Highlights
- Exodus, a new sci-fi RPG game, might offer a unique experience that previous space-faring titles have failed to capture.
- While Exodus draws inspiration from the film Interstellar, it also introduces its own elements such as a focus on an ancient alien race known as Celestials.
- The game will feature morally taxing choices and time dilation as major game mechanics, similar to Interstellar, but will still create a unique standalone experience.
This year's The Game Awards gave fans of the industry a lot of projects to look forward to, and the announcement of Exodus was one of the most interesting of the bunch. As a deeply layered sci-fi RPG, many are already tipping the game to provide a truly unique experience that other space-faring titles have failed to capture in the past.
Exodus is being developed by Archetype Entertainment, which is made up of many past BioWare employees, leading many fans to wonder whether the upcoming game will act as a competitor to the Mass Effect franchise. This does not seem to be the case, thanks to the reveal trailer of the project, with Exodus clearly taking heavy inspiration from the best of other cosmic media such as the hit 2014 film Interstellar.
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Exodus Follows Many of the Same Beats as Interstellar
As a space-centric game, Exodus is always going to have some similarities to the likes of Interstellar, but the game has gone a step further in terms of taking inspiration from the Oscar-winning film. To begin, Exodus has worked in close collaboration with Matthew McConaughey, who is set to play a major role in the upcoming game. Of course, McConaughey was also the memorable lead in Interstellar, creating an immediate overlap between the two franchises.
Even the premise of the film and upcoming game are overtly similar, with humanity being forced into space exploration thanks to the decaying nature of Earth. With the main goal of finding a hospitable new home among the stars, the player will have to dictate the actions of a group of brave space pioneers across potential planets, making the core narratives of Exodus and Interstellar extremely similar.
What is currently known about Exodus' narrative is very similar to Interstellar's, but it could end up being wildly different once more information is revealed about the game.
Exodus is Borrowing the Most Memorable Elements of Interstellar
One of the major points of Exodus' The Game Awards appearance was its use of time dilation as a major game mechanic. This refers to the time-related hazards of space exploration, where minutes on a distant planet can equate to decades of time passing on Earth. Time dilation in Interstellar was one of its most poignant and chilling aspects.This plot device clearly hopes to hold the same emotive weight in Exodus. During the presentation, McConaughey cheekily remarked about his own past experience with time dilation, clearly alluding to the similarities between both projects.
Thanks to things like time dilation and the risks associated with exploring distant planets, the player will have to make some morally taxing choices for the greater good of the human race, with sacrifice being at the core of Exodus, much like Interstellar. While the upcoming game is unafraid to showcase the inspiration it has taken from the film, there are many elements of Exodus that set it apart from Interstellar.
For example, Exodus has a clear alien focus that Interstellar did not feature, with an ancient race of beings known as Celestials being at the heart of the game's narrative. The player will be able to scavenge and utilize powerful Celestial technology throughout Exodus, while also directly fighting the advanced species in riveting combat sequences. Interstellar, on the other hand, had a clearly human focus, so the presence of Celestials may be the most defining difference between both franchises. Exodus clearly has immense respect for the story and experience of Interstellar, and the project is rightfully unafraid to state its inspirations while still curating a unique standalone experience.
