Archetype Entertainment's upcoming space-faring action RPG, Exodus, is set to launch on April 7, 2027, for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game draws heavily from the legacy of BioWare's Mass Effect series, a comparison that is natural given that members of the Archetype team were involved in the development of the original Mass Effect trilogy. This lineage is evident in the game's DNA, from its cover-based combat and party member commands to its morality system and spaceship exploration.
However, Exodus is not merely a successor but aims to establish its own identity within the genre. A core tenet of its development is a narrative rooted in relativistic physics, specifically the absence of faster-than-light travel. This constraint leads to the implementation of "Exodus missions," where characters experience significant time dilation. These missions are presented as major life events and narrative choices, forcing players to prepare for extended absences measured in potentially years or decades from the perspective of those left behind.
The game is set 40,000 years in the future, with humanity having departed a decaying Earth for the Centauri Cluster. Due to time dilation, ark ships arrive at different times, leading to the evolution of first-wave arrivals into the genetically altered Celestial humans. This process has also been applied to Earth animals, creating sentient beings known as the Awakened, which includes a companion character who is an octopus with complex emotions.
This lore has been explored in various media, including tabletop games and novels by authors like Peter F. Hamilton and Adrian Tchaikovsky. In Exodus, the lack of faster-than-light communication means information between star systems can take years to travel, a deliberate design choice to foster a sense of mystery and separation within the universe.
Despite the deep lore, moment-to-moment gameplay in a two-hour preview felt familiar yet polished. Players control Jun Aslan, a Traveler tasked with navigating deep space. The core gameplay loop involves third-person shooting, with Jun accompanied by two party members who can be given orders via a time-pausing ability wheel. Combat utilizes a variety of weapons, including rifles, shotguns, a sniper rifle, and a grenade launcher, with an on-the-fly crafting system for ammunition. Players can also modify weapons and enhance Jun's own powers through extensive skill trees. Jun possesses abilities derived from his Uranic human status, allowing him to manipulate "livestone," a neural silicate building material. These powers, such as Erupt for destroying livestone walls or Lance for targeting weak spots, also aid in environmental traversal and puzzle-solving.
Companions like Elise, who wields rockets, and Suliman, who can cloak for stealth attacks, offer tactical support. The demo featured a section where combat occurred in the vacuum of space, with the game employing orchestral soundscapes to compensate for the lack of sound propagation. Environmental puzzles and branching pathways were present, leading to discoveries of loot, skill points, and characters to rescue.
Narrative choices are presented with moral implications, as seen in an encounter with a robot where the player could pay for a key, boosting a Paladin (blue) morality score, or take it by force, increasing an Immortal (red) score. Companion affinity is affected by these decisions, and while romance options exist, not all companions are available for romantic pursuits.
The preview culminated in a boss fight against an Awakened bear, requiring the full utilization of Jun's weapon and ability arsenal. While the similarities to Mass Effect are undeniable, Archetype Entertainment aims to differentiate Exodus through its unique narrative underpinnings and the implications of time dilation on its universe and characters. As the future of the Mass Effect franchise remains uncertain, Exodus presents itself as a compelling spiritual successor, seeking its own place among beloved science fiction games. The development team expressed their pride in the Mass Effect legacy while emphasizing their goal to create a distinct and enduring experience.
