Exoprimal – Exoprimal preview – A closed beta test under a swarm of mutant dinosaurs

Announced during State of Play of sony in March 2022, Exoprimal is a TPS (Third Person Shooter). Let’s say it straight away: FPS and TPS are really not my cup of tea. BUT there are some exceptions, I enjoyed it very much Destiny 2 for example and even if Exoprimal has nothing to do with the latter, going to knock out swarms of dinosaurs in exoskeleton, I was tempted. Especially since the group game, I really like. The competitive much less so I had some reservations. For a first approach, it at least convinced me to test more and it’s already a feat since it’s not my favorite field.

Game performance (PC)

Configuration of the PC used for the test:

The game runs perfectly in “ultra”, in 2560×1440 (full screen), at more than 60 FPS without problem. The game uses the REEnginebut not as extensively as Devil May Cry or the last resident Evil. The characters are quite limited, especially in level hair, especially with this engine. But during this test, for the little that we see them (only on the announcement of the results of the match), it is not very important. For the rest, it is still more than acceptable, although there is not really a leap forward in the world of graphics. Capcom favored performance and that’s normal for a game of this type.

[ndlr; lors de la création de personnage, il n’était pas possible d’accéder aux options graphiques, ces images sont en graphismes moyens et basse résolution]

The game is in English or Japanese, no French during the test (but the official site is in French so a translation is probably planned). There is no text chat (only commands and emoticons), or built-in voice chat. Finally, you will need an account with Capcom to access the game (at least for future testing but Steam says it requires a Capcom ID on the game page so it may still be required).

No crash or the G to deplore, nor untimely disconnection (to be put back in the closed beta test context), but variable loadings, sometimes quite long. No question of “launching a game quickly” as it is, especially since we have an animation and a mandatory preparation phase.

The mode Dino Survival

This pvpv mode (both against monsters and other players) is the object of the test, with several different random missions. The official site describes the missions to us as dependent on player progress. In each match, the first missions are PvE competitive (apart from the fights, see the silhouette of the other team), with different objectives (from the classic wave of dinos to repel, through more specific dinos such as sniper dinos (yes!), T-rex , triceratops or ankylosaurs acting as mini-bosses, or vehicle defense, as well as super waves of VERY numerous dinos). In the final mission, it was a question of either PvE (a big mutant boss where both teams join forces to defeat him) either PvPvE as in last part of this video :

The first part is classic, it’s about waves of dinosaurs to push back. Both groups must finish as fast as possible to score points and gain first access to the final mission. The last part of the video (from 5 minutes) concerns this final mission where we are in direct conflict with the opposing group. This was about collect energy, either in the cartridges to be picked up when they appear (often after a wave of dinosaurs or on a defeated player who had collected them), either via enemy deaths (including in PvE). So there was every interest in not dying, even if there is no limit; here, it’s the race for energy that will make you win and not the number of defeated opponents (but that can be part of the strategy). Depending on the performance of the team, rewards are given by the entity following you (Leviathan): for example an object to take control of a large dinosaur (during the test I was able to try the triceratops and the T-rex, and believe me, it’s fun to make the little dinos and players fly like flies).

I also came across a mode in the final mission that I liked less and that we find on other games: theescort. You must stay close to a cube for it to move forward, while protecting it from dinos and other players. The more players there are around the cube, the more it advances. Of course, each team has its cube and can attack the opposing cube. But the end goal remains that his cube arrives at its destination first, so abandoning it to lead an assault on the opposing team does not work very well with successive waves of dinos which will damage your cube.

It is a delicate balance which requires a higher level of group cohesion than the opposing team and which is very strongly influenced by your previous performances : each mission is in competition with the opposing team and gives faster access to the next one. This means that for the escort, arriving first is critical.

The third type of final mission that I was able to test was theclash with a real PvE boss, a mutant T-rex, much larger than those usually encountered, firing laser beams and projecting explosive puddles, while summoning sniper dinos and explosive gas dinos. A few phases ofAoE are also in the game and the lover of monster hunter I was excited to study the mechanics of this boss to fight more effectively (and stand up to my less fortunate allies). Let’s hope for many mutant dinos with multiple strategies so as not to sink into a routine.

