Mass Effect 5 rival promises us choices that play out over decades

A new contender for the best RPG has entered the ring to challenge Mass Effect 5, and no, it isn’t Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

Having recently learnt that the new Mass Effect likely won’t be headed to consoles we expected, the fandom is feeling somewhat deflated.

This rival to BioWare’s long-awaited sequel may be able to bring your enthusiasm back to life.

Exodus not only promises to deliver those life changing choices synonymous with Mass Effect, but that these decisions will have repercussions that span “decades”.

How incredible does the Exodus prologue look?

It’s already an enticing setup, but wait, there’s more: the developers behind it, Archetype Entertainment, is formed of former BioWare devs. With such acclaimed creatives like James Ohlen and Drew Karpyshyn, known for their work on the likes of Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age Origins, steering the ship, Exodus is shaping up to be one heck of a game.

During a Q&A that took place on YouTube at the end of 2023, the devs answered a series of questions from eager fans, one of which was about potential Exodus endings.

According to Ohlen, the familiar format of multiple endings, like we’ve seen in ME, will be present in Exodus as well. They said, “Time dilation, and how it impacts the choices you make, is the core of the game.”

In spite of this Q&A, though, not much is known about the project, save its non-linear approach to space exploration and its impact on characters.

In an exclusive video of the prologue, we learn that the Unreal Engine 5 created title is “coming soon”. However, how soon that will actually be is left unknown.

Still, the possibilities of this new sci-fi adventure has would-be fans curious.

“This looks like everything BioWare forgot how to be. Can't wait!” remarked YouTube user @EuphoriaDeep.

Not all of us are so doubtful of what BioWare is still capable of. Nevertheless, it’s fantastic to see more complex stories being created by veterans of the industry.