our impressions here!

Last weekend, Capcom let players around the world try out their upcoming PvPvE title Exoprimal in open beta. After getting 10 hours into it, we go get a good grasp of what the shooter is all about.

And if Capcom can manage to release and update the game with enough interesting content, it could be one of the best online action titles for years to come. But we should first cover what the game is before we get into the specifics.

Exoprimal is a multiplayer shooter that has teams competing against each other by completing objectives until they finally face off in the final objective. Oh, and it also involves shooting and fighting dinosaurs in a variety of combat suits. You know, the usual.

As you fight against other teams, you'll also unlock more and more story beats. And the story of Exoprimal is wild, as you'd expect from a Capcom  title featuring cybersuits and dinosaurs.

The rogue AI Leviathan shifts dimensions to put your team through combat scenarios to create the perfect warrior. There is probably more to this, but it is as good of a reason as any to shoot dinosaurs with wacky mutations in increasingly escalating scenarios.

Or let me put it this way, the moment I had to fight an endless horde of raptors storming our position fond memories of Earth Defense Force resurfaced. Only that Capcom also managed to make your typical multiplayer hero shooter classes/characters fun to play.

Exoprimal Impresses with Variety and Depth

The good people at Capcom are just built differently. There must be something in the company water supply that allows those teams to create these intuitive, surprisingly deep action titles so effortlessly. It has been a while since I've played a shooter outside of Doom that made pressing keys and buttons so satisfying.

While it is the usual affair of post-MOBA titles with abilities on cooldown, Capcom really understands how to make each of those abilities feel satisfying to use. And since you're often up against AI dinosaurs nasty ability combos are encouraged and balance seems to be thrown out the window.

There are 10 playable Exosuits in the game and the player can freely switch between them during a match. They are the usual array of Tanks, Supporters, and Damage Dealers but the trinity didn't seem to affect gameplay as much during testing. And it makes sense to switch between them depending on the objective.

During the test, I mostly stuck to the supporter's Nimbus and Skywave.

Nimbus is a small but mobile supporter that can switch between damage and healing mode. They're on rollerblades and shoot two revolvers while striking poses and at that point, I was already in love. Its high mobility makes it really easy to weave in and out of combat and quickly reach your team for support.

Skywave on the other hand looks at first like your classic healer who can fly with the healing noodle. But add to that the ability to slow down and group up enemies, and they turn into an aerial field commander that set up enemies to be mowed down.

At times, it felt more like I was playing Final Fantasy XIV than your usual class-based shooter. Every single Exosuit was its own thing, from weapon loadout to abilities. And I admire how great all of these click with each other and how fun it is to pit them against each other in PvP

Against Each Other, Together

The PvP aspect of the game seems a bit undercooked at the moment. After players complete an array of objectives in Exoprimal, teams are pitted against each other for the final one. Collect a certain number of McGuffins before the enemy team, push the payload, or charge a hammer and destroy objectives.

This only really gets interesting because you're constantly swarmed by dinosaurs who are coming at you from every angle. That makes it really lucrative to find an enemy who's struggling against the horde and pick them off quickly.

The chaos that usually ensues in the last phase of a round, especially when teams are equally matched is delightful. You're constantly moving, you're constantly under attack and it's elemental to be focused on the objectives if you want to come out on top.

I can't really say how balanced Exoprimal is in that department specifically.

Even as a supporter, taking on Tanks who had twice my HP was no issue as my mobility more than made up for their superior firepower. And even then the aforementioned chaos throws all semblance of balance out the window when you have to deal with a T-Rex.

The only thing that bothered me a little here is the way Exoprimal hands out ways to mess with the other team. For example, if you're team is falling behind you get the opportunity to kill a special enemy to strengthen the dino hordes that attack the other team. Or even get to control a dinosaur to attack them.

While the idea behind it is really cool, the logic is still rather elusive. Sometimes our team would get these for performing fell and sometimes we'd get them out of pity.

But I do like the way the PvP at the end of a round plays out. Even if your team falls behind and gets into the final round later, playing well and sabotaging the other team means you'll still have a chance to win.

Wrapping Up

From what I've played so far, I would give Exoprimal a glowing endorsement. There is not often a coop and PvP shooter that plays this well from the go. It is the most fun multiplayer shooter/whatever it actually is I've played since Titanfall 2.

All of this is thanks to a stellar collection of playable styles and the way it all comes together. And shooting dinosaurs is just really cool. While I don't really know what the story is about and how progression and that battle pass will work, as all of those things were not in the beta.

I'm really looking forward to Exoprimal. If Capcom manages to launch the game with enough content to get you hooked on progressing even after the story. Exoprimal might have the makings of a high-profile multiplayer title with a long shelf life.

And with the support Capcom has given Monster Hunter and Street Fighter over the years. There should be nothing to worry about. I just fear that Exoprimal might end up as one of those really, really good games that'll just get lost in the shuffle for looking just a little too much out there.

We'll of course review Exoprimal as soon at release on July 14, 2023, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (It's also worth noting that the game will be on Xbox Game Pass on Day One).

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