Exoborne First Look: Storm-Fueled Extraction and Tactical Chaos

Exoborne charges into the extraction shooter space with a wild blend of dynamic weather, aggressive AI, and a grappling hook obsession that turns verticality into a weapon. After finally going hands-on with the game at Summer Game Fest 2025, it’s clear Sharkmob and Level Infinite are aiming to carve out their niche in an increasingly saturated genre. And weirdly-it might just work.

During the Play Days demo, players jumped into Colton County, a fictional southeastern U.S. sandbox where tornados, firenados, and toxic gas whirl across the battlefield like deadly NPCs. My squad and I selected our Exorigs-my teammates picked the agile Viper while I stomped around in the heavier Kodiak. Despite all the rig-specific features, I mainly stuck to classic long-range sniping and suppressive fire

. Effective, if a little tame given what the rig was capable of.

Gunplay feels arcadey, but in a good way. Weapons punch hard, recoil’s manageable, and you’re not getting kicked around like in more hardcore tactical shooters. Sharkmob is clearly leaning into fast-paced, pick-up-and-play energy. The progression system is smart: each Exorig can be leveled individually, with unique and shared modules letting players tweak everything from grappling hook speed to elemental resistances. Want to survive a firenado? Better spec for it.

Speaking of firenados-yes, they’re real. Throw a Molotov into a tornado and you’ve got a swirling vortex of death. Weather isn’t just cosmetic-it alters extraction points and forces constant adaptation. One session might feel like a shootout on the sun, another like you’re battling inside a hurricane. And with destructible props, car traversal, and vertical urban maps like Agnesville, every match feels different even on static layouts.

Exoborne’s world-building doesn’t go unnoticed. While Colton County is fictional, it’s dotted with real-world road signs, giving it a grounded-yet-familiar vibe. And while full building destruction isn’t a thing, fences, cars, and barricades shatter with enough force or explosives. Pair that with optional proximity VoIP and a ping system, and you’ve got chaotic communication baked right in.

Cosmetics are heavily emphasized-no mix-and-match layering here. You choose whole outfits and style your Exorig with skins, helmets, and facewear. Vanity items won’t be lost on death, but gear like guns and mods will. High risk, high reward. There’s no insurance system at launch, though the devs are open to feedback. And based on prior feedback from Bloodhunt, they’ve already overhauled Exoborne’s UX, inventory, and death mechanics.

The team’s also thinking long-term with seasonal content and a Battle Pass. While Sharkmob isn’t revealing the full anti-cheat strategy, they’ve put serious effort into it. As for future plans-console versions will follow PC, new Exorigs may appear post-launch, and collaborations are on the table if they fit the game’s grounded aesthetic.

So is Exoborne just another failed clone waiting to get chewed up by the genre? Maybe not. It’s brash, weird, and full of storms. And for once, those storms might be exactly what the genre needs.