Other mods?

I’ve read a lot of feedback from players who are disappointed with the endgame missions of each game, as they (very often) include pvp, which they obviously don’t like. It is true that these swarms of dinosaurs are fun and will undoubtedly attract PvE players. Some matches do not include any PvP, it depends on the missions encountered. Maybe we will have less hybrid modes, because the opposite is also true: for amateur PvP players, the systematic PvE preamble is long (each match lasts on average between 10 and 15 minutes on this CBT). Exoprimal has not yet finished revealing all its facets to us, because by reading the official website we can see:

[…] players can unlock story sequences and thus win rewardslike the experience points allowing toincrease the level of players and exoskeletons.

So there is good whole systems that we didn’t see on the test. After all, why would we have sound customization? avatar if we never see him? One also wonders what is the use of the intermediate stage in simple combination if there is only the mode Dino Survival. Indeed, when you change exoskeleton, the character finds himself in combination, you have to press a key to equip the exoskeleton that you invoked via the menu. It is better to quickly put on an exoarmor because in simple combination one is extremely vulnerable. Avoid in the middle of a fight.

exoskeletons

Exoskeletons are armor with multiple skills, giving everyone a role. They are classes. You can change it at any time, even during a mission.

We could change class exoskeleton among:

• [Assaut] deadeye : a DPS classic shooter, with a grenade launcher for area effects. Easy to pick up and more flexible on different types of enemies.
• [Assaut] Barrage : a DPS specialized in grenades. More subtle, because you have to anticipate the detonations, terribly effective on multiple enemies.
• [Assaut] Zephyr : A highly mobile melee DPS. Very powerful, but risky.
• [Tank] road block : a tank that can generate an energy shield and provoke enemies to force them to attack it. It is very tough, but has few offensive capabilities.
• [Soutien] witchdoctor : a support that can heal its allies and can electrify enemies to slow them down or even immobilize them. But he has very few offensive abilities and is fragile.

The few skills available gave a good general overview of each role, but probably very limited by the beta test context. Some secondary equipment was also available (not dependent on the chosen exoskeleton). For example, we had a powerful laser rifle, but with a long reload, a weapon that creates a small healing zone or a dorsal reactor to propel us in the air.

Classes are really very dependent on others : a tank or a support does very little damage, a DPS will not survive long alone. It is important to have a team adapted to each situation. Sometimes a tank is not necessary on classic waves, sometimes melee DPS will be penalized on explosive targets and on the contrary very effective on isolated players or sniper type dinos, tanks are very useful in PvP with their mobile shield as well as on the larger swarms of dinos to attract attention. During the same match, if you want to perform better, you may have to change your exoskeleton, we don’t always need the classic tank/support/DPS scheme. Going faster than the other team is fundamental. This flexibility is nice and could well give rise to “meta” strategies depending on the objectives.

All that to say that…?

I look forward to discovering more. If there is only this PvPvE mode, I fear however that the public will be diminished. If in theory PvPvE should bring together PvP and PvE player, in reality these two types of players are not very reconcilable and combining the two orientations is a very perilous balancing act.

PvE has been known to be fueled by scaling up to motivate players, while PvP progression is based more on prestige. Forcing PvP players to do PvE to be competitive is not always to their liking, the opposite is also true when forcing PvP at the end of a match: this is what harms the experience of a more PvE oriented player. A team may also perform better on one type than the other. We will have to see how high the game rewards its players at the end of the game and especially if there are modes exclusively for each orientation, so that the progression of its character does not become a chore.

The random part of the missions is a priori excellent for breaking the routine, but it is clear that sometimes the mood is not always there and we always have favorite missions or conversely that we do not like. Matches always start with a competitive PvE phase, the sequel can fall like a cleaver, leaving the match on a sour note. About me, I like both, although more PvE it must be admitted. So, it is better to abstain if the desire for PvP is not there, “just in case”. It is also a game where the team can make you spend a long and tedious quarter of an hour (you can of course form a team with your friends). So keep in mind that this is a competitive AND team game. We don’t know if there will be other non-competitive or purely PvP modes.

Preview by JNH who likes to build towers with energy shields between two games.