The latest reveal from The Game Awards this evening is looking a whole lot more than alright, alright, alright, if you ask me.
Last week, I was invited to be part of a preview event for Exodus, a new sci-fi IP from Archetype Entertainment, and the game is both looking and sounding like it could be what sci-fi RPG gamers have been looking for. And it's not just because the cast includes Matthew McConaughey in his first video game role.
The group presentation event featured Archetype vice president and general manager Chad Robertson, game director Chris King, and narrative director Drew Karpyshyn in a presentation and discussion about the single-player, third-person action-adventure that just debuted a new trailer during The Game Awards.
Archetype's workforce is comprised of many former BioWare devs, including Karpyshyn, who was the lead writer of the first two Mass Effect games (and its book series), along with a senior writer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. King, meanwhile, served as lead gameplay designer for games like Anthem and Mass Effect Andromeda, while also working previously at 343 Industries as lead sandbox designer for Halo 5.
And judging by what I was shown and told, Archetype and its roster of experienced developers is on course for its goal of making this franchise a "science fiction RPG that stands the test of time with players."
Running out of time
The custom player character in Exodus is named Jun Aslan (they can be male or female), and they are a lowly scavenger who is then chosen as the "Traveler" thanks to their "hidden lineage" and must lead a crew and embark on missions to recover Celestial Remnants that could be key to humanity's survival in the 23rd century.
Jun's homeworld of Lidon is dealing with "a very powerful technological virus" called the Rot, which is destroying technology that the character's people need to survive, and thus the journey begins as they must find a way to save everyone and everything.
Exodus features "quirky and fun" sidekicks and companions, like an octopus in a mech suit named Salt (seen below) and others with unique abilities to help out in combat. True to the RPG genre, the game also offers choices that will "influence how factions, companions, and society at-large perceive you over time."
And "time" is where Exodus differs (aside from McConaughey, who plays Jun's "mentor and voice of wisdom" C.C. Orlev) from other RPGs like it. Exodus features a narrative system where your choices make an impact "across generations" as you travel through lightspeed, and you can eventually see the effects of your actions years later thanks to time dilation.
"When you leave the world, a few days will pass for you, but years will pass for everyone back home," Karpyshyn teased. And so, similarly to McConaughey's movie Interstellar, every time Jun leaves Lidon and goes on missions, time dilates and returning home will reflect myriad changes over that passage of time while you're away.
"Early on, we decided on this notion of Indiana Jones meets Interstellar," King said of the game's core concept. "And it was this notion of, 'I'm gonna explore space and recover this ancient celestial tech which we call Remnants and I sort of choose what to do with the technology,' and that's sort of what impacts how the world changes."
Since time passes so differently while you're gone, the devs said the characters you meet and the world you shape will change differently for every player depending on the decisions made, and it's something that Archetype is quite excited about.
A worthy fight
The Game Awards trailer teased some of Exodus's third-person combat, including unique skills that Jun can wield to do things like create cover or traverse and explore areas. Karpyshyn highlighted the "classic hero story" of the lead who begins as a basic nobody and ends up having to save humanity, so it's all about that progression and choosing how to build your character and team as the story unfolds.
"We tried to give players tons of agency in everything they do," King said. "Our goal is almost to make players sort of feel like co-authors of the experience. We don't want them to feel like they're passengers along for the ride."
Gameplay-wise, King said Archetype is embracing a "play your way philosophy," where all combat encounters support stealth or run-and-gun, supported by RPG systems and companion abilities where you can customize and build synergies depending on how you want to play.
"We try to sort of treat the philosophy as your team is actually your loadouts, not just what you have on hand, but it's who you bring to battle with you," King said, highlighting that your weaponry is just the beginning when it comes to crafting the gameplay experience, as customizing and upgrading companion abilities will be crucial.
Jun's weapon, the Recycler, is what King referred as "a Swiss army knife of guns," and "a major upgrade component" while progressing through the game. You can acquire new blueprints that can change how the weapon transforms, including six base fire modes that can be collected and then individually modified to help customize the experience further.
While we weren't shown any gameplay footage specifically, King hyped up the game's boss fights by saying the team uses the "Nintendo philosophy" for battles with "multiple phases" where you're taught the ropes of the mechanics and the final phase of the fight feels like a "final exam" of player mastery with your skill set to help win the battle.
Cause and Effect
The Mass Effect influence on Exodus cannot be denied, as BioWare's DNA can be felt throughout in just about every facet of the space-faring, open-world RPG, judging by what we were shown, how they explained the game, and the people who are working on it. Studio VP and GM Chad Robertson spent about 10 years at BioWare and is acutely aware of its inspirations on Exodus, but is confident the new IP will be able to stand on its own as well.
"We would be honored to be compared to a game like Mass Effect," Robertson said. "It's certainly one of the hallmarks of space opera science fiction trilogies. With Exodus, if we can achieve that ourselves, we'd be thrilled to be in that space, and certainly that's our goal: to be a standout science fiction RPG that fans love for many decades to come."
But it's not all BioWare, Robertson said, highlighting that "it's much more than just" the Mass Effect studio that has devs working at Archetype. He mentioned "some other marquee studios in the industry that I think have helped shape Exodus into its own form and its own game that we hope stands out even above and beyond some things that you'd experience in a traditional BioWare game."
Karpyshyn made sure to mention "the depth of the universe we've created" when compared to Mass Effect, finding them similar in scope. And to me, that sure means something from someone who helped create some legendary characters like Saren, Garrus Vakarian, Liara T'Soni, and more.
And so outside of battles and saving the universe, there's plenty of heat to look forward to there, too. Outside of Salt, King couldn't give much away but mentioned some more "super diverse" companions from across the universe that you can add to your team. And time dilation will affect these characters, too, with King saying the characters you meet may be vastly different than who they become in the end.
But what's a good sci-fi RPG if you can't wine and dine these comrades? Karpyshyn teased several romance options when it comes to companions in your squad, even saying that you'll be allowed to "play the field a little bit," and "you do have to work for it a little bit, but they can be pretty thirsty." Time dilation is felt here, too, as characters who aren't with you on your journey will age differently as you're gone, and changes like this could have an adverse effect on your relationships.
I know what you're thinking, and so was Karpyshyn, who felt compelled to confirm (without being asked) that the octopus is not available as one of your potential romantic suitors. Damn.
As a big Mass Effect and RPG fan, it's hard not to be excited for this game after hearing and seeing more about it, and I'm now greatly looking forward to its launch. My next course of action while waiting for the game to come out is to read the 928-page book Exodus: The Archimedes Engine by David Hamilton, which is setting the stage for the world Archetype is looking to build out. A second book is on the way next year, too.
Exodus is currently scheduled for release in early 2027 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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