Developer: Studio Bravarda
Publisher: PM Studios, Inc., Logoi Games
Platform: PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series X/S
Tested on: PS5
Extremely Powerful Capybaras – Review
Only a few days ago, our preview of The Spell Brigade went live, and we already have the next Survivors-like article lined up for you. This time, we trade in the wizard-themed Survivors-like gameplay for cute capybaras fighting off all sorts of ghouls and goblins. Extremely Powerful Capybaras was originally released back in 2023 on Steam, and it received rather mixed reviews from actual players. We were wondering if a console release could redeem the title, or if this is a cash grab port with minimal effort. While we still had some fun with Extremely Powerful Capybaras, we were a bit disappointed by the overall experience.
Story
There is no real story in Extremely Powerful Capybaras, but there is a small hub area with a few different characters. This does create a coherent theme, but other than that, no narrative truly unfolds as you play. You just pick a capybara class, and you can start playing. While most of these Survivors-like games come without a storyline, it’s a bit of a shame that this one didn’t have a fleshed-out plot. The setting perfectly lends itself to something cute that could be happening, but sadly, that’s not the case.
Graphics
Graphically, the game somewhat reminded us of Nordic Ashes, albeit more limited in scope and with capybaras in the lead. The Flash-like visuals have a lot of charm, but in the case of Extremely Powerful Capybaras, they are somewhat basic. There aren’t that many attack effects, and there are very limited graphical options to make sure the player keeps a good overview. When playing with more players locally, we noticed extreme frame drops and struggled to maintain an overview due to the numerous attack animations occurring simultaneously. It’s clear the game wasn’t optimized for console play, and this can also be said about the actual UI. The UI still works the same as on PC, meaning you’ll have to work with a cursor, rather than responsive controller options, to control menu functions. It’s clear that minimal effort was spent porting this title for console players.
Sound
All in all, Extremely Powerful Capybaras’ sound design was okay. You’ll be treated to a decent soundtrack, albeit one that’s not that memorable. The sound effects also provide decent audio feedback for attacks that are triggered and enemies that are hit. That’s pretty much it, as everything is very functional and just well-crafted, but it’s nothing special. We probably expected a slightly more upbeat soundtrack given the theme of the game.
Gameplay
Extremely Powerful Capybaras is a Survivors-like title that follows the same format as many other titles in the same genre. You basically pick a class and a level you want to play through, and you’re pretty much good to go. Your character will trigger its attacks automatically, and you’ll have to survive until the timer runs out. At the end, there’s a boss battle, and beating the boss will unlock the next stage and grant you additional rewards. Extremely Powerful Capybaras also allows cooperative play with up to three other players.
While still enjoyable to a certain degree, a lot of cracks start showing fairly early on. The game only has four levels to beat, which is already a bit disappointing, but you’ll spend a lot of your time replaying the first two stages over and over again to just gather enough coins to purchase micro-upgrades for your characters or skills. The rewards feel a bit low in comparison with the content on offer, so you’ll probably be burnt out rather quickly before even reaching the game’s ‘conclusion’.
Mechanics-wise, things are very similar to other games in the genre, but Extremely Powerful Capybaras does make use of a lot of attacks that trigger in the direction you’re walking/facing. This, for us, didn’t make that much sense or wasn’t even that enjoyable, as it made things even trickier to hit enemies. Twin-stick shooter mechanics would have been a better way to solve this here, as you would be able to maneuver yourself while still gunning down enemies. The dash in the game is also a bit underwhelming, as it has a fairly long cooldown, and enemies can still hit you while dashing. So, if you’re fully surrounded, you might be able to save yourself, but you will not be able to do so without taking any damage.
Conclusion
Extremely Powerful Capybaras has a few fun mechanics, and it’s still somewhat nice to play with friends, but ultimately, it was a fairly lazy port with the same flaws as the original PC release. There are quite a few odd gameplay design choices, there is hardly any content, you’ll have to grind a lot to notice any progress, and there are simply so many other better options out there. If you decide to take the plunge if you’re a genre aficionado, you’ll probably get some fun out of this one, but even then, we suggest waiting for a sale.
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