The extraction shooter increase has been extra of a poot than an explosion as of late. Artistic Meeting’s Hyenas laughed its final in late 2023, whereas Ubisoft’s The Division Heartlands had a stake pushed via it final 12 months. Upcoming efforts Marathon and ARC Raiders have prevented the chop thus far, however the lack of video games making it to market, alongside the failures of these like Rainbow Six Extraction, proves this isn’t a simple style to nail. This hasn’t deterred Vampire the Masquerade Bloodhunt developer Sharkmob, which is baring its fangs with the post-apocalyptic Exoborne. Having delved into the newest playtest, the studio’s imaginative and prescient couldn’t be clearer, and it might simply whip up a storm.
At GDC final 12 months I requested Exoborne government producer Brynley Gibson and Sharkmob co-founder Martin Hultberg what they had been doing to assist make sure the upcoming PC sport stands out from its genre-mates; it largely follows the usual extraction shooter loop of ‘get in, loot, shoot, and get out,’ in any case. The reply, Gibson advised me, lies within the two “stars” of the present: bloody nice storms and exo-rigs.
I usually discover myself complaining concerning the British climate. It’s depressingly gray at the perfect of occasions, barring the 2 weeks of scorching bliss that magically arrives round mid-summer. Nevertheless, after enjoying Exoborne I really feel much less inclined to complain concerning the odd bathe. The sport’s most excessive climate circumstances kick up towering tornadoes that rip via the maps, and even lethal firestorms that can air fry you immediately. They’re not as cinematic as Battlefield 2042’s colossal cyclones, however that doesn’t matter when a large number of them are all coming to whisk you away to Oz – no sparkly purple sneakers or heel-clicking required.
In fact, there’s extra to those dynamic climate switch-ups than their apparent visible aptitude. Throughout stormy circumstances you may make liberal use of the robust winds to pop your glider open, lifting you excessive into the air so you may swiftly reposition. In case you get too near a twister it would spin you round and spit you out, making them the right escape software. In some areas of the maps you’ll encounter poisonous clouds that deal harm over time, and even electrical fields that EMP your skills.
Suffice it to say that adapting to the atmosphere and choosing your moments is the important thing to mastering Exoborne. In case your intention isn’t as crispy because it might be however your motion is out of this world, then you may make the most of a storm and use the glider, in addition to the useful grapple, to achieve an advantageous place and win out in opposition to intention purists. Within the video games the place I queued solo, making like Obi-Wan and taking the excessive floor additionally helped me laser down entire trios (the utmost occasion dimension). It helps that visibility is extremely poor whenever you’re being hammered by the weather, making it tough for targets to hint the place they’re being beamed from.
Flying bullets aren’t the one belongings you’ll need to preserve abreast of when you’re out within the subject. Every of the exoskeletal exo-rigs you should buy comes replete with two distinctive perks – one lively, one passive – that may intensify your playstyle. Whereas I didn’t discover these significantly impactful in isolation, their highly effective mods got here in useful. These vary from improved protect restoration speeds to the flexibility to name down lightning strikes in an space. In case you’re keen to pay the value for energy, you may dish out some severe harm.
As inventive director Peter Mannerfelt advised Lauren, PCGamesN’s resident Bloodhunt fanatic, on the TGA’s in 2023, “verticality is one thing that [Sharkmob] loves,” and it’s on full show right here. Exoborne’s environs are lush and wealthy intimately, with towering constructions and enormous, scalable cables weaving their approach via the Maynard map specifically. One of many huge learnings for the studio from the vampy battle royale sport comes all the way down to gameplay pacing, which it has toned down for Exoborne to present much less expert gamers a preventing probability. It’s definitely extra up-tempo than sluggish, methodical burns like Tarkov, nevertheless it stays extra restrained than frenetic FPS poster youngsters like Apex Legends.
This factor of ‘approachability’ is one other key space of differentiation in keeping with Gibson, however that’s to not say talent expression has been thrown to the winds. The default third-person perspective affords a way more cohesive image of your environment, although aiming down sights shortly shifts you to first-person – Aimlabs stays a strong time funding. Likewise, there are many methods to snag extra gear, and stash house is plentiful, however you’ll nonetheless lose every part you’re taking right into a raid if you happen to die, retaining the risk-reward factor that makes the style tick.
Whereas Exoborne’s definitely one of the approachable extraction shooters I’ve tried, there are a few consistency points which will journey new gamers up. First off, human AI is extremely hit-and-miss. There are occasions when a bullet will fly previous an NPC’s head they usually received’t even react, whereas at different factors I needed to double-check I wasn’t getting snapped to and rinsed by Michael ‘shroud’ Grzesiek. I haven’t skilled a correctly practical extraction shooter AI since SP Tarkov’s unbelievable SAIN mod, and I worry I received’t anytime quickly. That being mentioned, they nonetheless show a strong sufficient distraction to sneak a kill or three on an enemy squad.
The opposite problem stems from the readability division, which I encountered throughout one of many assignments (the principle story missions that get you began). Whereas tutorialization itself is strong, a few of the mission taste texts aren’t the best to observe. On one event I used to be tasked to deliver meals again to a personality, which led me on a wild goose chase round Maynard to trace them all the way down to no avail. What the hunt really desires you to do is to snap up meals gadgets like cornflakes and beans and exfil with them. It is smart in hindsight, nevertheless it’s a simple one to misconstrue.
Between the mechanics, pacing, and verticality packaged right into a extra approachable style entry level, Sharkmob is hoping to seize the holy grail of the dwell service expertise: emergent participant tales, in the identical approach Arrowhead’s Helldivers 2 did final 12 months. I’ll have solely managed ten hours of sport time in the course of the playtest, however I have already got a small compilation of memorable moments stashed within the dome. For instance, at one level a gunfight over an exfil heli broke out between a number of groups, nevertheless it was all in useless as a firestorm rudely third-partied us, making it unimaginable to hop aboard. There have been bullets, utility, and our bodies flying all over the place as we danced across the burning beast; the entire affair was absolute fireplace.
Query marks nonetheless dangle over Exoborne’s value level, although I hope it will likely be aggressive sufficient to entice gamers who’ve been spoiled by the freemium market whereas performing as a pure deterrent for would-be cheaters. Whereas I didn’t encounter any ne’er-do-wells in the course of the playtest, everyone knows a strong anti-cheat will likely be essential to the sport’s longevity. Bloodhunt’s instruments improved dramatically over time, so I’m assured Exoborne will carry that torch going ahead.
The Exoborne launch date might not be in full view simply but, however Sharkmob is placing ahead a powerful argument as to why it ought to take up a slot in your gaming rotation. The jury’s nonetheless out on whether or not it will likely be lightning in a bottle or a storm in a teacup, however I already can’t wait to dive again in with my buddies. The battle royale meta has given method to the extraction shooter, but Exoborne is shaping as much as be extra than simply an iteration of a well-trodden formulation.
