Exodus

About Exodus

Exodus is a sci-fi RPG from Archetype Entertainment, released March 31, 2027, on PC, PS5, and Xbox. You play as the Traveler, exploring alien worlds to salvage tech while grappling with the time-dilation twist: your days translate to decades for loved ones on Earth. The game leans into narrative-driven choices, where decisions about resources, alliances, and technology ripple across generations. It’s a single-player story about legacy, sacrifice, and the cost of progress. Developed by a team known for bold mechanics, it prioritizes branching consequences over combat. Best for players who want a game where small actions matter over time.

Gameplay

You spend most sessions scanning alien ruins, managing a fragile ship, and trading with alien factions. The time-dilation mechanic is the star: you make choices in real-time (e.g., allocating energy to shields or weapons), but when you return to base, you see how decades have passed for characters you left behind. Combat is light, favoring stealth and dialogue, with a focus on crafting tools to bypass environmental hazards. A typical session blends exploration, resource farming, and moral dilemmas, like choosing between saving a dying colony or securing a rare mineral. The UI feels clean but occasionally clunky, especially during fast-travel. Progression is slow but deliberate, with tech upgrades tied to story beats.

What Players Think

Exodus holds a 4.3/5 average on PlayPile, with 78% completing the main story. Community moods skew curious and contemplative, with players split on the time-dilation mechanic, 34% call it “genius,” while 18% find it “frustratingly slow.” Average playtime is 28 hours, with 12% replaying to explore alternate endings. Critics praise its narrative depth (Metacritic 89), but some gripe about underdeveloped side quests. Achievement completion is 61% overall, with the hardest being “Preserve All Colonies” (2.3% completion). Players often cite the emotional weight of seeing loved ones age in cutscenes as a standout feature.

PlayPile's Take

Exodus is a slow-burn RPG for fans of branching narratives and long-term consequences. At $60 (standard price for the genre), it’s worth the cost if you enjoy games like Mass Effect or Disco Elysium. The time-dilation mechanic is divisive but adds unique stakes. With 24 achievements and a 6-hour true ending, it rewards patience. Skip if you want fast-paced combat or open-world exploration. For those who like to see how small choices shape a future you’ll never live to see, this is a must-play.

Storyline

In Exodus, humanity has been forced to abandon Earth and establish a new civilization in a hostile galaxy. Players are the Traveler, a person tasked with exploring far-off solar systems for advanced alien technology. What the Traveler counts in days, the rest of humanity experiences in decades. With this conceit, players' choices will cause butterfly effects to ripple across humanity's new planet, particularly in the lives of their own loved ones, and the Traveler will watch these play out over generations.