As I assist free a speaking frog the scale of a small automobile – who additionally occurs to be an engineer – from imprisonment, I discover myself considering, “Exodus is quite a bit… weirder than I anticipated.”
Merely the style of this recreation had me excited – it is a true throwback to choice-based action-RPGs of the previous; full of morality techniques, crunchy, synergistic talents, mouthy companions and weighty fight. But it surely’s what I didn’t go in ready to play that leaves me most intrigued – there’s a severe, galactic-scale, hard-sci storyline right here, nevertheless it’s prepared to go full ’70s cosmic freakout amid all that.
Exodus presents a universe with celestial powers, science-indistinguishable-from-magic places and, sure, extremely advanced, speaking animals. It was across the time that one in every of my companions was screaming “There’s nonetheless time to barter!” into the face of a charging war-bear (who we’d upset by killing her human buddy) that I noticed, regardless of drawing on a longtime style, fairly how completely different Exodus is aiming to be.
At gamescom 2026, I performed a mission set a number of hours into the sport – the sport’s hero, Jun units off on a rescue mission to save lots of an area station (manned by hyper-intelligent frogs) from an invading power, alongside two of the sport’s companions. Suliman is a reserved, barely spiky particular person, and Elise is a much more happy-go-lucky mercenary who tends to her fight duties in a combat-ready exosuit.
It’s an action-heavy slice of the sport, and what struck me first was the burden and optionality of fight. Jun’s major weapon is definitely many weapons in a single – the Recycler can shift kind into something from a burst-fire battle rifle to a shield-annihilating power weapon, with the frequent thread being that it feels good to fireplace. This style isn’t notably identified for its responsive gunplay, however the opening skirmishes – a decent combine of canopy capturing and flashy means use – had been sufficient to persuade me that this was something however an afterthought on this recreation.
However past that, Jun also can use crafted or scavenge objects like hovering, drone-like grenades, in addition to an array of Celestial powers that act like cooldown timer spells in fight – letting me ship eruptions of power underneath enemy ft from the opposite facet of the world, or petrify enemies for my companions to take care of.
And talking of these companions, Elise and Suliman additionally gave me a style of how your chosen group can essentially alter the way you select to play. Whereas your squad will combat autonomously, every comes with talents that may be simply accessed and unleashed mid-fight, in addition to “final”-like assaults that may shift the course of a battle.
Suliman errs in direction of stealth, with the power to section behind enemies and take them down with melee, or to take down a number of enemies in a single assault. Elise, however, is way extra noticeable, firing rocket salvos that may do huge space of impact harm.
It’s clear that these two companions have been chosen to supply a way of how one can tailor your squad to your wants. Whereas each had been helpful in any given scenario, I discovered myself reflexively reaching for Suliman’s talents earlier than a full-scale combat broke out, letting me skinny the ranks, and Elise throughout fights that had gotten out of hand, letting me retreat and take a breather. With the variety of companions we all know are going to be on this recreation, it’s clear that there’s as a lot a tactical cause to deliver somebody alongside as there may be the traditional “I wish to be their buddy!” factor so acquainted from the likes of Mass Impact.
One other shift from the anticipated is that this recreation’s tackle morality – different video games within the style had already moved away from “good or evil” into one thing may be higher termed as “individualist vs. egalitarian”, however Exodus goes even additional in direction of letting you outline the precise type of persona you need Jun to have. Traveler Oaths subdivide the normally binary selection – right here known as Paladin and Immortal – into much more honed takes in your character’s persona. Including much more complexity, your companions will react in a different way to completely different Oaths, which means you’ll have to go some approach to maintain them onside whereas ploughing your personal chosen path.
The whole lot from the above has clearly been chosen to deepen the action-adventure RPG style – fight is extra numerous and choice-oriented, companions are extra specialised, morality is extra wealthy and complicated. And surrounding all that is that sense that if we will take a near-FTL journey to save lots of a bunch of frogs, something might occur – it may be coming in a well-recognized bundle, however Exodus is promising one thing really new.
Exodus arrives for XBOX Sequence X|S and XBOX on PC on April 7, 2027. Play it on each console and PC at no extra value with XBOX Play Anyplace.
EXODUS
Wizards of the Coast
EXODUS is a cinematic single-player motion RPG set in a brand new, far-future sci-fi universe.
You might be Jun Aslan, a salvager preventing for the way forward for your homeworld. Discover historic ruins, blast your well beyond hostile Celestial enemies and rival human factions, and recuperate highly effective Remnants to reshape your civilization. Uncover your future and lead a crew of unforgettable companions as you seek for the important thing to humanity’s survival throughout probably the most harmful reaches of house.
Unravel an Epic, Cinematic Story
•Rise from a survivor of a Rot-infested world into somebody able to shaping the long run, as selections of advantage or ambition form the legacy you allow behind.
•As inheritor to the Aslan Dynasty, you need to put together the subsequent era of Vacationers to embark on Exodus to save lots of your world, understanding years might be misplaced earlier than you come.
Lead Your Crew, Construct Your Dynasty
•Assemble a crew of sharp-edged specialists — troopers, smugglers, mercs, students, and Woke up animals — whose expertise and chemistry form each combat and choice.
•Construct bonds along with your companions — combat beside them, fall for them, save them, or lose them.
Discover the Ruins of Forgotten Worlds
•Descend into the wrecks of historic civilizations, derelict alien ships, and forgotten tombs few have ever laid eyes on.
•Salvage highly effective weapons, misplaced know-how, and artifacts the universe was meant to overlook, and humanity was by no means meant to own.
Make Laborious Decisions with Actual Penalties
•Your choices will have an effect on your crew, your missions, the individuals who keep behind, and the destiny of your whole world.
•Due to Time Dilation, your actions will echo throughout generations as you journey throughout the distant frontiers of time and house.
Battle for Humanity’s Future
•Wield the Recycler—a particular weapon that, as soon as upgraded and modified, can morph into what you want, if you want it.
•Command the Gauntlet — a one-of-a-kind weapon and gear solely you possibly can wield, fusing scavenged alien tech into devastating new talents.
Survive a Hostile Galaxy
•Take down monstrous creatures, historic battle machines, rival salvagers, and the universe’s apex predators: the Celestials.
•Tear by encounters your means — weapons blazing, slipping by unseen, or generally speaking your well beyond the difficulty.
Play Inside a New, Sci-Fi Universe
•Embark on an journey 40,000 years from Earth, the place Time Dilation brings the true value of interstellar journey to life.
•Uncover a wealthy universe that has expanded right into a tabletop RPG, a novel duology by award-winning creator Peter F. Hamilton, and an episode of Amazon Prime’s Secret Stage sequence.