Exophobia

Its seems like it would have been an ok game, but its just a little too shite

Interesting and refreshing Metroidvania FPS!

Starts with an absolute bang but it does start to wear a little thin as time goes on. There are a few too many times of not knowing where to go at all. Some bosses are cheap but all that said on sale this game is a must if you are a fan of Metroidvanias and want to try something a little different

Excellent metroidvania shooter. Really enjoyed exploring, finding secrets and blasting baddies.

I got pretty lost a couple of times on where to go and though at one point i was softlocked (i needed to find a certain mobility upgrade, which was in a place i had forgotten existed/how to get to) but i found my way out eventually.

Strong recommend, i had a ton of fun even during the times i was confused.

PS
Thank u dev for making the map battery an optional feature, i think that would have been the tipping point of tedium in the times i got lost.

This game is really good, but it has weird motion controls when played on a hand held such as an MSI Claw.

Doomvania

Buy it now, its a metroidvania mixed with Mega man/Wolfenstein.

Been playing this on Hard & I'm pretty sure I'm 85% of the way done. 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. Not being able to aim great (because every small bullet moves like a DOOM rocket launcher rocket) while dashing is one thing, but while simply strafing? It never feels right. Also the flibbity-floobity puzzle-y ways you need to execute certain things like the bullet teleport, in the heat of a fight, is just a pain & not fun at all in this kind of game.

Also I'm just gonna spoil this right here because I don;t give a F: ON PHASE TWO, OF THE BIG EYEBALL BOSS, YOU NEED TO DASH INTO A DOWNED DRONE SO THAT IT FLIES INTO THE EYEBALL & GETS IT TO OPEN. IF YOU DON'T REMEMBER YOU CAN DO THIS YOU WILL BE SITTING THERE FOREVER SHOOTING THESE POS THINGS & GET NOWHERE. Also git gud at the annoying bullet teleport because even if you've mastered it you only have a 50/50 shot at landing the final blow, for reasons you will definitely find out. (Again this is on Hard but why would you play these games any other way? GET SOME BALLZ)

Exophobia is many things, but before it is anything else, it is a metroid-type game with terrible level design, which makes talking about any other aspect of it somewhat awkward. Yes, there may be a variety of cool and fun enemies, the unique abilities of which bounce off each other in fun and exciting ways, but the satisfaction of overcoming them is annihilated by the knowledge that as soon as the fight is over you'll have to go back to trekking trough an absolutely miserably designed maze. Indeed, the bosses and the ways you fight them using the myriad upgrades you collect for your gun along the way are very original, but the high you get from figuring out the attack patterns quickly wears off as you able aimlessly around wondering what in God's name beating the boss could have possibly accomplished.
The problems with the level design are too many to list in a simple steam review, but I'll try to go over the most glaring issues. Firstly, the map used to navigate the four floors of the ship seems to have been made with the express purpose of annoying the player. I say this neither as a joke nor an insult, for I cannot possibly comprehend what the purpose is of giving a map, of all the things, ammo. The time you can spend looking at the map is severely limited, forcing frequent stops to recharge at save points that slow the already glacial pace of finding new areas to explore. I've seen some say that the purpose of this was to make the player carefully consider the path they'll take before they set off, but if this is the case, I can't imagine a worse failure to execute an idea, as enemies, once killed, stay dead, even when switching between areas. This means that, if a room contains anything other than corpses, you're going the right way and have no need for the map. 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 minutes to reload the map.
A second glaring issue with the levels are the presence of one-way doors spread liberally throughout each floor. In a metroid-styled game, backtracking is an absolute must, so the choice to make doing so much more difficult is frustrating, to say the least, especially since doing so seems to be the only purpose the doors serve. All doors lock when a large alien encounter starts anyway, making the one-way doors superfluous at he best times. For extra fun, these door are not marked on the map in any way, meaning the player will often make long hikes to an unexplored corner of the map only to find that what they thought was a hallway leading to the next area is actually a wall that can only be opened from the other side. There's also a strong possibility that you would have walked through a one-way door on your way, meaning that you can't just go back and try a different path to the new area, but must undergo a circuitous journey going across multiple floors and passing through yet more one-way doors just to get back to where you started, giving the player plenty of chances to get lost along the way.
Lastly, the game starts to introduce shortcuts way too late in the game, with the first major one coming about six hours in to a nine hour game. Perhaps the most minor of my complaints, but the one which I feel best indicates a lack of understanding on the part of the level designers on what makes a good metroid game.
I can't help feeling like a bit of a villain cutting so deeply into an indie game which obviously had a lot of heart put into it and has many parts other than navigating the ship that are truly very good, but I can't simply ignore the fact that the majority of my playtime was spent in misery. Despite dying about seven times over the course of my entire playthrough, this has easily been the most angry I've gotten playing a game all year, and it's entirely due to getting so thoroughly lost every time I though I was about to make progress.

