(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
Robyn Lively drops a shocking revelation on ‘Teen Witch’s’ timeless appeal
Robyn Lively drops a shocking revelation on ‘Teen Witch’s’ timeless appeal Robyn Lively, a renowned actress, recently got candid and opened up about the film 1989 Teen Witch, especially its reboot. On Tuesday, November 12, Lively was giving an interview to Entertainment Tonight at…
Britney Spears’ Ex-Husband Releases Statement Over Son “Spending A Lot Of Time” With Her
Britney Spears’ recent reunion with her son Jayden James Federline sparked a comment from her former husband Kevin Federline. The pop diva has been rebuilding her bond with the younger of her two sons, Jayden, 18, and Sean Preston Federline, 19. According to reports, Jayden returned…
The Iconic Scene That Saved Al Pacino From Being Fired From The Godfather
“The Godfather” is one of the greatest movies ever made, and the story about the making of the film has become the stuff of legend. The behind-the-scenes shenanigans that went into Francis Ford Coppola’s American masterpiece have become so…
“I should have noticed the red flags from the beginning”: Blue Bloods Alum Jennifer Esposito’s Diabolical Marriage Lasted Just a Whopping 4 Months
A little-known fact about Blue Bloods star Jennifer Esposito is that she was once married to Bradley Cooper. Their marriage was famously brief, and as Esposito later revealed in her book, there was good reason for the quick split. Jennifer Esposito on…
Netflix’s 6-Episode Western Drama Is Being Called The Australian Yellowstone
The romanticized notion of the cowboy, of ranchers who live by their own rules and represent the very idea of freedom, is something shared between Americans and Australians. Around the middle of the 19th century, both countries had an…
‘The Night Agent’ Season 2 Finally Gets a Release Date at Netflix
The Night Agent viewers are ready to answer the call. The action-thriller from Sony Pictures TV and Shawn Ryan became a breakout hit for Netflix when it released in March 2023. Now, fans of the Gabriel Basso-led spy series are finally finding out when the show will return. Season two…
End of content
No more pages to load