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Exanima Review – Delving into the Depths

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Exanima Review – Delving into the Depths

Exanima

Exanima
8.7

Score

 8.7/10

Pros

  • Unique, physics-based combat system.
  • Highly immersive, player-driven narrative.
  • Intelligent and varied enemy AI.
  • Organic skill progression enhances gameplay depth.
  • The atmospheric, dark fantasy world is beautifully realized.

Cons

  • The lack of clear objectives can lead to aimless wandering.

Exanima is a game set in a world of low, dark fantasy that basks in its subtleties. A one-of-a-kind game steeped in an atmosphere of tension and uncertainty that few titles can rival.

Developed and published by Bare Mettle Entertainment, this top-down 3D isometric RPG first graced our gaming platforms in 2015. Let’s venture into the depths of ‘Exanima’ and unravel the unique facets that make it so compelling.

Gameplay

Exanima thrusts you into a cryptic, sprawling dungeon armed with nothing but a tattered set of clothes and a trusty torch. Without explicit goals or hand-holding, you’re left to unravel the narrative through environmental cues and fragments of lore scattered across the dungeon. The gameplay mechanics fall into the classic isometric RPG paradigm with a focus on exploration, puzzle-solving, and a unique, physics-based combat system.

One of the defining features of Exanima is its revolutionary combat system, where every strike, block, and dodge operates under a realistic physics model. Environmental interactions play a crucial role, with weapon swings being affected by surrounding objects, making combat an artful dance of spatial awareness and timing. This approach lends a steep learning curve to combat, ensuring that every victory feels hard-earned and immensely satisfying.

Exanima’s AI system brings the inhabitants of the dungeon to life. NPCs react dynamically to the player and the environment, with behaviours ranging from cautious avoidance to aggressive pursuit. This variety in enemy behaviour, coupled with the realistic combat system, makes each encounter an exercise in unpredictability, further elevating the tension and immersion.

While the environment might be bleak, the RPG mechanics in Exanima provide glimmers of progression. Loot can be scavenged from defeated opponents or discovered in hidden caches, and character skills improve with use, creating a sense of organic progression that complements the game’s immersive atmosphere. As your character grows in strength and skill, the initially overwhelming dungeon becomes a labyrinth of opportunity and adventure.

Conclusion

Exanima succeeds as a unique take on the isometric RPG genre. Its captivating, atmospheric world, paired with its innovative physics-based combat and immersive, player-driven narrative, offers a deeply satisfying experience for fans of titles such as Kenshi and Malus.

Exanima System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics Card: Intel HD 4000 or AMD Radeon HD 2600 or Nvidia GeForce 8600 with 512MB VRAM
  • CPU: Intel Core2 or AMD Athlon II dual core
  • File Size: 2 GB
  • OS: Windows XP (SP3)

Recommended Requirements

  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 5850 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 280 with 1GB VRAM or better
  • CPU: 3 Ghz Intel Core i5 quad core or 3.5 Ghz AMD FX hex core or better
  • File Size: 2 GB
  • OS: Windows XP (SP3)