Exoborne preview: Climate-centric gameplay shines brightly

They do say, you don’t know whether you like something until you try it and while I know that to be true, I confess to having certain gaming genres I typically stay away from. Why? Well, like everybody, I suppose I can make unfounded assumptions. The relevant example here is that I’ve always been intimidated by the idea of tactical extraction shooters. My assumption was that they were overly competitive and inaccessible to those, like me, who perhaps aren’t experts in the genre.

Exoborne has easily changed, or should I say, rectified my stance on that after I watched a presentation from developers at this year’s Gamescom. It goes without saying that, yes, as is the nature of all multiplayer games, there are going to be competitive players that may make you feel a tad underskilled at times but what’s clear to me about Exoborne is that its systems are accessible enough to welcome in extraction shooter newcomers whilst the game simultaneously boasts a unique and unpredictable ecosystem mechanic that in what is an increasingly competitive space, gives Exoborne the one-up on those competitors.

Exoborne is set in a post-apocalyptic take on the United States, where society has fallen due to the over advancement of technology. Exo rigs were created to be an aid to humans but when those suits became overrun by rogue programming, the individuals inside were forced to commit unspeakable horrors. A select group of survivors was able to break free, and that’s where you’ll come in. Referred to as the Exoborne, you’ll play as one such survivor, fighting back against your oppressors and the increasingly volatile elements of nature.

Take a look at Exoborne in action below.

When you whittle it down to the basics, Exoborne ticks all of the boxes of the extraction shooter genre. In a team of three, it’s your job to eliminate your opponents, scavenge for supplies and eventually, reach an extraction point. Of course, that makes it all sound rather simple but as anyone who’s ever played an extraction shooter will tell you, it rarely is. For starters, there’s just a few extraction points on the map so plenty of foes will be vying to nab the opportunity from you. Even if you think you’re in the relative safety of an extraction ship, developers warned us that you’re not safe until the doors have totally shut.

You can complicate, or perhaps I should say I intensify, your round by taking on additional quests on top of the basic task of staying alive. The team at Sharkmob constantly reiterated the slogan of high risk, high reward but so too did they emphasise that taking those risks is entirely optional. Exoborne is an extraction shooter made with newcomers in mind as well as expert players, a rarity.

One such example is that all in-game vehicles seat three players so you never have to leave anyone behind. Another newcomer friendly feature is the fact that any alive characters can revive those who have fallen. That means that if you are a newbie, you don’t have to worry about the boredom that comes with sitting out a round because you perish straight away. The flipside of that is that when you’re the aggressor, you’ll want to eliminate an entire team if you want to ensure that they’re well and truly taken out of the picture. Additionally, even if you die as a beginner, you’ll still achieve some kind of reward. Not all is lost upon death. I can’t stress enough how much developers emphasised how they created such features to help all abilities and skill sets feel a level of achievement and progression, and it’s one of the reasons why Exoborne totally won me over.

There are three types of builds you can play as, each of their exo rigs have different benefits. Vipers are your medium builds, somewhat all-rounders that are good as medics and scouts. Kestrel is the light build that offers quick, agile attacks, while Kodiak players will assume the role of the heavy, boasting slower but more powerful guns and armour. Picking a certain build doesn’t lock you into any major specifics though. It determines your strengths and weaknesses and perhaps how you should structure your approach, but it’s totally up to you how you play.

Credit / Level Infinite

Of course, the exo rigs grant abilities ordinary human soldiers would not possess. There’s no fall damage in the game as your suit is equipped with a glider and from what I saw in the presentation, traversal is incredibly fluid and really caught my eye. You have an enhanced sprint, a grappling hook … you can pretty much get anywhere and everywhere.

Already, I think you’ll agree that Exoborne is painting a pretty great picture and I’ve yet to touch on what I found to be its most intriguing mechanic. The landscape you’ll find yourself in in Exoborne is incredibly volatile, the weather and ecosystem changing regularly. Situated across the map are several warning towers, tracking the weather. If you hear a droning siren sounding out, that’s your warning that everything is about to change - and I don’t just mean that a sunny day might turn into one where the heavens open.

Developers gave the example that you might be instantaneously swept away by a tornado, sending you flying across the map. Do you use your glider to ride it out and risk being seen from the ground? Do you land instantly and risk falling on top of an enemy group? Your survival won’t come easy. The weather will also affect your audio cues which, I was told, are very important. Rain, for example, can almost completely conceal the sound of nearby enemies. That’s great if you’re trying to sneak up on a team but so too can they sneak up on you.

The final mechanism that was showcased to me involved a countdown timer positioned in the corner of your screen, as if players didn’t already have enough to contend with. Essentially, that’s how long you have left to safely extract. Completing tasks and quests will extend your countdown but it can’t be extended forever. If the timer reaches zero, don’t worry, it’s not instant death but it’s not far off. Instead, your team’s location will be revealed to the entire map so don’t let the countdown run too low.

Credit / Level Infinite

Exoborne surprised me to no end. I’d have never put myself down as an extraction shooter player, and all Exoborne has done is highlight my own ignorance. The freedom that comes with playing a character empowered by the exo rig is extremely welcomed given the environmental and time constraint challenges that players will need to face, but I find myself yearning to take these challenges on. The ever-changing ecosystem feels like it has limitless potential, leading to matches that are unpredictable and therefore constantly entertaining. The premium live-service market may be shaky, but I’m confident that Exoborne will come out on top.

Exoborne remains without a release window but will launch on PlayStation, Xbox and PC.