''Exoprimal'' is a 2023

multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...

third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot ...

video game developed and published by

Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', '' ...

. In the game, the player controls an "exofighter", an

exosuit A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, pro ...

-equipped soldier, who must complete objectives while fighting hordes of

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...

s with the goal of defeating the sinister

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

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 on July 14, 2023 for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...

PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 (PS5) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 4 in April 2019, it was launched on November 12, 2020, in Australia, Japan, New Zealand, North A ...

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

Xbox One The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...

and

Xbox Series X/S The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 2020 ...

, as well as launched on

Xbox Game Pass Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass are video game subscription services from Microsoft. Both services grant users access to a rotating catalog of games from a range of publishers and other premium services, including Xbox Live Gold and EA Play, f ...

for Console, PC and Cloud. The game received mixed reviews from critics.

Gameplay

''Exoprimal'' is a "

player-versus-player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are mos ...

-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 class In tabletop games and video games, a character class is a job or profession commonly used to differentiate the abilities of different game characters. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes aggregate several abilities and aptitudes, ...

es: 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. Players can also progress through the game's Survival Pass to unlock new skins and cosmetic items for their exosuits and weapons. 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. The main opponents in the game are dinosaurs unleashed from mysterious vortexes, including ''

Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...

'', ''

Triceratops ''Triceratops'' ( ; ) is a genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine ceratopsid dinosaur that first appeared during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago in what is now North America. It is ...

'', ''

Pachycephalosaurus ''Pachycephalosaurus'' (; meaning "thick-headed lizard", from Greek ''pachys-/'' "thick", ''kephale/'' "head" and ''sauros/'' "lizard") is a genus of pachycephalosaurid dinosaurs. The type species, ''P. wyomingensis'', is the only known species ...

'', ''

Pteranodon ''Pteranodon'' (); from Ancient Greek (''pteron'', "wing") and (''anodon'', "toothless") is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with ''P. longiceps'' having a wingspan of . They lived during the late C ...

'', and massive hordes of

raptor Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to: Animals The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons. * Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...

s, 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. According to game director Takuro Hiraoka, players are sometimes required to fight against or fight with each other. 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 point An experience point (often abbreviated as exp or XP) is a unit of measurement used in some tabletop role-playing games (RPGs) and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's life experience and progression through the game. Exper ...

s, which would allow them to further upgrade their characters and unlock more story missions.

Plot

In the near future of 2040, interdimensional

time-travelling Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

portals known as "vortexes" begin to appear on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surf ...

. 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 A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...

and

private military companies A private military company (PMC) or private military and security company (PMSC) is a private company providing armed combat or security services for financial gain. PMCs refer to their personnel as "security contractors" or "private military ...

seeking to acquire data for themselves. In 2043, Patrol Squad #52585 "Hammerheads"—consisting of Ace, a rookie exofighter and the fully-customizable

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

; Lorenzo, the

squad leader ''Squad Leader'' is a tactical level board war game originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by John Hill and simulates on infantry combat in Europe during World War II. One of the most complex war games of its time, ''Squ ...

and

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and ...

; Alders, an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

; 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 "

wargame A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

s". 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'' is currently being developed by

. The team's goal was to design an

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform ...

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 is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fantasy-themed action role-playing video games that started with the game '' Monster Hunter'' for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. Titles have been released across a variety of platform ...

'' 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 is a survival horror and action-adventure video game series created by Shinji Mikami and developed and published by Capcom. The plot focuses on recurring outbreaks of deadly dinosaurs in closed environments, such as a laboratory on an island. ...

'' series, though the producer of that series, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, was involved in the development and production of ''Exoprimal''. The game was officially announced during Sony's State of Play livestream in March 2022. Capcom arranged network tests for PC players in July and August 2022, allowing them to play a pre-release version of the game. An open beta for the game was held from 17 to 19 March 2023. ''Exoprimal'' is set to be released for the

, and

as a fully-priced product in 2023. ''Exoprimal'' will feature a collaboration DLC with ''

Street Fighter 6 ''Street Fighter 6'' is an upcoming fighting game developed and published by Capcom. It is planned for release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S on June 2, 2023. An arcade version exclusive to Japan is set to be rele ...

'', featuring character skins based on Ryu and

Guile Guile may refer to: * Astuteness, deception. * GNU Guile, an implementation of the Scheme programming language * Guile (''Street Fighter''), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series * Guile (''Chrono Cross''), a video game char ...

Reception

''Exoprimal'' received "mixed or average" reviews, according to

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. In two weeks, the game had attracted more than 1 million players.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.exoprimal.com/ 2023 video games Capcom games Multiplayer video games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Third-person shooters Video games developed in Japan Video games set on fictional islands Video games about artificial intelligence Video games about dinosaurs Video games about time loops Video games set in the 2040s Video games with customizable avatars Windows games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games Video games set in the 21st century Video games set in the future