The genre ofmultiplayershooters have had an astronomical rise in popularity over the past few years. From yourCall of Dutyto yourEscape from Tarkov,there seems to be a title for everyone. Yet, as the industry and base grows, the need for something new yet familiar felt sorely welcomed. After being flown out to Las Vegas by the team at Sharkmob (Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodhunt) to try out their latest multiplayer titleExoborne, it’s safe to saythis may be the game to achieve that necessity.
The highly-anticipated Exoborne has set the next batch of playtests for mid-February.
We played Exoborne on an HP Omen 45L GT 2000i with CPU: i9-13900KF, GPU: RTX 4090 and a 64 GB DDR4 Memory. The title will launch on consoles, but no available ones were at the event.
Survive and Endure
Crafted by a team of developers from Ubisoft’s The Division series,Exoborneis an upcoming third-person multiplayer extraction shooter set in the desolate Colton County. While that may sound a bit likeThe Division, which also tackled ravaged US cities, there’s more to it than that. Extreme weather phenomena like fire tornadoes and pestering mist fill the map, and by yourself or with up to two other players, you’ll search, obtain and extract various objects and items while avoiding said disasters along with NPC enemies and other teams. You’ll also be granted Exo-rigs, which are wearable mech suits that, depending on your playstyle, will grant you different abilities. you may also fully customize your character, letting you bring yourself (or whoever you want to be) into it with fun designs and intricate looks.
Extreme weather phenomena like fire tornadoes and pestering mist fill the map and, by yourself or with up to two other players, you’ll search, obtain, and extract various objects and items while avoiding said disasters, along with NPC enemies and other teams.
During my time with the game, which ranged from around two to three hours, I got to do the tutorial and take on a few extractions by myself and two other journalists. As the game is currently in development, there were a few bugs like prolonged texture loading and audio quirks. The gunplay felt rather smooth and fluid, however, as it was responsive and easy to get into, which can be a hurdle for some. In the tutorial, you start to get a feel for things and learn the rules of the trade for extraction, as well as what to expect when you take on a mission. We also learned about the background behind the narrative, as we’ll play as Reborn, soldiers once part of the now-sinister corporation, Rebirth.
The real fun happens when you’re put into the mission with others. Working as a team, you’ll find nearby points of interest and gather what you can there. Some can be easy and only require picking it up and storing it into your inventory, while others can be going up against killer creature-like robots. A common saying I heard while at the event was “high risk, high reward” and it couldn’t be truer. My team, after succeeding in finding one required item, decided to visit one of these robot-infested places. Once we arrived, we quickly realized we stood no chance, as they bombarded us left and right, even after we left their hideout via a nearby car.
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A World Ripe With Potential
Traversal inExobornewas a highlight during our preview of the game. The rugged terrain of the forests and cityscapes of Colton County made for some interesting battlegrounds. They can feel a touch repetitive, especially the urban-esque areas, but, withExoborne, you’re always on the move, so it’s not too distracting. Once of the highlights was actually using the wind from the tornadoes to lift myself up to get to objectives or higher ground away from enemies. Plus with the Exo-rigs (mine was the Viper), I was a lot more flexible and nimble, being able to hit the ground running once we landed.
On that note, the weather aspect ofExoborneis intriguing. Outside ofJust Cause 4, the usage of natural disasters in gameplay hasn’t been too common. It’s a daunting task that, from a game design standpoint, can be extremely challenging to create, even more so to make work. Despite being in development, what Sharkmob has done with that system is one that sets it apart from other shooters like it. It adds mobility and intensity to every match, ensuring that each one will be different than the other, which is a must for multiplayer games. Variety is a touch limited for what we got to see during the session, but it’s clear how weather can play into not only offensive strategies, but defensive, using it as cover to plan an ambush or steering enemies towards it.
The biggest issue withExoborneis its way of storytelling. Despite having a story team for the game, the only time the narrative is felt is in the tutorial and the opening cinematic. Other than those, the gameplay doesn’t do a whole lot to showcase it. Desolate road signs and a few Rebirth NPC enemies don’t scream much about the story. Perhaps the full game may have some of those moments, but it does seem like a lot of it will be told through cutscenes after fulfilling mission objectives from extracting, which would be a bit disappointing given how it can get a leg up on its competitors.
Despite that, you, as the player, do have a story via your time on the map. Each twenty-minute match can hold a ton of fun and exciting events happen that aren’t planned. For example, as my team and I got our stuff and waited for extraction, we found a restaurant filled with NPC enemies, so as we bided our time, we took them out together. While I’m not sure if our shootout brought people over or they happened to stumble across us, when the helicopter touched down, one of my teammates was shot down by a player. I went to aid them and they told me they’ll heal themselves. I ran onto the chopper with my other teammate, and just as we were lifting off, a molotov cocktail is thrown into the aisle, causing me to jump out of the helicopter as it closes, missing extraction.
As I watch my other teammate be taken out, I used the air from the fire and the tornado nearby to steer myself towards solid land. Now by myself, I pinpointed a nearby extraction point, and with only my pistol and a handful of ammo, made the trek there. I did come across a player character, but took them down quickly as to avoid any teammates who may have been nearby. I got to the extraction point, defended myself for a little, and was actually able to survive with loot to spare. That moment, if anything, solidified thatExobornecan provide experiences that are unlike anything on the market today.
As we ended our time withExoborne, it was clear that the team really cared about the project they had created. What we played felt like years of experience boiled down to create a title that improved upon the extraction shooter genre, one that many Sharkmob members helped work on with The Division series. With playtests in February, it all comes down to if audiences will flock to it or not. So, on that note, we can’t recommendExoborneenough to experience and see what the future of extraction shooters can and should look like.
Playtests forExoborneon PC are scheduled for February 12-17. Sign-ups are available now on the game’s Steam page. For more information, visit theofficial Exoborne website. For more onExoborne, be sure to read our interview with Executive Producer, Brynley Gibson,here.
