Exophobia [Review]
Exophobia is a retro FPS misfire.
Exophobia. Credit: PM Studios / Zarc Attack
PM Studios and Zarc Attack’s Exophobia is a retro styled FPS that plays like early classics of the genre such as Wolfenstein 3D, but is structured like a metroidvania with large, open maps and upgrade-locked progression that requires backtracking. Some art and design choices left me a bit cold when the game would otherwise be very fun to play.
You navigate a crashed spaceship as a lone survivor, fighting the aliens that have invaded it. The levels are entirely flat, like in early first person shooters, and gameplay feels similar. You have the quick, floaty movement you’d expect, along with extra moves, like a ground slide that will stun enemies. It’s crucial to dodge and weave around enemy fire to survive.
Exophobia. Credit: PM Studios / Zarc Attack
Rather than finding a series of increasingly powerful guns, you have a single gun that you’ll upgrade with abilities such as a charge shot that will help in combat and also allow you to access new areas of the ship.
Rather than having linear levels like Wolfenstein 3D, Exophobia has a large map where you must backtrack to progress. It’s an inventive addition to the formula for this kind of retro shooter, but is made frustrating by how easy it is to get lost. Because the game’s art is true to the era, all the hallways and doors look the same. There should have been more effort put into making the game’s setting be less monotonous; exploring a floor where nearly everything looks identical is just boring. The world should feel alive and not just be a featureless maze.
Exophobia. Credit: PM Studios / Zarc Attack
Exophobia has a map that you can pull up, but you can only look at it for a limited time before its battery runs out and you must recharge it at a save station. To make things worse, it seems like the path I leave on explored parts of the map disappears if I die. The map feature wasn’t just poor, it made the experience of playing the game worse.
I wasn’t particularly engaged with the combat. Different kinds of enemies require unique strategies to kill, but combat scenarios get repetitive quickly. Your gun never feels truly powerful which also makes shooting enemies feel tedious at times.
I think there are promising ideas in Exophobia, but ill-conceived design choices and overly simplified gameplay make the game feel underbaked. The game was a frustrating rather than fun experience.
Exophobia will be available on July 23, 2024, on PC (Steam), PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch.
Overall Score: 3/10
Played on PS5.
