Former BioWare Developers Release 40-Minute Exodus Gameplay Video, Confirming It as a Mass Effect Spiritual Successor

In Exodus, players take on the role of Jun Aslan, heir to a Traveller dynasty—leaders who shepherded humanity across the galaxy in search of new homes among the stars following the ecological collapse of Earth. The gameplay video showcases a mission in which Jun and his team work to free the caretakers of an orbital platform: a sentient species of frogs called the Kay, from a villainous human faction. Beyond aliens, the galaxies of Exodus are home to oversized sentient creatures known as the Awakened, who live and work alongside humans. Indeed, one of the game’s companions is an octopus piloting a mech, radiating unmistakable “you all wanted a Hanar companion in Mass Effect, so here you go” energy.

The 40 minutes of Exodus gameplay brim with similar small touches (and some truly large ones) seemingly designed to evoke Mass Effect. Within the opening moments of the video, players are treated to a stunning space vista in which a mass relay is thrust directly into their line of sight. That is the orbital platform they are meant to liberate, yet looking at that structure, one cannot help but recall the very same one that launched the Normandy into the farthest reaches of space. It is about as subtle as a brick to the face.

Other less-than-subtle references in Exodus extend to the game’s entire combat presentation—from the enemies and health bars, all the way down to the companion UI. Players can issue commands to their companions or swap Jun’s weapons through a familiar-looking combat wheel. Enemies display their health bars using Mass Effect‘s same color semiotics—red for health, yellow for armor, and blue for shields—and both the player and their team possess distinct abilities designed to counter the various kinds of protection. Is this an example of game UI evolving toward its most convenient and understandable form? Yes. Is watching it akin to wrapping yourself in the game UI equivalent of a weighted blanket? Also yes.

And of course, no Mass Effect-like would be complete without little UI pips letting you know when you’ve done something your crew has thoughts about. Throughout the mission, Jun can make decisions that influence the disposition of his team. The demo is also kind enough to show both sides of a dialogue choice, with one ending in a gnarly bullet to the head for a potential enemy. At the end of the gameplay video Jun is faced with a much more significant choice that’ll determine the fate of an entire species. One choice will make your companion Suliman and his benefactors happy, the other won’t. You need Suliman’s help to acquire parts to upgrade your ship so making him happy is ideal. But just like in Mass Effect, no matter which choice you pick, some aspects of the outcome remain the same.

Whether it was planned or not, it’s good that the devs at Archetype Entertainment shared this with us now. Rather than spending money on billboards or time organizing change.org petitions, I think it’s a better use of our energy to support the new things ex-BioWare devs are working on. The things we loved about those games were made by people, and while the studio is no more, those people are still out there making things very much like the things we loved in the past.