Of the many games that took the stage at The Game Awards in December, Archetype Entertainment’s Exodus was one of the ones that turned the most heads. Coming from team of former BioWare veterans, the narrative-driven sci-fi RPG certainly looked like an intriguing prospect in its debut trailer, and in the aftermath of its announcement, Archetype Entertainment has revealed several new details on the game through a series of Q&A videos. The videos reveal new details on Exodus’ setting, its choice and consequence mechanics, and more, summarized neatly on Twitter by @shinobi602.
Exodus is set tens of thousands of years in the future in the Omega Centauri cluster, which is described as an “ancient and unusual” galaxy that the developers say they picked for specific reasons. In Exodus, humanity has fled a dying Earth and is the underdog species in the hostile galaxy, where, as The Traveler, it is the player’s goal to help the species survive by stealing weaponry and technology from the Celestials, powerful beings and enemies of humanity.
Archetype Entertainment says it’s paying particular attention to the authenticity of the science behind the game, which includes working with award-winning sci-fi authors. In particular, Exodus’ story will revolve around time dilation- as The Traveler, players will travel all across the galaxy, but though these interstellar missions will span days for you, back home, decades will have passed.
This will also be how Exodus will bring choice and consequence mechanics into player. Archetype Entertainment says that’s something that it’s placing quite a bit of emphasis on, with the game featuring multiple different endings. The developer also says the game isn’t going to be a linear experience, and will allow players to explore however they want.
Other details revealed in the videos cover the protagonist, who’s confirmed to be voiced and fully customizable, while the developers also touch on the game’s cast of companion characters, who will supposedly be a vital part of the experience. Of course, as announced at The Game Awards, one of the characters will be voiced by Matthew McConaughey, and is described as a mentor-type character for the protagonist.
Archetype Entertainment also talks about the things it looked to as inspiration for Exodus, including RPGs that revolve around choice and consequence mechanics – in particular the games that members of the development team have worked on in the past, including the likes of Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age, and Knights of the Old Republic – as well as other gaming properties like Horizon, The Last of Us, and Tomb Raider. Outside of games, the studio also took cues from sci-fi properties like Dune and Interstellar.
Exodus is in development for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. There’s no word yet on when the game will launch.