Our EXODUS Hands-On Makes the Mass Effect Comparisons Unavoidable

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It's been seven years since former BioWare veteran James Ohlen founded Archetype Entertainment in Austin, Texas, later revealing the studio's debut game as EXODUS.Ohlen has since left Archetype for personal reasons, but the hype for EXODUS remains high, especially among Mass Effect fans. Not only is the inspiration crystal-clear, but Archetype also hired the acclaimed writer of the original trilogy, Drew Karpyshyn, to create the game's narrative. Besides, the whole studio worked hard on the setting, even going so far as to get Peter F. Hamilton to publish two novels and to prepare a tabletop RPG handbook and other related items for P&P fans.At last, I was able to go hands-on with the game itself at gamescom 2026, when Archetype Entertainment and publisher Wizards of the Coast (which owns the studio) provided access to an hour-long demo that we also got to capture.The mission we were sent on was NOT an Exodus; that is to say, the team did not have to travel light-years to reach a remote location, with all that entails, due to the game's Time Dilation mechanics.

Instead, it was a far shorter trip from Lidon to Khonsu, a space station that orbits around Lidon itself, the home planet of protagonist Jun Aslan. The occasion is that the bad guy, Jun's half-sibling Gideon, has seized control of the station and imprisoned the native Kay, a species of Awakened frogs, to do his bidding. Khonsu is also strategically vital, as its shield protects Lidon from meteors and other debris, making it a priority to resolve the situation.Suliman, the party's Raven contact and an active companion for the missions alongside Elise, has acquired authorization codes for one of the supply docks, allowing us to land quietly on Khonsu.

Still, the Ghosts, Khonsu's automated security constructs left behind by the Celestials, quickly attack the party, providing the first taste of combat. It's here that the Mass Effect comparisons become even more obvious: EXODUS is a third-person, cover-based shooter where the main character Jun also wields certain powers. In this case, it's a gauntlet of Celestials origins that can be equipped with different powers; at the beginning of the demo, it launches a spear-like projectile that deals serious damage to foes.That's when the demo handed me the first real choice. A wounded Zealot, torn up by Ghosts, begged for a medkit.

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Suliman objects immediately, arguing that we shouldn't spend resources on an enemy soldier, not even one health pack. The Zealot's story, however, moved me enough to acquiesce. He's from Lioness, he signed up as a kid out of what he thought was (misguided) patriotic duty and a decent career, and he had no idea he'd be sent to force a species he has nothing against into line. He blames the lieutenant, who saw the casualty reports and sent them in anyway. It didn't seem like leaving him to bleed out alone would be the right thing to do.

Whether there's any payoff to this choice later remains unclear, given the demo's limited scope.Shortly after, I met the first Awakened Kay, who was downright hilarious. Naming himself 42C, he's clearly an enthusiastic adolescent who listens to a lot of radio, and that's how he's already familiar with Jun's exploits. He can't tell the party where the Zealot leader is, but he volunteers to help anyway, largely because he wants to watch a fight, and follows the group along through the station's water tubes.The gauntlet (which also has its uses outside of combat, by the way, such as when you can trigger it to erect pillars that allow Jun to reach previously unaccessible areas) got a new combat power shortly afterward.

Jun, thanks to his unique Traveler DNA, is able to interact with Celestial relics and absorb their magic-like properties. Khonsu's Celestial Shrine empowers Jun with the ability to Petrify foes (and things, which can be useful during exploration as well).This turned out to be extremely handy in the subsequent boss fight with Sergeant Zoeller, one of the toughest minions left by Gideon to protect his stake on Khonsu. Zoeller is extremely resilient in his mech-like armor, but Petrify helps a great deal in the fight, especially if you can properly synergize it with the companions' abilities, such as Elise's Knockdown Missile.Indeed, there seems to be a great deal of tactical flair to be exploited with the companions.

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While Elise is entirely focused on firepower (her other active skill is Micro-Missile Barrage), Suliman is fantastic for a stealth-first approach with his Shadowstep skill, which teleports him right behind a target and can kill them outright if they don't have a lot of health.