Exophobia
- July 22, 2024
- Zarc Attack
Exophobia is a Metroidvania styled first person Boomer Shooter that envelopes the crux of its gameplay and design beautifully with its mechanics creating an entangling interplanetary voyage you won't forget.
Get on Steam"Exophobia" is a single-player fantasy shooter game with a striking retro-inspired sci-fi aesthetic. As a lone human in a spaceship overrun by hostile aliens, you must fight and explore your way to safety while uncovering the crew's backstory. The game features intense FPS combat, unique metroidvania progression, and a range of environments to discover, each with distinct challenges and enemies to overcome.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features a unique blend of FPS and Metroidvania mechanics, with engaging combat and exploration that keeps players on their toes.
- The art style and level design are praised for their creativity and distinct themes, making the environments visually appealing and memorable.
- The game offers a variety of enemies and challenging boss fights, encouraging strategic gameplay and rewarding exploration with secrets and collectibles.
- The map design can be confusing, with one-way doors and a limited map battery that frustrates navigation and backtracking.
- Some players find the puzzles to be tedious and clunky, detracting from the otherwise enjoyable combat experience.
- There are reports of bugs and glitches that can hinder progress, although the developers are responsive in addressing these issues.
- graphics30 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their colorful pixel art style, clean and readable visuals, and distinct environmental themes that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the charming artwork, unique enemy designs, and the retro aesthetic that contributes to enjoyable gameplay and exploration. The combination of beautiful graphics, effective sound design, and well-executed level design creates a visually appealing and immersive atmosphere reminiscent of classic metroidvania titles.
“I began very impressed with the colorful art style, fun combat, and really well done level design that reminded me a lot of Dread.”
“The artwork is beautiful and charming, the combat and exploration is fun.”
“Great game which has had a lot of work post-launch to make it even better, FPS metroidvania with incredible graphics.”
“Like the aesthetic, tone & music of the game, but it suffers from the same thing Project Warlock suffered from: it's a Wolf3D-style 'boomer shooter' that has terrible circle strafing & too-slow default weapon projectiles, which makes most mid to long-range combat tedious.”
“From its unique art style with its pulpy retro colors and gruesomely grotesque sprites of blood.”
“It's like Blake Stone combined with Metroid, made by devs who have a keen understanding of what works in an FPS Metroidvania, what doesn't, and why: the palette makes the visuals clean and readable, map design has distinct themes to areas so the levels don't look samey.”
- gameplay29 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this game is highly praised for its fluidity, tight mechanics, and engaging blend of retro pixel art with modern FPS elements, offering a satisfying mix of action, exploration, and puzzles. Players appreciate the challenging boss fights and the variety of gameplay mechanics, although some critique the writing and certain boss mechanics as less effective. Overall, the game is described as a standout title in the FPS/metroidvania genre, with many expressing a strong enjoyment and appreciation for its design and execution.
“A classic Wolfenstein/Blake looking game but Metroidvania with really neat action mechanics, plenty of secrets, and cool bosses.”
“The gameplay is super tight, and crouch slides are always a good game mechanic.”
“Exophobia is a Metroidvania-styled first-person boomer shooter that envelops the crux of its gameplay and design beautifully, creating an entangling interplanetary voyage you won't forget.”
“I did find the writing a little unsatisfying (the game gives you a number of terminal logs to read, the prose is not great and the hints they contain are usually unnecessary), and I think the boss fights suffer from attempts to make the player utilize particular mechanics, but those are small gripes about an otherwise excellent game.”
“It can be a frustrating mechanic, but makes you plan the game more accordingly.”
“I don't want to spoil them but there's one you don't see much in the genre that really changes the gameplay.”
- music14 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 7 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality and integration with the overall design, enhancing the aesthetic and tone. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as amazing, contributing to a solid gameplay experience alongside good sound design and art. Overall, the music is a standout feature that complements the game's unique style and mechanics.
“The game has a unique art style, incredible music, good sound design, and great level design for a metroidvania.”
“The soundtrack and sounds are amazing.”
“Furthermore, music and design are on point, giving the game a solid look and feel.”
“I like the aesthetic, tone, and music of the game, but it suffers from the same issues Project Warlock had: it's a Wolf3D-style 'boomer shooter' that features terrible circle strafing and too-slow default weapon projectiles, making most mid to long-range combat tedious.”
- story12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally considered simple and easy to follow, with intriguing lore presented through collectible logs that add humor and depth. However, some players find the story segments lengthy and the reading interface cumbersome, leading to a lack of payoff. Overall, it offers a decent plot device for a basic open-world shooter, making it a recommendable experience for its low price.
“Bosses are fun, the story disks are intriguing, looking forward to the rest.”
“The logs are really fun to go through; they explain the story and the lore, and they tend to be really funny at times.”
“The story segments are a bit too long to read with an interface that shows about 15 words at a time, with not very much payoff.”
“The story is pretty simple and easy to follow.”
“For the low asking price, I can safely recommend it if you want a very basic open world shooter with a decent plot device.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be clunky and tedious, particularly in mid to long-range combat, which detracts from the overall experience. The need to reload the map after clearing areas adds to the frustration, making the process of searching for progress feel monotonous. While the game's aesthetic and music are appreciated, the grinding mechanics are seen as a significant drawback.
“They feel clunky, simple, and just kinda tedious compared to the excellent combat.”
“It is only when all enemies in an area are killed that one requires the map, therefore making the already boring act of trudging through cleared areas in a desperate search for progress even more tedious as you stop every couple of minutes to reload the map.”
“Like the aesthetic, tone & music of the game, but it suffers from the same thing Project Warlock suffered from: it's a Wolf3D-style 'boomer shooter' that has terrible circle strafing & too-slow default weapon projectiles, which makes most mid to long-range combat tedious.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous game-breaking glitches, softlocks, and crashes, which detract from the overall experience. Many users express disappointment over the lack of attention given to these problems, suggesting that the game could benefit from more development care.
“However, I encountered a plethora of game-breaking glitches, softlocks, and crashes that dampened the experience.”
“I feel bad for Exophobia, not because it's a buggy mess, or too hard, but because of how little love it has received.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as inconsistent, with moments of genuine fun interspersed with stress and drama. Players particularly enjoy the humorous elements found in the logs, which provide both story and lore in an entertaining way.
“The logs are really fun to go through; they explain the story and the lore, and they tend to be really funny at times.”
“Funny at times, stressful and dramatic at others.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a sense of isolation and exploration, as players navigate a vast building with distinct atmospheres on each floor, enhancing the feeling of being lost and the challenge of finding an escape.
“You start the game all by yourself, in the middle of a huge building with multiple floors, each with its own unique atmosphere, and it's up to you to find your way out.”
“You start the game all by yourself, in the middle of a huge building with multiple floors, each with its own atmosphere, and it's up to you to find your way out.”
