Mass Effect was one of my favourite titles when it first launched all the way back in 2007. It offered a unique, exciting vision of the future, and its gameplay mixed the action of games like Gears of War with the dialogue you could only find in BioWare games. I mean, it was made by BioWare, so that makes sense. I did not think I would find another game that hit in quite the same way, at least until I sat down with EXODUS at gamescom 2026.
Published by Wizards of the Coast (yes, the Magic: The Gathering people), EXODUS is a third-person action RPG that hits all the right notes and looks stunning. After around an hour with the game, I have a lot to say about the title.
The gameplay session starts with a mission to Konsu, where we are tasked with freeing the Key from imprisonment and potential destruction. The game has us taking on the role of Jun Aslan, a scrappy rogue who finds himself with the power of the Traveller and is now working to save humanity. It starts with a mission briefing very much in line with what we have seen from Mass Effect and BioWare titles in the past.
I should note, however, that while many elements seem to come from the BioWare playbook, this game is being developed by Archetype Entertainment and headed by James Ohlen, a former BioWare developer who retired from the studio in 2018. There is some shared DNA here, and it shows in the best possible way.
When we finally finish the briefing and dive into the actual gameplay, I have to admit I was blown away by how tight everything felt. If you are a fan of older BioWare titles, you will feel right at home with this experience. Even though this is very much a game of its own, it does a lot of things right, making it easy and rewarding to slide into the experience. The banter between your team members feels fun and natural, with some of their quips being genuinely funny even when they are meant to provide context or fill the dead space as you walk between objectives.
The different characters were also unique and interesting, giving me an early sense during the demo that they all had their own motivations, allegiances and wants. As I made choices throughout the segment I played, I would consistently see little notifications showing that I had gained respect with one team member and lost it with another. It is something BioWare was known for, and it felt very natural while playing through this segment of EXODUS.
“I am a sucker for a good RPG that lets you make choices and have them resonate throughout the experience, and EXODUS is all about that feeling.”
Jumping back to the actual gameplay, EXODUS feels tight, controls very well, and gives you quick access to the many systems at play. Companion abilities are mapped to the left bumper, the weapon wheel to the right bumper, and firing and aiming to the right and left triggers, respectively. You also have access to your own abilities, and this is where things get really interesting. It showcases how EXODUS can take the formula found in games like Mass Effect and expand on it, delivering something that feels incredibly deep and rich.
You have different abilities that can make battles in EXODUS much more interesting. While you can just go in guns blazing and unload on your opponents, it is much more fun to mix things up and use all the tools at your disposal. During the session I played, there were several abilities available, but the ones I used during the demo were Petrify, Erupt, Lance and the ability to slow time. It seems like this is just the beginning, with the full release offering even more choices to shape your character the way you want.
What I found most interesting, though, was using my companions’ abilities. This is where you can cause some serious damage in combat. Each companion offers something very different. In my case, Suliman is a spymaster-type character, while Elise is a mech-wearing, tank-style character. By pulling up the menu, you can choose from a range of attacks, including Elise’s Knockdown Missile and Micro-Missile Barrage, or Suliman’s Vendetta and Shadow Step.
Let me tell you, these attacks saved me during some very difficult battles. They do, of course, have cooldowns, so you cannot just spam them. That is a good thing because they are so powerful that unrestricted use would take much of the challenge out of the experience.
But even with everything I enjoyed about how the game played, it was the choices and dialogue that really sold me on the experience. I am a sucker for a good RPG that lets you make choices and have them resonate throughout the experience, and EXODUS is all about that feeling.
During my time with the game, there were only a few sections where I had to make truly difficult choices, but let me tell you, I spent way longer deciding what to pick than I probably should have, especially during a timed demo. That was all part of the experience, though, and it helped me step into Jun’s shoes. That is part of why I play RPGs like this: to feel like I am part of that world. The full experience is supposed to feature much bigger consequences, and I cannot wait to see that in action.
Set to launch in 2027, EXODUS already has me hooked on its world, characters and mechanics. There is a lot to enjoy in how the game has been built, and even from the hour or so I played, I can already get a sense of how its different systems will work together. There are so many systems, characters and concepts I cannot wait to experience, and judging from the trailers showcased during ONL, this game is going to get weird, which is exactly what I want. Launching in April 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, we don’t have to wait long to dive in and see everything EXODUS has in store.
