Exodus is a good modernization of Mass Impact, with solely awkward dialogue letting it down

Tom is an professional in all issues Fortnite or the most recent RPG launch, however might be spending an excessive amount of time on the most recent EA FC recreation.

Revealed: September 11, 2026

Through the years, we have seen numerous RPGs hope to fill the Mass Impact-sized holes in our hearts. Nice third-person fight, partaking character-led storytelling, and an fascinating world to discover. From my hour hands-on with Exodus at Gamescom, it appears to have nailed all of these issues, cementing itself as one of the best factor I noticed on the present.

Exodus sees you play as Jun, both male or feminine, who’s a salvager tuned traveler. You and your staff of heroes head out to search out Remnants that’ll make it easier to save your private home world. Alongside the best way, you meet and assist Woke up, floating frog overlords that decision Omega Centauri dwelling.

Exodus feels nice. The third-person capturing is fast-paced and satisfying, however your beginning gun is just the bottom of your arsenal. You could have 4 at your disposal at anybody time, together with a shotgun, assault rifle, and sniper rifle, however you even have skills you need to use to show the tide of an encounter.

Your skills come from Jun’s gauntlet, and so they assist you to change your method to preventing immediately. Ranged assaults, quick bursts of elevated energy assaults, and extra might be custom-made onto the gauntlet, supplying you with extra than simply weapons in each battle.

You even have free use of your companions’ fight abilities, too. Each has a particular assault that you would be able to set off after quick cooldowns. Rocket barrage and the power to go invisible to assault from the shadows are simply a few these you’ll be able to set off, and so they’re extraordinarily helpful when common weapons merely aren’t doing the job.

And that occurs recurrently. I felt like my pals’ assaults had been a lot extra highly effective than mine, to the purpose that I used to be consistently spamming my controller’s shoulder buttons to verify whether or not I had one accessible to make use of. I do not know in the event that they’re overpowered, my weapons are underpowered, or whether or not it is all by design, but it surely’s not an excellent feeling if you’re alleged to be the chief of a gang, but are being carried by each battle by your colleagues’ superior abilities. When you cost a synergy skill and also you all be a part of collectively to assault without delay, you are extra highly effective than ever.

Whether or not they’re overpowered or not, the construction of the fight, the place you could use your allies’ skills to take out enemies in numerous methods relying on the scenario, is loads of enjoyable. You are saved in your toes, having to juggle agile motion and positioning, your personal weapons, and one of the best time to make use of the suite of gauntlet abilities at your disposal. It means Exodus does not fall into the acquainted pitfalls of grinding by room after room of comparable enemies, blasting away repetitively.

A well-designed bear boss battle on the finish of my demo put the character coordination to the take a look at. The cumbersome creature might slam down powerfully, assault from the other finish of the sector, and rush proper at me, so it was very important that I used every of my assaults, and my companions’, on the proper time to remain out of hazard as a lot as attainable. Each fight encounter was enjoyable due to how Exodus feels to play. It is greater than only a primary third-person shooter, and that is very important in maintaining an extended RPG fascinating over tens of hours. 

You need to use your skills to discover in fascinating methods, too. You could have a set of various choices, together with one which blasts blue spikes alongside the bottom in entrance of you. Whereas it is helpful in fight, it may also be used to destroy issues blocking your means. Since you’ve gotten so many alternative skills at your fingertips, the puzzle of understanding which one to make use of when is genuinely enjoyable.

Between the fight encounters, the conversations you’ve gotten appear to have real weight to them. The frogs, or Woke up, are enjoyable to work together with, and the dialogue selections assist you to mess with the characters. You may frustrate them, persuade them, and manipulate them. There is a playful side to Exodus, which is loads of enjoyable. The world feels lived in and assured in its type.

It’s got loads of persona, and I am excited to see how that interprets into the overarching story. Video games like this have to put the central characters on the recreation’s forefront, making every little thing you do about them and the way they really feel, and my hour with Exodus did not make it clear how deep that vein runs.

The one stumbling block got here at any time when Jun or my companions spoke. The dialogue is recurrently awkward and tacky. Contemplating Omega Centauri is a world that feels plausible, the characters typically really feel pretend and caricatured. The construction of dialog being enjoyable and bold is nice, but when what the characters are literally saying is off-putting, it dampens the storytelling considerably.

My hands-on time with Exodus nonetheless did lots to excite me. It feels nice to play, the world is genuine, and the narrative appears to be one thing you’ll be able to really mess around with. If Wizards of the Coast can type out the dialogue, we’re in for a Mass Impact-style RPG deal with.