Bottom line, fun enemies, cool power-ups, and challenging bosses are simply not enough to save an exploration-focused game where exploring is so devoid of fun. Bad foundations lead to bad games, even if the things built on top do have some merit. I will be looking forward to future games from this developer, though I might be wary if they try for a similar structure to this one.

This game is okay but not great, people have compared it to metroid prime and it kind of is, but it lacks a lot of meaningful upgrades I feel could really make it a better well rounded experience, nice graphics and sound design combat is simple but enjoyable. For the low asking price I can safely recommend if you want a very basic open world shooter with a decent plot device.

I have not quite finished it yet, but the game needs more reviews to help it out.
This was not a game that had particularly garnered my interest, not that I thought it
looked bad or anything, just.... money is tight, and the look of this was not setting my
heart ablaze. But I am very glad to have picked it up. It's an absolutely delightful
Metroidvania/FPS experience, and I would highly recommend it.

Exophobia is a good game that explores a design concept I've never seen before. It's sort of like Metroid Prime meets Wolfenstein 3D, taking Metroid's ability gated progression and making it work with Wolfenstein's key hunting, something it does quite well. A consequence of this is that there's a finite amount of enemies, something that might turn people off, but I actually like it because it means you can put all of your focus towards navigation and exploring when backtracking. It also means that you know you're making progress when you start seeing enemies again.

Combat is quick and slick, especially later in the game. You have a charged shot and a dodge slide that can stun enemies, which rewards agile movement and good timing of your own shots. The bosses are all really tricky at first, but once you understand them, they're quite manageable. This is one of the few games I wish had a centered weapon option like Doom, since then I wouldn't need a crosshair. It does have a problem some games like this have where the key bindings make no sense until you have all the upgrades, you also can't rebind the mouse at all, which is a bit disappointing. I thought the teleport controls were a bit awkward too. I think holding the place teleport key should make a teleport spot as soon as it's available, and pressing the teleport key with no active teleport spot should quickly teleport you to the bullet's location..

There are surprisingly few upgrades throughout the game, with some pretty long times between them. This also extends to optional upgrades, which I wish there was more variety of. I actually like that there's nothing that arbitrarily increases your damage, though, because it keeps early game enemies relevant even in the last encounter.

Overall, if you like metroidvanias or any other ability-gated game, and want to play one that does something a little different, Exophobia is well worth it.

It's worth playing and does something interesting things. However, there's some pretty serious flaws. Keep that in mind.

The combat is fun. Though some of it is trivialized for a while after one of your power ups. Fortunately it does get more challenging. The exploration is fun. That's my favorite aspect of the game. I kind of wish there was more of that and fewer combat areas. I actually like the battery system. A lot of people don't which seems to be why you can turn it off. But I like that it forces you to not over rely on your map and to be aware of where your last save point was when wandering into a new area. It didn't cause me many issues. Some of the power ups are a lot of fun. I don't want to spoil them but there's one you don't see much in the genre that really changes the gameplay. I liked the enemies and bosses for the most part. There was good variety too. There's 4 floors but the environments aren't limited to just that. Some floors have multiple environments. They also feel like different places that require different ways of navigating.

