Summary
The team at Archetype Entertainment just unveiled their first game,Exodus, a third-person sci-fi epic starring Matthew McConaughey. Founded in April 2019, Archetype Entertainment is spearheaded by many former BioWare icons, such as James Ohlen and Drew Karpyshyn, who now serve as the head of studio and lead writer onExodus, respectively. Responsible forBioWare’s golden era of gamessuch asBaldur’s Gate 2,Knights of the Old Republic,Neverwinter Nights,Mass Effect, andDragon Age: Origins, it’s pretty clear thatExodusis their attempt at rekindling some of that magic.
The cinematic trailer made its debut atThe Game Awards 2023, and while the footage is not indicative of in-game graphics, it was made by the famous Blur studio, which previously worked with BioWare to make the beloved cinematics forStar Wars: The Old Republic. While the trailer itself does not reveal much about the lore, it does set the tone for what kind of gameExodusis going to be. Though the parallel with theMass Effectuniverse is obvious,Exodusseems to also take some inspiration from Christopher Nolan’sInterstellaras well.
Matthew McConaughey Will Voice A Major Character in Exodus
Taking this into account, there is arguably no one better to headlineExodusthan the lead ofInterstellarhimself – Matthew McConaughey, who appeared on stage to announce that he would be voicing one of its characters. Pitched as a next-gen,story-driven role-playing gameset in the stars,Exodusaims to marry the cinematic storytelling and broad player agency familiar to BioWare fans, with modern AAA gameplay. The concept ofExodusthat makes it so interesting is its time dilation, as players will take on the role of the Traveler.
While not outright confirmed by the trailer, Exodus will allow players to witness the repercussions of their choices play out over the course of decades, if not lifetimes. Whereastraveling via the Relays inMass Effectfeatured no time dilation, the Gates inExodusvery much slow down time for the Traveler passing through. Using the Gates as a storytelling device,Exoduswill explore the butterfly effect of player decisions a step further thanMass Effectcould. As Travelers, players will get to explore the vast reaches of an unfamiliar galaxy while avoiding the hostile Celestials, who appear to be one of the primary antagonists of the setting.
No release date has been given for Exodus as yet, but theofficial website for the gamehas already launched. Exodus will featureBioWare-style companions, with Tom Vargus being the only one announced thus far, while the players are described as having Celestial heritage from their mother’s side, allowing them to interface with Celestial technology. Though Exodus has yet to unveil its gameplay, the setting certainly shows much promise.
