Highlights
- Archetype Entertainment's upcoming sci-fi RPG Exodus has a lot of talent behind it, including BioWare veteran James Ohlen and personnel from various AAA developers.
- Despite comparisons to games like Starfield, Exodus has its own unique universe and is more similar in story and aesthetics to Anthem and Destiny.
- Exodus sets itself apart with the concept of time dilation, allowing players to see the effects of their actions across years and decades, which is a concept not widely explored in gaming.
Archetype Entertainment announced the upcoming sci-fi RPG Exodus during the Game Awards on December 7. Despite being the studio's first game, Exodus nevertheless has a lot of talent behind it. Helmed by 22-year BioWare veteran James Ohlen, the studio includes personnel from various AAA developers. Meanwhile, the cinematic trailer may not have featured anything in the way of gameplay, but serves as a decent introduction to the game's world.
Given its status as an original sci-fi RPG, some might be tempted to draw comparisons to Bethesda's recently released Starfield. However, Ohlen has explicitly said that the studio is not interested in making a direct competitor to Starfield, and Exodus' universe doesn't give off the same vibes as Bethesda's game. Better comparisons might be BioWare's Anthem and Bungie's Destiny, at least based on what Archetype has shown so far.
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Exodus, Anthem, and Destiny Share Common Elements
It's usually not a good thing when someone compares a game to Anthem, though it's far too soon to make any speculation about Exodus development. Both games were multiplayer-focused, whereas Archetype Entertainment hasn't said anything about Exodus having multiplayer. However, all three games have a few big things in common, mainly regarding their story and visual aesthetics.
Exodus' reveal trailer shows two human explorers called Travelers searching for a lost alien artifact. It's unclear what precisely the glowing sphere does, but it helps turn the tables against the Celestials. While descended from previous waves of human colonists in Exodus' Centauri Cluster, each Celestial is functionally a separate species, collectively representing the greatest threat to humanity.
Thus, there are many surface-level similarities between Exodus, Anthem, and Destiny. Like in those games, Exodus sees humanity threatened by a diverse collection of hostile aliens, and its survival depends on power-armored warriors using ancient and functionally supernatural alien technology. The suits shown in the Exodus trailer are reminiscent of the different styles of Javelins in Anthem, and the designs of the Celestial ships wouldn't necessarily look out of place in either game.
Exodus Looks Like a Space Opera
However, the fundamental similarity comes from Exodus appearing to be a space opera, the same sub-genre of science-fiction as Star Wars, Mass Effect, and Destiny. Epic battles, high-risk space adventures, a high-stakes plot, and heavy use of emotional drama are all hallmarks of the space opera genre. Therefore, any two examples of the genre are likely to evoke similar feelings on the surface, even if they are quite different when examined more closely. Still, it means Destiny and Anthem fans may have a good reason to be interested in Exodus' worldbuilding.
Exodus Sets Itself Apart in at Least One Big Way
Its similarities to other examples of its genre do not mean that Exodus lacks interesting new ideas. The game revolves around time dilation, which is where objects experience time differently depending on the object's speed. The faster something moves, the slower time moves for it relative to the rest of the universe, though an object must move incredibly fast for the difference to be significant.
Players come from a group of human colonists who arrive in the Centauri Cluster after 30,000 years in space. While significantly less time has passed from their perspectives, the Centauri Cluster has seen numerous civilizations rise and fall over the millennia as the earlier waves of human colonists gradually evolved into the Celestials. The Exodus trailer also showcases its effect on people, with narrator Tom's partner living an entire life while he only experienced a few days at lightspeed.
The novels Rocannon's World (1966), Tau Zero (1970), and The Forever War (1975) are among the first science fiction stories to prominently feature the effects of time dilation as central to the narrative.
Time Dilation in an RPG
Exodus is far from the first sci-fi story to explore the effect of time dilation on an interstellar society, with Exodus possibly drawing inspiration from Interstellar. However, it's not a concept that has been as widely explored in the medium of gaming. According to Archetype Entertainment, Exodus' time dilation will let players see the effect of their actions across years and decades. Time will tell if the game pulls this off, but it certainly has the potential to set Exodus apart from similar space operas.