Now some things I really didn't like. For starters, the text logs are incredibly difficult to read on a large monitor. There really should have been some way to shrink the text or change the font. I didn't read it for most the game because of this until I learned it's necessary to read some of them get the good ending. This was really annoying to learn and meant I had to strain my eyes to read through it. There's also a lot more trial and error in the game than there should be. The game seems to want you to do things a very specific way. Unfortunately it doesn't always make this clear or it conveys it in a really esoteric way. There's a difference between teaching people to do something in similar situations and expecting the player to understand the situations are similar when they look different. I think the games leans into the later. It might be obvious to the developer that some situations are similar but it's not always made clear to the player. There's a lot of times where you'll think "I didn't realize I could do this here." Another thing, the fight in the elevator just sucks. It's too long and you have to repeat the whole thing just to get to try the end if you mess up. You're just wasting time fighting all the easy waves of enemies just to get to the hard ones at the end. Lastly, the distance to explosions in this game is really hard to gauge. This wouldn't be so much of an issue but explosives do a massive amount of damage and some explosives are difficult to see. Some enemies throw them out like they're candy. This can make some fights and areas feel unfair or like another instance of trial and error. It doesn't really feel like skill as much as it should. It feels like there's just some small amount of chance that you'll get screwed over, lose a bunch of health, and possibly die, regardless of how well you play.

Overall, I liked most the game. It's the stuff I didn't like, I really didn't like. I'd love to see a sequel or a game done in a similar style, maybe with more weapons, more emphasis on exploration, and more balanced combat (or just less of it).

Discovered this game through a boom shoot search, and to say I was surprised by how good it is would be an understatement. This game feels more-so like old Metroid games rather than a boom shoot, and absolutely rather than the Metroid prime series itself. Despite not being a huge fan of backtracking all that much, I found myself enjoying the constant strolls through the map since there are secrets and references everywhere. Hell, I did not expect to see both a Regular Show and Undertale reference in the same medium! Game didn't take me that long to beat, despite doing the final section twice after getting the requirements for the true ending. The map is mostly perfect, found it really easy to go around within it and had almost no complaints, until the fourth floor where half the section is blocked off by a one-way and the only way to make it back is through the elevator again which sucks a bit. The blaster has had no complaints from me, being able to charge is already super Metroid-like but when it arrives at the blast ability is when it starts being something new. The other abilities are also super unique, all being exceedingly useful and really helps me differ this game from others. The enemies have variety, with placement and the enemies themselves. Each floor has a different roster of enemies, though you'd start seeing some at certain places when they shouldn't be but I do not mind it in the slightest. The bosses are amazing, each having a certain pattern to follow and I have definitely loved fighting each and every one of them. One of the bosses is a big underwhelming in my opinion, but it was still fun in itself and I believe it's underwhelming because of the way I fought it. The logs are really fun to go through, it explains the story in itself and the lore and what-not and it tends to be really funny at times. With how many logs there are I thought I would take ages trying to find them, but I found most except four naturally through casual playing. The filters are fine, to be completely honest. I found myself disliking playing with practically all of them except one, and there are a bunch of them that really hurts my eyes while kept on. I also found them naturally except like two, since they're almost just as hidden as the logs. Eventually through my playthrough, I figured to use the CRT filter and see how it is and I just stuck with it since it really did fit while playing this sort of game, but I also just found one filter I really liked and stuck to it as well. The extra power-ups, like the jetpack, were fun to have and I found them very useful but with their own flaws as well. The jetpack tends to rid me of the dodging skills that I got quickly used to, which is sort of a small price to pay until I just end up losing it during a boss fight. The drone is an idiot who likes constantly shooting at shielded enemies while I'm trying to wait for them to open up so I can shoot them with a charged shot! Both are still absolutely useful, but when I would lose them I wouldn't go searching for them again unless I see them while I'm on a track to somewhere else. This game has really blown me away with the level of quality that it has, and to say it was impressive and had a soul isn't enough justice. I strongly recommend this game, especially if you've played Metroid before!

Fun game, can be a bit maze like at times but not too confusing, very satisfying getting upgrades as you go along.

Overall a fun metroidvania blend of puzzles and shooting, with a confusing map and some frustrating moments.

Solid FPS MetroidVaina!

For $15 (or less on sale) recommended. Pretty cool mix of metroid style progression with non-vertical aim FPS. Bosses were challenging but fun. Other than a few annoying points getting pretty lost and a questionable map system (learned after beating it you could turn off the "map battery") enjoyed this one.

I feel bad for Exophobia, not because it's a buggy mess, or too hard, but because of how little love it has received. The Metroidvania fans have been blessed in 2024 with incredible games: Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, Gestalt Steam and Cinder, Biogun, Biomorph, Crypt Custodian, Nine Sols, Prince of Persia. SO MANY incredible Metroidvanias are releasing this year, and this one is right up there with them, but I can also understand a FPS game not being everyone's cup of tea.

