So I Tried… Exoprimal

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I went with the 2023 multiplayer shooter, Exoprimal.

What I thought it was

Having very little interest in multiplayer gaming these days, I completely overlooked Exoprimal and assumed it was a team-based arena shooter. Gone are the days spent playing Halo 3 or Team Fortress 2 late into a school night with friends, and instead most of what little time I get to play games is spent slowly chipping away at my backlog (having recently started Fallout 4 for the first time). So, Exoprimal looked like a game that was certainly not for me. Why, then, did I decide to give it a try? Well…

What it actually is

After seeing a 30-minute trial available on PlayStation Plus, I decided that it might as well be worth a go, as I do with almost every other trial on the service. At the very least, I thought it could be a “So I Tried…” article. And wouldn’t you know it, here we are! So, I quickly discovered that Exoprimal is less of a team-based shooter and more of a PvPvE experience with specific “heroes” to choose from. Two teams of five go indirectly head-to-head in various rounds to see who can complete the objectives the fastest. These tasks haven’t differed too much for me thus far, with the tutorial and first (and only) match I took part in being mostly “kill x amount of dinosaurs” before moving on to the next wave. Racing against another group of players (or bots, if enough humans can’t be found) to complete each objective was quite a thrill and something I’ve never come across in a game before. It certainly gives each round a bigger sense of urgency and works a lot better than if each one was time-based.

I will say, though, that it looks absolutely stunning, and this weird, sci-fi dystopian world with teleporting dinosaurs is certainly a unique one! The handful of exosuits I've taken control of all controlled really well, with unique abilities (grouped into varying classes), flashy animations, and enough weaponry to call yourself a one-robot army. There was even a brief hint of a story in there, though we’ll see how much focus is put on that should I continue playing. Which leads us nicely on to…

Will I keep playing

Although the trial was just a brisk 30 minutes long, I actually found myself disappointed when the timer expired. After having a quick look online, Exoprimal has rapidly dropped in price to the point where I could pick it up for under £10. As a game I most likely won’t be pouring hours upon hours into, I can’t see myself spending countless hours per day on this one, instead acting as a palate cleanser for when I just don’t want to venture out into The Commonwealth to rescue yet another settlement. Therefore, yes, I will keep playing Exoprimal, although secretly hoping I’ll just be paired against bots again and again!