During yesterday's Future Game Show 2026, Archetype Entertainment provided the biggest EXODUS gameplay preview yet. The game is shaping up well, aside from a few performance issues, and will definitely have Mass Effect fans eager to check it out. The inspiration has been clear from the start, after all, with former BioWare developers founding Archetype and contributing heavily to the game.
Players will take on the role of Jun Aslan, a lowly salvager living on the outskirts of Lidon who was orphaned from a once-powerful family. Jun carries a unique and mysterious genetic trait that allows him to interact with ancient Celestial technology, and it may just be the key to saving his homeworld.
The central threat is the Rot, a Celestial virus driving humanity toward extinction that doesn't just decay but intelligently and adaptively rewrites Celestial programming, almost as if it is alive. Jun and his crew must travel across the Centauri Cluster, exploring ancient ruins and deadly planets in search of powerful alien Remnants that could provide a cure.
Players can customize Jun as male or female with multiple appearance options. At the beginning of EXODUS, players choose an initial alignment: either a virtuous Paladin or an ambitious Immortal. This choice fundamentally changes how the world responds to Jun, and also directly ties into progression; the alignment chosen determines which abilities can be upgraded and how powers evolve over time. Later in the video, it is shown that key choices will contribute to either alignment options, and is thus highly reminiscent of Mass Effect's classic Paragon and Renegade dichotomy.
As we already covered in previous articles, one of the most distinctive narrative mechanics in the game is time dilation. Traveling at near-lightspeed across vast distances means days for Jun and their companions translate to weeks or months back home. What players prioritize, which Remnants they bring back, and how long they take on missions all affect how the world and people left behind have changed when they return.
The gameplay preview introduces Persepolis, the primary hub city on Lidon, to which Jun will return after an expedition. It is described as a major city where humans and Awakened species coexist, with merchants, soldiers, and medics from both communities. Players use it to take on new missions, upgrade gear, and see how their choices have reshaped the world around them. By the way, the Awakened in the world of EXODUS are highly intelligent animals brought on ark ships, the product of bioengineering and cybernetics, who now speak, think, and live fully alongside humans in society. They are not just companions; they run vendor stalls, serve as mercenaries and medics, and are woven into every layer of the world.
The showcase introduced six companions:
- Phaedra Nath — a renowned xeno-archaeologist whose story is tangled with the Celestials; the relationship between her and Jun evolves and shapes both their futures
- Tom Vargas — an experienced Traveler, cautious and morally grounded, who helps teach Jun the ropes
- Elise Charroux — an impatient mech pilot who leans into brute force and loves to blow things up
- Salt — an Awakened octopus mercenary, deadly and intelligent, with a strictly contractual attitude to loyalty
- Houston — another Awakened companion and Jun's friend from the beginning of the story
- C.C. Orlev — a mysterious space cowboy voiced by Matthew McConaughey, described as enigmatic; seen giving Jun a Recycler upgrade during the showcase
We also learned a lot more about combat. The aforementioned Recycler is a versatile weapon that shifts between Repeater mode for steady mid-range fire, Shredder mode for close-quarters impact, and Piercer mode for long-range precision. Jun also eventually comes into possession of The Gauntlet, a powerful artifact passed down from Jun's father that upgrades as Jun salvages alien technology. Abilities shown include:
- Eruption — launches enemies and shapes livestone terrain
- Lance — piercing strikes that clear Rot-produced bramble
- Precognition — marks enemy locations
- Scramble Cloak — enables stealth attacks
- Sonic Lure — draws enemies into position
How players approach combat is entirely up to them, with stealth being a valid option, unlike in the Mass Effect games. Indeed, choices are a central pillar of EXODUS. The showcase showed a tense moment in which Jun must choose between Elise, who wants to vent the airlock to clear enemies in one shot, and Tom, who warns that innocent dock workers may be inside. These decisions ripple through the crew, the story, and the lives of people back home. Some will play out immediately, while others will take time to show their impact.
EXODUS is currently in the final stretch of development and set to launch on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store in early 2027, as previously announced by the studio.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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