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Of all the things I expected from a 40-minute Exodus gameplay demo, a frog blasting heavy metal at full volume wasn’t one of them. Yet here we are. Archetype Entertainment’s Mass Effect-inspired RPG has shown off an extended look at a mission called “Liberating the Kay”, and while there’s plenty to talk about, the amphibian stole the show.
The mission takes place several hours into the game. Khonsu, an orbital space station that’s protected Jun’s homeworld for generations, is under siege, and the Kay, a species of Awakened frogs who live there, need help.
To get it, Jun goes to Suliman Tenjin, leader of the powerful Tenjin Dynasty. As is usually the way with powerful people in RPGs, his help comes with strings attached: a favour that leads straight into a fight against the forces of Jun’s half-brother, Gideon Aslan, for control of the station.
The most impressive part is how much the mission branches. It’s a single quest, but it can play out in several different ways depending on your choices, and you ultimately decide the fate of the Kay. Those choices also feed into Jun’s path towards becoming a Traveler, Paladin (virtue) or Immortal (ambition). If Archetype can keep this up across the whole game, choice and consequence fans will be in their element.
The dialogue helps a lot. Conversations feel natural, which obviously matters in a game where so much depends on what you say and to whom.
Combat, skills and crafting
I was surprised by the look of combat, which at least in this demo, looks punchy and varied. The demo includes zero-gravity encounters aboard Khonsu, squad-based firefights alongside companions including Suliman and Elise, and a boss fight against Sergeant Lusinchi. Jun’s Gauntlet abilities are used both in combat and for getting around the environment.
We also get a look at the skills menu. It includes the Erupt ability, which strips enemy shields, and constellation-style skill trees with branches such as Prodigy, Knight and Oracle. There’s crafting too, letting you make weapons and ammo.
Not quite there yet
It’s not all smooth sailing. The framerate doesn’t look great at the moment, so performance clearly has some way to go before launch.
I’m also still not sold on the character designs. Faces look deliberately stylised rather than realistic, and the result is a bit odd. It may grow on me, but for now it’s not quite my cup of tea.
Exodus launches on 7 April 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam.
