As you’d count on from an area opera RPG that shares many similarties with Mass Impact, the upcoming Exodus from developer Archetype Leisure has character relationships which you can construct by way of dialogue decisions, interactions, and choices they make. This contains romance choices; when you can select to play as a male or feminine model of the lead character Jun Aslan, all character romance choices can be accessible to you.
I spoke with Exodus narrative director (and former BioWare narrative lead) Drew Karpyshyn and requested him about how romance choices work on this new recreation. “To start with, the participant drives the romances and they don’t seem to be gender-locked,” he instructed me.
Karpyshyn continued explaining the depth of the system and how one can have a number of companions, saying, “There isn’t any scenario the place a personality goes to romance you in the event you did not take the initiative. We wish to put you in conditions the place you possibly can doubtlessly attempt to romance multiple character. Typically it’s going to go nicely, typically it will not relying on the character and relying on the alternatives you make. Like actual life, it is sophisticated, proper? We wish it to be sophisticated.”
It appears you will not be capable of have everybody you need, nonetheless, and Exodus is claimed to pose robust choices in each story moments and relationship dynamics. “We wish to put you in positions the place you possibly can’t make all people comfortable. You are going to have to decide on. Who do you facet with, figuring out that you’ll achieve or lose affinity with one in all these companions?” Karpyshyn stated, earlier than explaining that the alternatives you make all through a playthrough will impact how characters understand you. And somewhat than romance being a mechanical sort of gameplay system, he talked about, “We’re leaning extra towards the romances being a kind of role-playing relationship factor versus being tied on to gameplay.”
With regard to any variations between the male and feminine variations of Jun, Karpyshyn stated, “We actually need gamers to really feel like their alternative of whether or not to play male or feminine is the selection that makes them comfortable… we’re telling a narrative that works regardless, so there’s not plenty of variations in how characters react to you.”
The following logical query you’d most likely ask is: what about intercourse scenes? Properly, Exodus has them, too. “I believe we’re a bit nearer to the reserved facet, however actually it is clear what’s occurring, however tasteful is an effective option to describe it,” recreation director Chris King defined in a separate dialog with us at gamescom 2026.
With queer romance being a serious function in video games comparable to Baldur’s Gate 3 and even the older Mass Impact video games, Exodus appears to be following swimsuit. And we’ll see the way it performs out when Exodus launches on April 7, 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X|S, and PC. Make sure to try my hands-on impressions of Exodus and learn my full interview with Drew Karpyshyn the place we talk about how decisions, penalties, and the morality system work.
Michael Higham is an editor at IGN who usually contributes with evaluations, previews, options, and information in written and video type. He is normally entrusted with overlaying lengthy RPGs and tech merchandise, however he is obtained vary relating to video games. You may additionally catch him at occasions and internet hosting video content material, together with IGN’s weekly podcast Unlocked.