Exoprimal - What We Know So Far
There are a lot of classic video game enemy archetypes, but some definitely get more attention than others. There have been plenty of zombies, robots, and aliens for gamers to do battle with in recent years, but dinosaurs haven't had much screen-time as of late. Sure, players can scratch that itch by going toe-to-toe with plenty of dinosaur-like creatures in "Monster Hunter World," but what about those classic dinosaurs that players learned about in elementary school? Well, it looks like now they will finally have their chance to make them go extinct.
During the March 9 State of Play livestream, PlayStation announced that there is a brand new IP on its way called "Exoprimal," and it's got more prehistoric reptiles than you can shake a mosquito-adorned can at. Not only that, but since it's being made by Capcom — the same Capcom that previously created dinosaur action in the beloved "Dino Crisis" series — players can be sure that the developers will do these dinos justice.
This game is set in a distant future, in a city that is under constant attack from dinosaurs being dropped through portals onto the street. Humanity's last hope? The power-suit-wielding Exofighters. Here's everything we know about "Exoprimal" so far.
Is there a trailer for Exoprimal?
The State of Play kicked off the first trailer for "Exoprimal." The trailer opens with a view of an abandoned city street and words appear on the screen stating that the year is 2043. It cuts to an android who introduces herself as Ivy, who then shares the "dinosaur forecast," which lets people of the city know if dinosaurs are likely to appear in the sky that day.
After this, viewers get their first look at one of the Exofighters entering their mech. The Exofighter is then airlifted to the site of a vortex, which looks like a massive purple and black sphere hovering in the sky. Seconds later, hundreds of velociraptors come flooding out of the vortex and charge down the street.
The rest of the trailer showcases a few of the characters who players will probably be interacting with as they fight on behalf of a mysterious organization called Aibius. Several of the suits' abilities are also on display in the clip, showing off the multiple different classes that players will be able to choose from, depending on their exosuit.
Is there a release date for Exoprimal?
Eager to suit up and defend the world from legions ravenous predators from the Cretaceous period? Well, unfortunately this doesn't seem like it's going to be one of the games that will blow everyone away in 2022. Players might have to wait a while before they can actually get their hands on a copy of "Exoprimal."
Toward the end of the announcement, a title card stated the game won't be arriving until sometime in 2023. This isn't altogether surprising, as "Exoprimal" was just announced and it doesn't exactly look like it's going to be a small project. Still, it does mean that fans will have to live for a while with the mystery of where these dinos came from and why they are threatening the human race.
It's also unclear exactly what consoles "Exoprimal" will be available on. The card at the end of the announcement stated that it will be available on the PS4 and PS5, but it made no mention of whether or not fans would be able to play it on other platforms. Capcom has never made a full-on PlayStation exclusive before, so it seems safe to assume the game will be available on PC and Xbox platforms.
What kind of gameplay will Exoprimal have?
Judging from the trailer, it seems that most of the gameplay will be focused on crowd-controlling dozens of medium-sized dinosaurs as they hurl themselves at the player characters in their mech suits. The trailer also featured a couple of larger dinosaurs: a triceratops and a T-Rex, which seem to be more like boss fight-level enemies.
According to the official PlayStation Blog, players will be battling in teams of five. "Exofighter teams will need to coordinate and select a strategic combination of suits to overcome the odds," the blog states. "Exoprimal is focused around multiplayer co-op gameplay, with each Exosuit having a clearly defined role ... Every suit is built with team-based gameplay in mind, and each suit has unique abilities and weapons that represent their distinct specializations."
The blog used the Roadblock Exosuit as an example, stating that "the Roadblock's shield can hold off hundreds of raptors to protect their comrades." This makes it sound like the Roadblock is designed to be something of a tank, while other suits may have a stronger focus on dealing damage.
The post then goes on to explain that different enemies will require different strategies. As such, players can actually change their exosuits at will, giving them access to a variety of ability suites and allowing them to adjust to whatever challenge they're currently facing on the fly.