Exodus preview shows Mass Effect-inspired
A 45-minute hands-on demo at Gamescom revealed Exodus as a spiritual successor to Mass Effect spiritual successor with third-person combat, livestone
Playing Mass Effect spiritual successor Exodus was the best kind of surprise
After 45 minutes hands-on time and a lengthy chat with the developer, the sci-fi RPG seems more promising than ever.
Exodus takes place around 40,000 years from now, focusing on protagonist Jun Aslan, an evolutionary bridge between humans and Celestials, who must save his home planet Lidon from a Celestial techno virus. The Gamescom demo begins with the party attempting to infiltrate the defence platform Khonsu orbiting Lidon in the year 42530.
The crew includes Jun, pilot and mechanic Kara Voss, Parliament of Ravens operative Suliman Tenjin, heavy hitting weapons expert Elise Charroux, and Awakened Octopus mercenary Salt. The Awakened are upgraded, highly advanced animals seeking their place in the world after being looked down on by humans.
Once the game switches to playable third-person mode, the action looks striking: mag boots allow navigation of the station's airlock exterior in micro-gravity, with deep space vistas, Lidon looming among stars, and vast ships spewing green lasers amid swirling asteroids.
Game director Chris King explained the set-up is inspired by Star Wars' Death Star infiltration but aims to surprise players with its own twists, starting with a station aesthetic that uses mineral-based livestone instead of shiny metal, featuring cavernous sweeping curves and hexagonal structural joints resembling Northern Ireland's Giant's Causeway.
Jun's ability to manipulate livestone allows summoning raise platforms from the ground, creating walkways over chasms, and using precognition to highlight weak walls or hidden rooms that may contain resources or weapon mods.
Dialogue-driven story beats include choices when conversing with the imprisoned 42C, a human expert Kay whose knowledge comes from scanning airwaves, leading to loud heavy metal in the background, and bartering with a camp robot worker likened to C-3PO.
King said showcasing this mission at Gamescom was due to it including "a bit of everything", fun combat, exploration with side areas, and choices that preview longer-term ramifications.
Combat centres on battling Khonsu's Ghosts, abandoned automated soldiers unaware the war has ended, each Celestial faction's ghosts having unique tactics and builds.
Exodus' cover-shooting core is familiar but builds outward with player agency: players can go guns-ablazing for satisfying weight and slickness, or use stealth and experimentation via skill-tree upgrades, a flexible weapon system, special abilities, and a companion system with real-time tactics vibe.
Jun's core weapon, the Recycler, switches between four modes: rapid-fire Repeater, semi-automatic Piercer, close-range Shredder, and Spectre, a silenced crossbow. He also has a cooldown-based Erupt move that sends shockwaves along the ground, launching enemies into the air.
After infiltrating a glyph shrine, Jun upgrades his gauntlet to gain Petrify, which temporarily encases enemies in livestone for unimpeded attack and stalls machinery for puzzle moments. His precognition also marks enemies and tracks them through walls or identifies weaknesses.
Companions have distinctive skillsets: Suliman is stealth-focused, with Vendetta allowing sneak attacks from behind; Elise raines down micro-missiles in various forms, including a "bombastic" Ultimate; Salt shrouds enemies in fog to limit vision.
All companions unlock Focus Fire early, requesting help with a specific enemy; if players oblige, their Ultimate meter fills faster, enabling synergies where companions set up attacks and others deliver cool finishing moves.
Players can have only two companions fighting at once but can freely switch them out at level waypoints, which also serve as check points for turning scrap into telepacks, grenades, or special combat abilities.
Companions have individual upgrade paths, letting players evolve them as they choose.
The demo ended with a clear impression of Exodus as a promising blend of familiar combat and innovative systems rooted in its lore and companion dynamics.
