Exoprimal Needs to Turn its Anthem Comparisons to Its…

First announced back in March of this year, Exoprimal is a brand new IP coming from Capcom, set to release at some point next year. Exoprimal sees up to four players face off against endless hordes of dinosaurs, equipped with some high-tech mech suits, and geared up with some impressive weaponry. With mech suits and co-op being the central focus of Exoprimal's marketing, gamers have been quick to compare it to Anthem, BioWare's disappointingly lackluster co-op mech game from 2019.

Launching in an incredibly buggy state, BioWare's Anthem failed to live up to expectations in almost every way. With a lackluster story, mundane gear system, and tedious and repetitive level design, Anthem was a clear letdown, so much so that its large-scale Anthem 2.0 update was canceled by EA. Despite releasing a good few years ago, the smell of Anthem's disappointment still lingers, and Exoprimal needs to shake off its comparisons to it, and reclaim them for its own.

How Exoprimal Can Reclaim its Anthem Comparisons

In the modern gaming world, public reception is everything, and right now Exoprimal's isn't looking too hot. Upon the launch of Exoprimal's reveal trailer, fans were disappointed that it wasn't a return to the Dino Crisis franchise, and with every trailer that's released since, gamers have been quick to draw comparisons between it and Anthem. However, it's not too late for Exoprimal to turn those comparisons into positive press.

Some of the only aspects of Anthem that critics and general audiences agreed were actually decent about the game were the flying mechanics and other traversal options. Though glitches held it back at every step, Anthem's flight controls did feel pretty responsive, with fluid animations and a nice sense of momentum. While Exoprimal doesn't seem to be implementing any full flight mechanics, it does have several exosuits that have enhanced mobility, and it showcase those more in the marketing, tapping into the only element that made Anthem really stand out from the crowd. The next few Exoprimal trailers should focus on the fluid movement animations, the speed of some exosuits, and any flight-like abilities.

The best way for Exoprimal to turn its Anthem comparisons into positive press is by subtly showing off features that Anthem tried to implement, but failed to perfect, thus casually showing how Exoprimal will be better on launch. One of the biggest criticisms of Anthem was its lack of engaging game modes. Exoprimal is set to launch with over five game modes. While the trailers released so far do a good job of showcasing each one, future trailers should double down on showing the differences in each game mode and the variety within, which would suggest that the game has quite a bit of replayability.

Along with showcasing Exoprimal's game modes in more detail, Capcom should also take the time to break down each of the game's exosuits and their unique abilities in greater detail. One of Anthem's biggest marketing points was its customizable Javelins, and Exoprimal could easily outdo it by detailing all the game's different gear options and cosmetics. Capcom should also ensure that Exoprimal rewards players who finish missions with plenty of new gear pieces and weapons. This should show audiences that, unlike Anthem, Exoprimal's rewards are worthwhile, and they encourage repeat play sessions. Exoprimal already stands out from Anthem quite a bit, but for general audiences, Capcom really needs to make sure that its marketing doubles down on what makes the dinosaur horde game so unique.