Exoprimal review: Dino shooter gets a little long in the tooth

It'd be fair to say that Capcom is on one hell of an upswing. From Monster Hunter reaching new levels of critical mass, to new and old Resident Evil games, there's a lot going on for the publisher these days.

Not content with monsters and zombies, though, Capcom has picked a fight with dinosaurs, too. While Exoprimal certainly looked like a wild gamble initially, the bones here are solid enough to layer some PvPvE dino meat onto - there's just a lack of variation that keeps this reptile wrecker from ever being more than a curiosity.

Fossil Fuelled

Exoprimal wastes little time with its introduction. I counted around five minutes before I was using a captured dinosaur to attack digital enemies in the game's short but sweet tutorial.

The setup is certainly unique, with a timely reminder of the dangers of AI in the form of Leviathan, ChatGPT's final evolution, sending players to different battles against dinosaurs on Bikitoa Island to collect combat data.

The trouble is that this, in practice, simply boils down to the same missions against the same backdrops each time. It's not that it's not fun to destroy dinosaur hordes, it's that it gets less special each time. The closest comparison I can think of is the original Titanfall's campaign missions which were just multiplayer maps in sequence.

Couple that with Leviathan's constant "spawning raptors", "you are completing objectives faster/slower than the other time" and other banal monotone excerpts, and there's a case for whacking Exoprimal on mute and simply putting a podcast on instead.

Still, as you progress you'll unlock your wardrobe of Exosuits, and thankfully, Exoprimal's moment-to-moment action is solid no matter how many hours you've put in.

• Check out our review of Final Fantasy XVI

Exosuit Up

Each of these Iron Man-inspired outfits has its own core strengths, divided into Support options like the Witch Doctor that can heal teammates and incapacitate dinosaurs, Tanks like the punch-throwing Roadblock, and Assault classes which deal damage, like Deadeye.

Even these have the same breathless energy of a toddler regaling tales of their favourite superheroes.

"This one can fire a massive laser, but this one has a rifle grenade, and this one can yank a dinosaur through a portal".

It's a chaotic opening, but just like that toddler playing pretend in the garden, you can switch suits at will, allowing you to dress for the occasion - complete with a fun dismounting and suiting-up animation.

Still, some definitely feel more useful than others. The aforementioned Witch Doctor, for example, can immobilise enemies with its default attack, but given how quickly they can be taken down in the early stages, it feels like a moot point until you get the rare spongy T-Rex.

Thankfully, Exoprimal just feels great on the sticks. Weapons have satisfying feedback, and abilities feel powerful and flashy in equal measure thanks to great explosion effects. In a game where you're going to be shooting an awful lot of similar enemies, it's good to know that the core concept is sound.

That said, each suit's Ultimate ability feels like it takes an eternity to charge in the early missions, and while you'll no doubt grow in efficiency, blowing your big signature move knowing you'll likely have to wait until your next mission to do it again doesn't feel great.

• Check out our Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective review

Jurassic Lark

Sadly, the enemies really are similar. The first few hordes of raptors and winged dinos certainly felt fun to mow down, but these rank-and-file opponents feel less deadly by the minute.

Aside from the cannon fodder, many of the larger dinos boil down to steering clear of a charge attack and following up with a lot of bullets.

At the end of a mission, you'll find yourself in a race against time with the opposition team, and being able to invade their game as a dinosaur is fun, with a "smacking action figures together" kind of vibe to proceedings while they flee from you.

I also grew to enjoy the straight-up PvP gunfights once I began sneakily engaging foes while they were knee-deep in dinosaurs rather than going head-on. It brings to mind the sly satisfaction of ruining someone's day in Destiny 2's Gambit mode, just with a lot more teeth.

I'd also be remiss not to mention Exoprimal's monetisation, which offers a dizzying array of packs right off the bat, as well as a battle pass. That's nothing new, really, but the way it's constantly advertised throughout menus feels a step too far.

The Verdict

Exoprimal isn't something anyone really expected, but landing on Bikitoa Island with no expectations may have made the game more enjoyable - at least in the earliest hours.

Sadly, it doesn't tend to evolve past that, with its explosive opening volley followed by repetition that, while still fun, feels unfinished. While I'm hopeful more game modes are on the way, what's here right now that's enough bite to convince you to stick around for long.

3/5

Reviewed on PlayStation 5. Review code provided by the publisher.