Exoprimal Explained

Exoprimal
Developer:Capcom
Publisher:Capcom
Director:Takuro Hiraoka
Producer:Ichiro Kiyokawa
Kazunori Inoue
Artist:Takuro Fuse
Composer:Akiyuki Morimoto
Shusaku Uchiyama
Yuko Miyata
Akihiko Narita
Kodai Ikeda
Engine:RE Engine
Released:July 14, 2023
Genre:Third-person shooter
Modes:Multiplayer

Exoprimal is a 2023 multiplayer third-person shooter game developed and published by Capcom. In the game, the player controls an "exofighter", an exosuit-equipped soldier, who must complete objectives while fighting hordes of dinosaurs with the goal of defeating the sinister artificial intelligence Leviathan. In gameplay, players are grouped into two teams of five, and must compete with each other to defeat waves of dinosaurs and complete objectives before the opposing team can.

Exoprimal was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on July 14, 2023. The game received mixed reviews from critics and had sold under 940,000 units by September 2023.

Gameplay

Exoprimal is a "player-versus-player-versus-environment" video game where players, controlling exofighters, are divided into two teams and compete to complete objectives first. The game features multiple exosuits, each with their own weapons and abilities, categorized into three character classes: Assault, Tank, and Support. For instance, Roadblock is a tank character who is equipped with a shield, the Witchdoctor is a supporting character who can heal other players, and Barrage is an explosive expert. Players can change their classes during gameplay, or apply "rigs" to their characters, which grant them abilities from other classes.[1] Players can also progress through the game's Survival Pass to unlock new skins and cosmetic items for their exosuits and weapons.[2]

The main mode in the game is "Dino Survival". Two teams of five players must race against each other to complete the objectives set by Leviathan.[3] The main opponents in the game are dinosaurs unleashed from mysterious vortexes, including Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Pachycephalosaurus, Pteranodon, and massive hordes of raptors, as well as mutated prehistoric creatures named "neosaurs" which have special combat abilities. The objectives and combat challenges players must complete include Dinosaur Cull, VTOL Defense, Data Key Security, Omega Charge, and Energy Taker.[4] According to game director Takuro Hiraoka, players are sometimes required to fight against or fight with each other.[5] Dinosaur Cull requires players to eliminate a specific kind of dinosaur, while VTOL Defense tasks players to guard a grounded aircraft and protect it from dinosaur attacks. As the player completes objectives, they will gain experience points, which would allow them to further upgrade their characters and unlock more story missions.[6]

Plot

In the near future of 2040, interdimensional time-travelling portals known as "vortexes" begin to appear on Earth. The only thing that comes out of them are massive hordes of hostile dinosaurs and "neosaurs", genetically-modified dinosaurs mutated by the chemicals Hi-Xol and Lo-Xol, causing global chaos and destruction. Humanity fights back by fielding "exofighters", soldiers equipped with specialized exosuits manufactured by the Aibius Corporation. Aibius also develops "Leviathan", an advanced artificial intelligence designed to assist the exofighters by augmenting their operations and predicting where the next vortex will open. However, the exofighters are rivaled by mercenaries and private military companies seeking to acquire data for themselves.

In 2043, Patrol Squad #52585 "Hammerheads"—consisting of Ace, a rookie exofighter and the fully-customizable player character; Lorenzo, the squad leader and mechanic; Alders, an engineer; Majesty, a skilled but serious exofighter; and Sandy, the squad's android assistant—are caught in a vortex during a mission and find themselves on Bikitoa Island in a mysterious alternate timeline. Ace meets veteran exofighter Magnum, who assists him and the Hammerheads, as well as Leviathan, who has seemingly gone rogue and is now hosting "wargames". These consist of various "combat tests" that send the participants back in time to a specific date in 2040, where they must fight waves of dinosaurs and neosaurs appearing through vortexes opened by Leviathan themselves. Ace, supported by Magnum and the Hammerheads, takes part in the wargames while attempting to uncover Leviathan's secrets.

