It’s become quite apparent over the years that there is, in fact, still room for the classic arcade FPS in the modern gaming market. Today, developer Zarc Attack’s Exophobia joins the likes of Dusk and Warhammer 40k: Boltgun inreminding players on PC and consoles why that is.
Review: Dusk
Dusk is easily one of the best pure-action FPSes to come along in years, mixing gunplay and exploration in equal measure.
At the moment, Exophobia is available digitally on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch. Physical versions are planned and apparently are in the works right now, but their release will be coming a bit later nonetheless. Those wanting a physical copy will have to wait until August 20 to get their hands on one, and they’ll only be able to do so if they’re playing on PlayStation 4, PS5 or Switch. Those who are into collecting might be better off waiting for these too, as the physical editions will include a set of Exophobia stickers and a standee of the player character.
Exophobia arms players with an arsenal of alien weapons and tasks them with taking back their ship.
Exophobia combines old school FPS action with metroidvania-style exploration. Players must fight with both vigor and keen spatial awareness to clear each group of enemies they encounter, but are free to explore between fights. Weapons can be upgraded each time a special weapons laboratory is discovered, with each upgrade both increasing base power and expanding the weapon’s abilities.
Just like in metroidvania games, new abilities mean new avenues to explore, so it’s likely that there will be elements of backtracking in Exophobia who either want to learn everything they can about the crash or would just like to track down every possible advantage.
Those that don’t care so much about those sorts of things can instead just enjoy using their new powers to change things up in combat. Regardless of how one makes it happen, the goal remains the same: take back the ship and repel the invaders.
Review: Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is a solid throwback FPS that makes up for being generous with the resources by its excellent weapon design.
