“Exodus” could be the game that wins back all disappointed Mass Effect fans. However, the story will become even more dramatic.
Last night, the Game Awards took place. There, many already released games were awarded, and a lot of games were newly announced. One of them probably brought a spark of excitement to the eyes of almost all Mass Effect fans.
We are talking about Exodus, which is referred to everywhere as a mix of “Mass Effect” and “Interstellar”. A single-player RPG with a lot of sci-fi and a very dramatic gameplay mechanic.
Who is behind the game? The developer is Archetype Entertainment – not much has been heard from them so far, but that’s okay. The studio consists of many veterans and includes former employees from BioWare, Naughty Dog, Sony Santa Monica, Bethesda, and 343 Industries. So, a lot of talent is coming together here.
What is Exodus about? The trailer already gives a good first impression of the game – but let me summarize it anyway.
Humanity has reached the age of space travel and has likely also entered into conflict with an alien species. The so-called “Celestials” are considered the greatest threat to humanity. A highly developed race that apparently has little joy in humans and wants to stop them.
In contrast, there are the “Travelers” who travel through the galaxy to find new planets and technologies for humanity. However, these Travelers are not just heroes; they make great sacrifices every time they embark on a journey. Because they use special portals that accelerate their ships to the speed of light.
And this is where the parallel to the film “Interstellar” comes into play. Because, during travel at the speed of light, the perception of time changes. While only a few days pass on the spaceship, time in the rest of the universe ticks by much faster – after such a journey, years or decades may have passed. People you have come to know and love have aged or have long since died.
Thus, the story of the game will likely span several centuries or even millennia – you are on a mission for humanity and sacrifice many other aspects of being human for it.
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If you want more background information, you should take a look at the official website of the game – there are already some little videos for story lovers.
A second trailer, with more story, is here for you:
What does the gameplay look like? Although the cinematic trailer currently only shows very few gameplay scenes in a very early state, it seems to be very action-oriented and reminiscent of a “cover shooter”.
To what extent there are role-playing aspects, with skills and supernatural abilities that may be explained with technology, remains to be seen until more details are revealed.
The thought that there are some people behind the game who also worked on Mass Effect is anyway popping up while watching the trailer. The way weapons are attached to the armor, the cover combat, and even the running animations are likely to raise a slightly amused eyebrow with many, along the lines of “I have seen that before”.
Also, the jumps through large “portals” that accelerate to the speed of light strongly remind one of Mass Effect – after all, the “Mass Effect portals” were precisely the same thing, just without the time component.
Cortyn says: Of all the trailers from the Game Awards, it was Exodus that impressed me the most and evoked a nearly childlike excitement in me – even though we still know far too little. However, if the developers manage to connect interesting and lovable characters with engaging gameplay and a story that already sounds heartbreaking, then Exodus could be one of the most important games of the coming years.
Whether Exodus can deliver all that the trailer already promises, we will surely find out in the coming months as the release approaches. But at least for the moment, I am cautiously optimistic and looking forward to an exciting sci-fi story that hopefully can fill the void that Mass Effect 3 left behind for so many of us.
What is your first impression of Exodus?
