One of Capcom’s major titles for 2023 isExoprimal, a new team shooter about battling invasive dinosaurs. Capcom has only shown off a bit ofExoprimalgameplay so far, but fans have had enough of a taste to get a sense of the gameplay loop. Fans will need to compose a balanced team of fighters using the game’s five different exosuits, which have roles ranging from Assault to Tank to Support, then take on innumerable swarms of dinosaurs. Players may be able to switch out exosuits in the middle of a mission, but they’ll be vulnerable while doing so, meaning they’ll need protection from other players, especially the hulking Roadblock.
At the moment, the Roadblock is the chief Tank exosuitthat Capcom has revealed. Its name belies its usage: the Roadblock is capable of physically holding back the dinosaur horde, allowing its teammates to dish out some damage, heal up, or move to a more advantageous position. The Roadblock seems like it’ll be the simplest Tank inExoprimal,but that doesn’t mean that it’s any less important than the other exosuits. On the contrary, trailers forExoprimalsuggest that the sheer number of dinosaurs encountered in each mission will strongly encourage each team to have a Roadblock available.
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Exoprimal’s Roadblock in Play
Exoprimalfootage suggests that the Roadblock’s main ability is projecting a large, wide, rectangular shield to protect its allies. Small dinosaurs appear incapable of moving through the shield, although larger foes may be able to get through the Roadblock’s defenses. Players can seemingly keep the shield up for a very long time and walk slowly while they do so, but the shield does appear to have a health mechanic likeReinhardt’s shield inOverwatch,meaning the Roadblock can only absorb so much damage before it needs to recharge.Exoprimal’s urban setting should mean that players can find all kinds of chokepoints where the Roadblock can hold off the enemy.
Other special abilities or attacks for the Roadblock have yet to be revealed, buttheExoprimalwebsite provides some clues. The Roadblock supposedly has the power to repulse enemies of all sizes, possibly with a shield bash attack. This kind of ability sounds extremely valuable for dealing with threats that break through the Roadblock’s defenses and attack less durable allies. While the Roadblock doesn’t appear to carry a gun, it does have a very large fist.Exoprimal’s Roadblock likely deals a significant amount of melee damage with its punches, even if it largely lacks range, earning it another similarity toOverwatch’s Reinhardt.
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The Roadblock and Other Exoprimal Tanks
The Roadblock may be the only truly visibleExoprimalTank right now, but its design offers a lot of clues about what other Tank exosuits will be like. Area control is clearlyextremely important inExoprimal; Tanks need to be able to prevent a huge number of enemies from accessing their allies at the same time. As Tank classes often do,Exoprimal’s Tanks will likely wield a fair amount of crowd control attacks like stuns or slows as well, based on the Roadblock’s repulsion ability. Slowing down the dinosaurs may be just as important as damaging them.
Capcom is bound to introduce more complicated Tanks toExoprimalthan the Roadblock, but its simple, effective design means the Roadblock is likely to remain a classic and popular Tank choice throughout the game’s lifespan. No matter how clever or complicatedExoprimalTanks before, sometimes players just need a solid obstacle to put in the enemy’s way, and that’s the Roadblock’s entire concept. When Capcomreleases moreExoprimalnews over the summer, fans are likely to get an even better look at the Roadblock’s functions, as well as introductions to its fellow Tanks. It’ll be interesting to see how other exosuits fill its role differently.
Exoprimalreleases in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
