Exoprimal: Mechs versus Dinosaurs
We were excited about Exoprimal. The idea of mechs versus dinosaurs had us thinking of all the possibilities. What kind of weapons would you give to a mech to take down a T-Rex? What kind of abilities would a dinosaur have? Would the combination not be a winning formula? Sadly, the answer to that last question is no.
What we experienced instead was a letdown. The game's inability to make dinosaurs exciting is a real shame, and the repetitive gameplay didn't help either. We'll get to that in a moment, but first let's talk about the story because there's a lot of it. In fact, there's so much story in this game that it's hard to find time to fight the dinosaurs.
The game starts with a fairly long tutorial to get you acquainted with the game's mechanics. Once that's out of the way, you're immediately thrust into the first cutscene, which is followed by another, then another. It's hard to get attached to the story when the cutscenes are so lengthy and there's no interaction with the characters.
The game's missions are repetitive, with the shooting at different dinosaurs yielding similar experiences. The dinosaurs themselves lack a sense of danger and aggression. They don't feel aggressive, and they don't feel like they're trying to kill you. Instead, they just sort of stand there and let you shoot them.
On the other hand, piloting your mech is a joy. The varied abilities and playstyles ensure that you won't get bored. Even though the PvP battles against the opposing team of mechs are more fun than the PvE dinosaur fights, both offer a simple and satisfying experience.
It's clear that the developers put more effort into the mech portions of the game, which is unfortunate because the lackluster dinosaur portions prevent it from reaching its full potential. The way the game is right now, I would recommend upgrading my mech to face more formidable dinosaur enemies instead of fighting the same ones over and over again.
If the game was more focused on mechs and less on dinosaurs, it would be a lot better. If the dinosaurs were more aggressive and had more interesting abilities, they would be a lot more fun to fight. The premise of mechs versus dinosaurs is a winning formula waiting to be discovered, but it's a pity that Exoprimal couldn't live up to its potential.
If you're looking for an example of how dinosaurs can be made boring, look no further. It's a real missed opportunity to create an engaging, exciting dinosaur experience. Perhaps one day someone will step up to the challenge. We'll keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, check out some of our other favorite dinosaur games instead.
