Former BioWare Developers Unveil 40-Minute Gameplay Footage of Exodus, Clearly a Mass Effect Spiritual Successor
It looks like the team at Archetype Entertainment has either impeccable timing or they’re seizing the moment following BioWare’s decline. Recently, this studio, formed by former BioWare developers, unveiled a 40-minute gameplay video for *Exodus*, a third-person sci-fi action shooter, and it’s impressive. If you’re still reeling from the news that *Mass Effect 5* has been sidelined due to corporate issues, this is definitely worth your attention.
In *Exodus*, you step into the shoes of Jun Aslan, the heir to a Traveller dynasty—leaders who guided humanity across the galaxy in search of new homes after Earth faced ecological disaster. The gameplay video showcases a mission where Jun and his crew aim to rescue the caretakers of an orbital platform, a sentient frog species called the Kay, from a malevolent human faction. The universe of *Exodus* is also populated by large sentient creatures known as the Awakened, who coexist with humans. One of the game’s companions is an octopus piloting a mech, giving off strong vibes of “You all wanted a Hanar companion in *Mass Effect*, so here you go.”
The 40 minutes of gameplay are packed with nods (both subtle and not-so-subtle) that evoke the spirit of *Mass Effect*. Right from the start, you’re greeted with a stunning space vista featuring a mass relay front and center. It’s the orbital platform you’re tasked with liberating, but honestly, it looks just like the structure that launched the Normandy into the depths of space—definitely not a subtle homage.
Other clear references in *Exodus* include the entire combat system, from enemy designs to health indicators, and even the companion interface. You can command your allies or switch Jun’s weapons using a combat wheel that feels familiar. Enemies display health bars using the same color coding as *Mass Effect*—red for health, yellow for armor, and blue for shields—while your team has unique abilities to counter these defenses. Is this just the evolution of game UI to its most user-friendly form? Absolutely. Does it feel like wrapping yourself in a cozy, familiar blanket? You bet.
And of course, no *Mass Effect*-inspired game would be complete without those little UI prompts indicating how your crew feels about your actions. Throughout the mission, Jun can make choices that affect his team’s morale. The demo even shows both sides of a dialogue option, one of which ends with a rather brutal bullet to an enemy’s head. By the end of the gameplay, Jun faces a much weightier decision that will impact an entire species. One choice will please your companion Suliman and his allies, while the other won’t. Since you need Suliman’s assistance to gather parts for your ship upgrades, keeping him happy is the way to go. But just like in *Mass Effect*, regardless of your choice, some elements of the outcome will remain unchanged.
Whether intentional or not, it’s great that Archetype Entertainment chose to share this now. Instead of spending resources on advertisements or organizing petitions, it’s far more productive to support the new projects from ex-BioWare developers. The magic we loved in those games was crafted by people, and while the studio may be gone, those talented individuals are still out there creating experiences reminiscent of what we cherished in the past.
