Exanima

Exanima is absolutely fantastic, I cannot stress this enough. For a game in early access, there is so much to love about it. Prepare yourself for some physics-based hilarity as you desperately try to fight your way through a bunch of dungeons filled with ghoulies, skeletons and demon creatures that wish nothing more than to munch on your face or watch you trip over a box on the floor and munch on your own face. Let’s get into it.

Gameplay

The game features a very deep and well-designed physics-based combat and movement system. A shockingly tactical game that requires a considerable amount of practice and thought to make sure you actually make it anywhere, Exanima is a testament to the develops ingenuity. Your entire objective is to fight, explore, survive and plan every step and the gameplay compliments that to an outrageous degree.

Hit boxes and accurate collisions are a must have and the game delivers. Theres a legitimate force to every swing you make and you must make nuanced decisions on how to fight to make the best use of it. Something I cannot stop finding funny is if you trip on something and fall over. It’s just hilarious to watch you realistically hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.

It’s like a mix match of Dark Souls, Darkest Dungeon and Mordhau, taking the most interesting things from each and making it into something truly unique. It can be as punishing and rewarding as any of those titles. There’s also magic here, its subtle but given that this title is only in alpha, I can see it easily becoming so much more. Everything moves so interestingly; it feels so gritty and difficult. Monsters will throw themselves at you and you’ll collide, stumbling and falling to the floor before rushing to get back up and begin combat. It feels frenetic and engaging, everything is a brutal struggle that keeps your eyes stuck to the screen.

Art Style

The gritty, dark-fantasy aesthetic is nothing short of brilliant but the attention to detail and how great everything looks deserves an even greater appreciation. Armour looks smooth and shiny; monsters look fleshy and gross and it all reacts perfectly with dynamic lighting provided by multiple sources.

Updates

As I stated earlier, the game is only in alpha. So, when I tell you that it is astoundingly good already, and all the areas that they can put a lot more work into could expand this into one of the most celebrated games in history, it should blow your mind. A subversive masterpiece that has so much more to give is worthy of the highest praise. This game is technically only a tech test for their real IP known as Sui Generis, a huge open world version of this which they are working on.

Multiplayer

Oh yeah, that’s right. There’s multiplayer, cooperative and competitive LAN mulitplayer that allows you to jump in with a friend and wreck each other or everything else together. Just hurry up and get this game already.

Pros:

• Incredible physics
• Incredible graphics
• Brilliant world

Cons:

• Taking a long time to complete