The extraction shooter is having a moment. The gameplay mode that gained popularity in “Tom Clancy’s The Division” has flourished into a growing subgenre. It’s characterized by gameplay loop, in which players enter an area looking for loot, and once they acquire it, they have to fight their way out to claim it.
Deaths are brutal because players lose their gear and start at zero, but the highs are just as exhilarating, especially if players escape with a valuable item. “Escape from Tarkov” found a dedicated community and more recent additions to the genre include “Synduality: Echo of Ada.” Now, Sharkmob, the creators of “Blood Hunt,” is adding its on twist to the genre with “Exoborne.”
It’s an open-world extraction shooter set in the near future where climate change has grown out of control. A company called Rebirth claimed to have a solution, building towers around the world that they claimed would stabilize the weather. That was a lie and Rebirth weaponized the technology that countries worked to build, dominating the world.
In “Exborne,” players take on the role of a Reborn, a person who has escaped corporate control. They don Exo-Rigs, which are essentially power suits, that give players superhuman skills. They can fall from hundreds of feet without being hurt. They are tougher and faster than normal foot soldiers. They also boast special abilities.
These Exo-Rigs are vital to survival in a world where tornadoes dominate the landscape and rain is always a deluge. The random weather effects impact combat as players can use the whirlwinds to soar into the air and reach higher places or travel longer distance with a “Just Cause”-like grappling hook and parachute tools. Rain has a subtler impact on combat as players won’t be able to hear enemies sneaking up behind them while fog reduces visibility making weapons such as sniper rifles useless.
That means choosing the right Exo-Rig is important and “Exoborne” features three models so far. Kodiak acts as the heavy with the ability to shield and take damage. Kestrel is the light model that is quick and agile with the ability to reach high areas for sniping foes. Viper is the medium between the two.
Set in the fictional Colton County on the American East Coast, “Exoborne” throws players into a post apocalyptic world where they must scavenge for items and gear to improve their Exo-Rigs. They can for search for loot or come upon it after a twister tears through an area. Whatever the case, players grab the gear, but to keep it, they have to escape. That means battling computer-controlled enemies and other players who want to kill them and loot their corpses. On top of that, the Rebirth corporation has drones that it will hunt players after a certain time limit. All of this creates tension that the genre is famous for.
Once they escape, they can see what gear the grabbed. Figure out what to keep and go for another run. The Colton County map, which supports up to 45 people right now, resets for each session, but there’s enough chaos caused by the weather system to make sure no run plays exactly the same.
If that sounds like a compelling concept, players will have a chance to check it out in a playtest running from Feb. 12 to Feb. 17 on Steam. It’s part of a longer development process for a title that’s expected to be a premium game, meaning it will have a price tag and beyond that it will move into a model similar to a live service game, featuring battle passes.
