(Image credit: Archetype Entertainment)
Exodus didn’t really do much for me when it was announced at the 2023 Game Awards: Cinematics are a dime a dozen, and the little bit of gameplay in the second part of the reveal trailer looked like something out of a very conventional Mass Effect knockoff. “Kinda neat,” as compatriot Harvey Randall put it, “but nothing to write home about.”
My opinion on the matter started to turn earlier this month when developer Archetype Entertainment, headed up by former BioWare stalwart James Ohlen, released the Mara Yama reveal trailer. It’s also a cinematic, yes, but a genuinely good one, thanks in no small part to the ominous narration of Matthew McConaughey, who plays some as-yet unknown role in the game.
Two weeks later, Archetype and McConaughey appear to be in full infodump mode, dropping four new trailers over the past four days, each a sort of David Attenborough-esque examination of the creatures that inhabit the Exodus universe.
The Awakened Bear:
EXODUS Cinematic: ‘The Awakened Bear’ Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Watch On
The Arkavir:
EXODUS Cinematic: ‘The Arkavir’ Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Watch On
The Awakened Raven:
EXODUS Cinematic: ‘The Awakened Raven’ Reveal Trailer – YouTubeWatch On
The Koven:
EXODUS Cinematic: ‘The Koven’ Reveal Trailer – YouTube
Watch On
I think the back-and-forth between Awakened—animals genetically engineered to be stronger, smarter, or otherwise more useful—and the creations of the post-human Celestials is interesting. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but I feel like the juxtaposition is intentional: Is our subjugation of more primitive life forms really any different from the cruelties of the Celestials? Or is it simply that, even across many millennia of evolution, the essential callousness and selfishness of human nature will endure? No matter what we become, is this who we really are?
I don’t know—I really don’t know what’s going on here at all, except that McConaughey’s slow, gravelly narration may have lulled me into a state of meandering contemplation that inevitably ends with me spending 20 minutes looking at my hand. He has that effect on people.
More seriously, I suddenly find myself very curious about whatever it is that Exodus has cooking. The gameplay in that 2023 reveal trailer didn’t impress me much—if I want Mass Effect, I’ll play Mass Effect—but the setting looks genuinely interesting, and McConaughey is really selling it as a guy who has seen some shit.
Whether all of that will come together in a game that lives up to the hype I am now affording it will depend largely on how much time is spent crouching behind cover and figuring out the optimal dialog path to get into your shipmate’s bed, and the pessimist in me definitely has some concerns on that front. For now, though, I like what I see, and I’m eager to keep up with what happens next.
News
Nicole Kidman’s unusual marriage rule with husband Keith Urban is turning heads
Cover Image Source: Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at Palace Verona on December 20, 2023, in Sydney, New South Wales. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage) To enjoy a healthy relationship and create a loving married life, couples need to put in…
So Are Meryl Streep and Martin Short Dating, or What?
Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photos: Getty Images Age-gap couples may be all the rage onscreen, but the pair that really have people giggling and kicking their feet are Meryl Streep (75) and Martin Short (74). The septuagenarian actors, who…
Kate Hudson channels How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days character as Dodgers win World Series over Yankees
Kate Hudson delivered a call back to one of her most popular roles in a hilarious video she posted to coincide with game five of the World Series. The 45-year-old actress alluded to a scene featuring a stressed-out Matthew McConaughey in her clip, which…
Guess who? Controversial Hollywood actor makes rare appearance on Australian TV… and talks about his very famous son-in-law
He’s the Hollywood heartthrob who rose to fame in the 90s. The actor made his film debut in The Beast before scoring a role in Oscar-winning hit film The Usual Suspects. He has also starred in several television shows including The Young…
Justin Bieber hit with $380k bill for unpaid property taxes after ‘accusing money managers of squandering his fortune’
Justin Bieber has been hit with an overdue $380,000 tax bill amid rumors he’s considering taking legal action against his former money managers, The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal. TMZ alleged this week that Bieber is “upset” and feels his old financial team mismanaged…
Netflix Has Officially Found Its Reacher Replacement, And He’s The Total Opposite Of Alan Ritchson’s Character
A character from a Netflix action thriller series might be the perfect Reacher replacement even though he is the complete opposite of the Alan Ritchson character. Adapted from Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books, Amazon’s Reacher has gradually risen in the ranks to become one of…
End of content
No more pages to load