Exoprimal provides a near 35-hour experience in its Dino Survival Mode, and Savage Gauntlet aims to remedy the game’s lack of variety to an extent. Savage Gauntlet Mode provides a timed weekly challenge that will test exofighters and their best exosuits, but it’s clear that Exoprimal needs much more than this to succeed.
After completing the main story of Exoprimal, many players (including myself) were left wanting more. Savage Gauntlet Mode would not go live until July 28, so I was essentially done with the game until the mode was made available by Capcom. Surprisingly, an update was not needed for this mode, so I had the opportunity to experience Savage Gauntlet mode when it unlocked at 11:00 p.m. EDT.
What is Exoprimal Savage Gauntlet Mode?
Savage Gauntlet is an additional mode that unlocks after completing the main story of Exoprimal—achieving 100% in the Analysis Lab. In Savage Gauntlet, players complete three objectives in a 10-minute time limit against hordes of powerful dinosaurs. These dinosaurs are more powerful compared to their counterparts in Dino Survival, and more of each type of dinosaur will appear at once. Players may compete for rankings based on score, and ranking in a certain percentile will grant Awards.
In short, Savage Gauntlet mode is a bite-sized portion of Dino Survival at a higher difficulty in Exoprimal. Having a level 20 exosuit with its corresponding upgrades is recommended since players will be able to perform optimally in their role. Moreover, new Savage Gauntlet missions will be introduced every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. PDT, and each mission lasts until the subsequent Monday 7:59 p.m. PDT.
Exoprimal Needs More Variety
Savage Gauntlet mode is a neat addition to Exoprimal, but it’s clear that the game needs more modes besides this and Dino Survival. Although Savage Gauntlet is a different mode on the main menu, it’s derived from Dino Survival, so the mode itself doesn’t feel unique. Dino Survival offers a variety of objectives and surprises in missions, so Savage Gauntlet needs to implement a similar approach. Exoprimal leaves something to be desired after the main story, and players should not have to repeat Dino Survival missions if they don’t want to.
Seasonal content for Exoprimal needs to involve all-new modes that will entice players to return and try different experiences. Savage Gauntlet is a start, but it’s a lackluster one that only requires a few clears each week to gain some EXP and Awards. The mode does not incentivize repeat clears outside of bragging rights for being one of the top scorers. The Exoprimal developers at Capcom are hard at work on new content, so I hope new modes are being considered alongside the Street Fighter and Monster Hunter collaboration events. Once more, Exoprimal is an extremely fun game, but it’s currently missing that long-term draw.
Finally, Exoprimal is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Windows.