Exophobia is a game that has inspiration to classic 'boomer shooter' titles like Wolfenstein and Doom, but has a Metroidvania twist to it and I will say like a game back in the 90s and 80s, it is a pretty vague game, but it's not a super large game as it only has four floors to travel between as you're stuck on a ship. The entire game you travel from floor to floor fighting aliens, gaining new powerups (mostly upgrading your gun, but some fun ones like a teleporter), and unlocking clues and collectibles to figure out what happened to the human crew on the ship. The story is pretty simple and easy to follow. Collectibles like book logs give you lore of the game if you so desire (they're optional).

The combat is like classic DOOM with the only horizontal movement with the gun and simple animations when enemies die. It's not that hard and if you do die you will lose all your progress with items found and get sent back to your last save. Which is fine, the game does have a lot of save points and you'll use them a lot as one of the most unique features with this game is the map disappearing and 'dying' if keep it open to long. You restore it by saving. It can be a frustrating mechanic, but makes you plan the game more accordingly.

Overall, Exophobia is a fantastic metroidvania. If you are a boomer shooter fan you will enjoy it, especially if you like metroidvanias. If you've only played more platformer esque metroidvanias you may struggle with this one a bit, but it's always good to broaden your gaming horizons. The combat isn't anything crazy, the bosses are pretty fun, the story isn't super long, and the collectibles are fun to get! If you beat the game and crave more their is a boss rush mode and endless mode.

Give it a shot!

Disclaimer: I'm only at 30% of completion at the time of this writing.

But the game is shaping up to be fantastic! I love everything so far, the graphics are great and easy to read even in the middle of a fight, the game is a joy to control (the slide is super satisfying) and it is pretty much a Metroid-like as an FPS.

You start the game all by yourself, in the middle of a huge building with multiple floors (with each their own atmosphere), and it's up to you to find your way out. Hostile aliens shoot at you, large alien soldiers are waiting for you in boss rooms, and you have no clue where to go: you just try to move forward. Grab a key, open a door, try to go to the left, stuck, go to the right, oh it's an elevator!
The difficulty feels absolutely right, not too easy, not too hard, and there's even a cool feature (that you can disable) with the map having a limited battery outside of save rooms: better make sure you quickly see where you need to go! But worry not, helpful signs can help you get back on the way to a safe place.

The game feels right on many, many points. I truly love it and can't wait to continue playing!

This game was great, gave me metroid vibes the whole time. It a super retro vibe going on the whole time and I really enjoyed the whole play through. The bosses were challenging the gameplay mechanics were great you can feel the love that went into this game and I am glad I waited over a year for it it was very much worth it.

Nice game, really enjoyed it!
Definitely recommend it for anyone who loves oldskool shooters.

- The Good -
1- Graphics style is very cute
2- The soundtrack and sounds are amazing
3- Gameplay is fluid and fast
4- Nice secrets to find
5- Boss battles were creative

- The Bad -
1- The map was a bit confusing, i also seemed to not being able to zoom in or out the map (outside of the save areas) making backtracking pretty frustrating at times

All in all great experience!

I can say for certain that this is a very well made game. I was looking forward to this game ever since it caught my eye (mainly due to the color scheme and the pixel graphics), and was excited to purchase it the day of release. I found the game play and movement incredibly smooth, and while I do think that there could be more in the variety of enemies or locations, or even puzzles, the content that is packaged in this game now was enough for me to dedicate 24 hours of my life too. Couple bug at first, but the developer was quick to respond, and I find that very admirable. Achievement wise, I think there are quite the challenges to complete, especially the one where you have to complete the game in under 2 hours, or without dying, and the no-hit Boss Rush. It be even more of a challenge if there were achievements for the higher difficulties, especially hell mode. Never really played other than normal, but even trying hell mode on boss rush is interesting cause it makes you think and plan differently, even if the attacks are faster. Overall, this game was definitely worth the money, and I think people should definitely give it a shot. I have a fancy for indie games, and I can say I'm glad to have this game in my library.

Finally, some fresh air!
Exophobia, while not being a masterpiece, is certainly a game to remember: a Wolfenstein-inspired MetroidVania FPS that just using the ''orinzontalilty' of the level design manages to give a new perspective on fights and gunplay!
Furthermore, music and design are on point, giving the game a solid look and feel.
So, a great choice if you are looking for a FPS-bridge between old and new, and definitely worth checking out even if you're not!