Exoprimal Beta Impressions - Dino Crisis Gambit

Over the weekend I participated in Capcom’s open beta test for their upcoming online action game Exoprimal. There was only one game mode available, Dino Survival, and it gave me a rather good impression of the game’s multiplayer portion, but also some concerns if Capcom wants this game to have a decent player base weeks after release.

In Exoprimal, humans are facing a constant threat of dinosaurs pouring out of time portals and invading Earth. In defense, humanity created Exosuits to combat these dinosaurs (as you do), and there’s a variety of suits that cater to a specific role. Be it more damage-focused, a tank to soak up damage, or support to heal your team, the gameplay is centered on players playing as a team.

Step aside, zombies

During the open beta, players get to try Dino Survival, which seems to be the main game mode for the multiplayer portion of Exoprimal. Two teams of five are tasked to finish randomized objectives alongside one another, competing who can finish them the fastest, then battle it out at the last objective to come out as the winner. The tasks are either to kill a certain amount of dinosaurs, protect something from dinosaurs, or protect an area from dinosaurs. Simply put, clear the waves as fast as possible. They do throw in exploding dinosaurs, sniper dinosaurs, or a big mini-boss type in the form of a tyrannosaurus, and are targets that need to be focused on if you want to have a smooth run.

You can get overwhelmed easily in this game so sticking with your group is ideal. As much as these Exosuit look stylish and cool, you can’t take multiple hits. Tanks can naturally take a beating, but if you’re hit constantly from all directions, it’s usually over, so controlling the flow of dinosaurs coming in is needed.

In terms of story, there’s not much found in the open beta. Once you go online, you are thrown straight to the game’s tutorial, then thrown to matchmake for a game of Dino Survival. The beta had no other option other than this game mode and Training Mode, which is a space to familiarize yourself with Exosuit’s skillset. 

Every Exosuit had this unique playstyle and it was fun learning the pros and cons of each one. The only thing I wish was part of the open beta is the game’s multiplayer progression system. As you level up you do get to unlock cosmetic items and mods that alter Exosuits, but equipping them were locked and you can’t spend the currency you earn after each match. I can’t see the benefits of leveling up an Exosuit and your game account, equipping whatever cosmetic I unlocked to make my characters my own. A missed opportunity as it would have been great to give players a tease of what it would feel like grinding this game. 

Another game where players hate playing Support

The best part is really the last objective of every match where you get to actually fight the opposing team. This part of Dino Survival becomes a chaotic mess of trying to do the objective but also fending off an opposing player trying to do the same thing. At this point, the dinosaurs take a side role and become just fodder, a distraction as you try to fight the opposing players and complete the objective before they do. Two teams of five battling out quickly makes Exoprimal a third-person PvP game similar to Overwatch. You can switch Exosuits at any time and engaging as a team is essential since going on alone is a death sentence. Overall, I actually had fun with the game mode. 

But I saw an issue that could trouble the game’s online community in the long run. For starters, it’s all about team composition, and in the beta, players can pick whatever Exosuit they want to use, which makes sense as you want players to try as much of the game as possible. Hopefully, that won’t be the case when it launches this July as playing Dino Survival for 10 minutes without a healer or tank usually leads to a loss. I played the game for hours on the PS5 and the only time there was a complete team of tank, damage, and support is when I play support myself. Everyone wants to play the damage-dealing Exosuits, a common problem for team-based online games. If they don’t make their matchmaking to incentivize players to play other roles, the appeal can wane sooner than they’d like.

Capcom needs to take a page from Blizzard’s Overwatch, as the only indicator that team composition is vital is the yellow warning text seen in the Exosuit selection screen showing what the current team is lacking. The game feels and plays well with a proper team, and feels discouraging if you are in a team of three Exosuits specializing in sniping. 

I’m cautiously optimistic about the gameplay flow of Dino Survival. It’s absurd crazy fun that might come out as a pleasant surprise with the full package. Exoprimal didn’t blow me away, putting me in this addiction of queueing right away for the next match, but it wasn’t a complete disaster I wasn’t expecting much coming in. At the very least, I’m now eager to know more, and that is more than what the open beta can hope for with the amount of content available.

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