In 2023, Capcom released an absurd multiplayer shooter full of dinosaurs. However, the game has pretty much sunk on Steam. MyMMO editor Nikolas Hernes finds that unfortunate, even if he would hardly recommend it nowadays.
What game is it about? Does anyone still remember Exoprimal? Alongside all the Monster Hunter and Resident Evil games, Capcom tried its hand at a multiplayer shooter with thousands of dinosaurs. There was quite a stir even at the release of the first trailer. Fans would have rather wished for Dino Crisis.
Despite how absurd Exoprimal looked, I was somehow immediately fascinated. A shooter where you fight hordes of dinosaurs in exosuits? Even the first trailer showcased raining raptors. How cool is that
, I thought, and when it was released, I grabbed the game and was thrilled. But I guess I was one of the few who felt that way.
Mechs, Dinos, and a Good Game Feel
What does Exoprimal do well? I am a fan of mechs and absurd scenarios, which is why I liked the premise right away. Exoprimal also manages to use them well. During the various missions, great real-time moments regularly occur that even overshadow cutscenes.
Standing as a tank with a shield in front while hundreds of dinos crash against it feels just amazing. Coupled with a beautiful soundscape filled with screaming hordes and the mechanical exosuits, situations arise that I will not forget.
Then there’s Capcom’s great strength: The game feels incredibly good as a 3rd-person shooter. Every jump, every shot, and every ability feel impactful and well-animated. Especially the movement options of the various suits feel unique and give the individual classes personality. This creates a solid variety, especially since each suit serves a different purpose.
The battles become increasingly intense over time and also make good use of the sci-fi scenario to provide surprises beyond the regular dinos.
But with such an enthusiastic opinion, I am alone. Looking at the Metacritic score of 67 and the Steam reviews with 76%, the game appears to be rather mediocre. And to be honest, I can understand that.
A Really Unattractive Game Structure
Unfortunately, Exoprimal has 2 major issues. One is the overall mission structure. There is a main story, but it doesn’t simply follow it in a straightforward manner. You unlock new missions and cutscenes as you play enough. The missions are always multiplayer with other players. Which mission is selected was random at release.
Especially at the beginning, this meant that you often played the same missions. Additionally, the story is rather dull because you have to endure constant sci-fi mumbo jumbo that makes little sense. Since the cutscenes are not as cool in design as the missions, I honestly remember very little about them.
The other problem is the missions themselves because you play PvE, but PvEvP. In a race against another team, you have to complete the objectives to play a PvP mode at the end. The team that is faster gets to push the payload or capture the areas first.
Fighting against other mechs is fun, but it can be quite frustrating due to the race in the first stage if your team isn’t fast enough. You can transform into a dino in PvP, but that’s never as fun as playing with the mechs.
The game was clearly designed as a service game, and that has hurt Exoprimal the most.
A linear mission structure and pure PvE would have suited the title better. Exoprimal hasn’t been received well either when you look at the Steam numbers. At peak, it couldn’t even reach 5000 players (via SteamDB). According to truetrophies.com, the game had 97% fewer players at launch on PS4 and PS5 than in the Game Pass, and even on Xbox, the game only reached 6th place in the gameplay charts at launch.
Can I recommend the game in 2025? Honestly, no. I still check in for 2 or 3 rounds regularly, and you can tell that the player numbers are quite poor. On Steam, there have been between 10 and 20 concurrent players in recent weeks (via SteamDB). You can start missions, and have bots if necessary, but you no longer get the true multiplayer experience.
The gameplay is really good, but I can’t recommend spending full price for it. However, if you see the game on sale and have one or 3 good friends with you, you could indeed have fun. If you have the Game Pass, you should definitely check it out.
No matter how many problems Exoprimal has and how empty it is nowadays, it is one of my favorite games of the past few years. You also find similarly absurd scenarios in the Yakuza series and its great open world: Ubisoft has destroyed open worlds, but the world of a great action RPG still captivates me to this day
