New Gameplay Footage of *Exodus* Released — Does It Finally Feel Like *Mass Effect* This Time?

It looks the part, but it still doesn’t quite hit hard enough.

The new gameplay footage of Exodus released by Archetype Entertainment finally puts the core elements on the table. It’s a sci-fi space opera RPG, and as foreign outlet PC Gamer also pointed out, the game has been compared to Mass Effect ever since its first reveal in 2024. The reason is simple: the vibe is just too similar.

In this demo, protagonist Jun’s combat approach is very clear. Advance through cover. Squad support. Damage output through multifunctional weapons. The developers themselves also emphasized that combat relies heavily on positioning and coordination with teammates’ abilities. I don’t mind this direction at all—third-person squad shooters should be about exactly these things. Otherwise, it just turns into static cover shooting, with long wind-up and low payoff.

But that’s also where the problem lies.

From the current gameplay footage, its action feedback and combat presentation can only be described as passable. Watchable. Not bad, either. But if you want to say it’s explosive or truly impressive, it’s still missing that final spark. The foreign media verdict was also pretty direct: the visuals and combat look decent enough, but compared with that earlier cinematic CG trailer voiced by Matthew McConaughey, the actual hands-on gameplay feels a bit flat and short on fresh ideas.

Now let’s talk about exploration.

This time, the protagonist has a piece of gear called the “Orbital Claw,” which is essentially a grappling-hook traversal tool. It can be used to jump between space towers and also enables vertical exploration. If the level design can keep up with it, the experience could move up a whole tier. Because the biggest fear for a sci-fi RPG is a map that’s reduced to nothing but errands—you do a lot of running around, but your brain is never really engaged. The demo also showed the ruins on the planet Khonsu, which will most likely include puzzles, along with new abilities and weapons. That’s the right approach. Exploration needs rewards; scenery alone isn’t enough.

Comparing it to Mass Effect is really a double-edged sword. The upside is that players immediately understand what kind of game you’re trying to make. The downside is that the standards become much harsher right away. It’s not enough to merely resemble it—you also need to land your own combos, so to speak. Otherwise, the final takeaway will just be: “This video really does look a lot like Mass Effect.” Looking similar is not the same as winning; if you lean too hard into it, that similarity can just as easily become a liability.

Also, release is still a long way off. Right now, the official window is early 2027, and the Steam wishlist page is already live. This summer, they’ll also release a longer gameplay demo showing a full mission. That version will be crucial, because it should make it pretty clear whether the game really has what it takes, or if it just has a trailer that punches above its weight.

One last point.

If you’re a longtime fan of sci-fi squad RPGs in the Mass Effect mold, this is worth adding to your wishlist for now and continuing to watch. No need to hype it up yet, and no need to write it off either. Its biggest problem right now isn’t that the direction is wrong, but that its level of polish and its identity still haven’t fully come through. Once that full mission demo drops this summer, we’ll be able to see whether the combat pacing, exploration density, and squad coordination really have substance.

My own verdict is simple: right now, it’s a solid mid-tier opening move. The form is right. The damage just isn’t maxed out yet.