Development

Exoprimal was developed by Capcom. The team's goal was to design an action game that was distinct from Capcom's previous titles, and they envisioned a game in which players are required to overcome and eliminate hordes of enemies, unlike Monster Hunter in which players only take on one single enemy at a time. Dinosaurs were chosen as the game's main enemy type because Hiraoka and the team believed that "it would be fun to experience the threat of history's most fearsome predators", especially if they attack players in a massive horde. The game is not related to the Dino Crisis series, though the producer of that series, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, was involved in the development and production of Exoprimal.[7]

Release

Exoprimal was announced during a PlayStation State of Play livestream in March 2022.[8] Capcom arranged network tests for PC players in July and August 2022, allowing them to play a pre-release version of the game.[9] An open beta for the game was held from 17 to 19 March 2023.[10] The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S as a fully-priced product on July 14, 2023.[11] It also launched on Xbox Game Pass for cloud, console, and PC.[12]

Reception

Exoprimal received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.

Sales

In two weeks, Exoprimal had reached over one million players.[13]

By the end of September 2023, the game had sold under 940,000 units.[14]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Exoprimal showcases fifteen minutes of gameplay in extended preview footage. Ben. Borthwick. VideoGamer.com. June 16, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 16, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220616224508/https://www.videogamer.com/news/exoprimal-showcases-fifteen-minutes-of-gameplay-in-extended-preview-footage/. live.
  2. Web site: Exoprimal out in July, plus Game Pass day one. Ed. Nightingale. Eurogamer. March 9, 2023. March 12, 2023. March 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230312040742/https://www.eurogamer.net/exoprimal-out-in-july-plus-game-pass-day-one. live.
  3. Exoprimal Stomps Back Into Action With New Trailer. https://web.archive.org/web/20220614013335/https://www.gameinformer.com/capcom-showcase/2022/06/13/exoprimal-stomps-back-into-action-with-new-trailer. dead. June 14, 2022. Matt. Miller. Game Informer. June 13, 2022. June 19, 2022.
  4. Web site: Exoprimal trailer has more dinosaurs pouring out of the sky, closed network test news. Connor. Maker. VG247. June 14, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220619073921/https://www.vg247.com/exoprimal-gameplay-trailer-closed-network-test. live.
  5. Web site: Exoprimal interview – cloudy with a chance of velociraptors. Phil. Iwaniuk. PCGamesN. June 15, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220619011054/https://www.pcgamesn.com/exoprimal/dinosaur-mech-game-takuro-hiraoka. live.
  6. Web site: Exoprimal – Everything to know about Capcom's sci-fi dinosaur shooter. Edmond. Tran. GamesHub. June 14, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220614015031/https://www.gameshub.com/news/news/exoprimal-everything-to-know-about-capcoms-sci-fi-dinosaur-shooter-21797/. live.
  7. Web site: 'Dino Crisis' producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi is working on 'Exoprimal'. Adam. Cook. NME. March 15, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220619073920/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/gaming-news/dino-crisis-producer-is-working-on-exoprimal-3183261. live.
  8. Web site: Capcom announces Exoprimal, a new squad-based multiplayer game with dinosaurs. Tom. Phillips. Eurogamer. March 9, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220619073924/https://www.eurogamer.net/capcom-announces-exoprimal-a-new-dinosaur-game-for-playstation. live.
  9. Web site: Capcom reveals more about Exopreimal, its 5v5 action game about a dinosaur crisis. Michael. McWhertor. Polygon. June 14, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220618211953/https://www.polygon.com/23166629/capcom-exoprimal-gameplay-release-date-beta-test. live.
  10. Web site: Exoprimal will be available on Game Pass day one. Connor. Makar. VG247. March 10, 2023. March 12, 2023. March 12, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230312040742/https://www.vg247.com/exoprimal-will-be-available-on-game-pass-day-one. live.
  11. Web site: Exoprimal Is a Full-Price Game and No, It Has Nothing to Do With Dino Crisis. Joe. Skrebels. IGN. June 14, 2022. June 19, 2022. June 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220629181114/https://www.ign.com/articles/exoprimal-full-price-free-to-play-dino-crisis. live.
  12. Web site: Editor . Rich Dickinson, Xbox Wire . 2023-07-05 . Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Exoprimal, Grand Theft Auto V, Techtonica, and More . 2024-02-09 . Xbox Wire . en-US.
  13. Web site: Exoprimal evolves to 1 million players in nearly two weeks. Justin. Carter. Game Developer. July 26, 2023. August 2, 2023.
  14. Web site: 2023-10-28 . Capcom says it has a 'major unannounced title' planned before March '24 . 2023-10-29 . VGC . en-GB.