Archetype's Exodus: A Deep Dive for the True Futurism Fanatic.

For a specific breed of science-fiction devotee, the announcement of Exodus stood as the most significant moment from a prestigious gaming awards ceremony. Curiously, those very fans could have missed grasped its full implications during the initial showcase.

Exodus, the inaugural game from a new studio filled with former talent from a famous RPG developer, was first unveiled a couple of years prior. At the latest event, the development team provided an projected release window of 2027, accompanied by a fast-paced trailer. Before this presentation, the studio's leadership elaborated on some of the real scientific theories that serve as the basis for the game's universe: relativistic time effects, human augmentation, and galactic expansion. These are all appropriately heady ideas, which are notoriously challenging to express in a brief, cinematic trailer.

“I would have preferred some of those intriguing and novel ideas were shown in the trailer. All I saw was ‘generic man in space,’” wrote one commenter. Another quipped, “The vibe I got was ‘this is like a well-known space opera RPG at home.’” Responses in fan hubs were similarly varied.

The trailer's focus undoubtedly is understandable from a commercial standpoint. When striving to make an impact during a marathon onslaught of game announcements, what has broader appeal: Scientists discussing the finer points of relativity? Or giant robots exploding while other giant robots emit energy beams from their armor? However, in opting for loud action, the developers neglected to include the subtler details that make Exodus one of the more intriguing concept-driven games coming soon. Let's delve deeper.

The Celestial Conundrum

Does Exodus contain aliens? No. It depends. Look at that image near the beginning of the trailer, showing a being with metallic skin and cybernetic components merged into their body. That was surely an alien, correct? Ultimately hinges on your stance regarding one of the game's core philosophical questions: If you applied Ship of Theseus philosophy to the human DNA, is what remains still human?

“We want the Celestials... for a player not intending to invest significant amounts of time into absorbing the IP, to still grasp the core concept that they're evolved humans, recognize that they’re an opposing force you have to face... But also, at the end of the day, make sure it's enjoyable and that they're impressive and that they play well to encounter,” explained the studio's lead executive.

Comprehending how these non-human beings aren't strictly aliens requires grappling with enormous expanses of both space and history. Time dilation — the scientific principle that time moves slower for high-velocity objects — is an key core tenet of Exodus’ narrative setting. Here are the basics: Humanity evacuates a dying Earth in the 23rd century for a remote corner of the Milky Way. Due to time dilation, some human colonists arrive centuries before others. Those pioneers extensively engineered their DNA and assumed the “Celestial” moniker.

“There’s multiple tiers of evolution. The people who arrived at the Centauri cluster first... had numerous millennia of years of evolution into the Celestials... They really see standard humans as essentially backwards, inferior, not really fit for the higher tiers of society,” stated the game's story head.

Exodus is set about 40,000 years in the future. Reflect on that timeframe — that's the equivalent of all of our documented past repeated ten times over. Now imagine what humans would look like if they spent ten entire human histories pushing the limits of genetic manipulation. You would not possibly perceive the end product as human. You might certainly believe you're looking at an alien. The scariest branch of Celestial, known as the Mara-Yama, can take diverse forms. Some possess sharp teeth and appendages and stand towering tall. Others are protected in exoskeletons. According to companion lore, when Mara-Yama travel between stars, their physical forms can break down into little more than a collection of organs attached to a head.

Building a Sci-Fi Canon

Between the detonations, energy weapons, and battle bears, you might have glimpsed snippets of advanced technology in the trailer. The protagonist, Jun Aslan, uses a shiny machine that emanates a violet glow. A spaceship jets into a portal and vanishes at relativistic velocity. This all seems past human understanding, the kind of tech ascribed to a highly advanced civilization. Yet, these are further examples of wonders that look alien but are deeply rooted in humanity's own evolution.

Beyond the core development team, the Exodus universe is being crafted by what the narrative lead called a duo of “literary legends.” One celebrated author has already published a massive novel set in the universe, with another planned, while another prolific writer has contributed a series of short stories. Incorporating such established science-fiction talent into the fold years before the game's release has enabled the studio to develop a dense fictional universe as a framework for the game.

“It was really a partnership. We had set some basics, and working with him, he would have ideas... and we would work to see how they all fit together... With someone as established, you don't want to limit him. You want to give him room to explore,” the narrative director said of the collaboration.

One notable scene shows Jun appearing to manipulate the ground beneath him, fashioning stone into a temporary bridge. This material, called livestone, responds to brainwaves from Celestials or augmented enforcers — descendants of later human arrivals who were allowed certain technologies by the Celestials. Since Jun shows this ability, speculation arises about his nature.

“Jun's not exactly a Uranic human... Jun is sort of a hacked version, for want of a better term,” clarified the writer, stating that the ability to interface with Celestial technology is a “central mechanic of the game.”

The sheer scale of the Exodus setting — both in physical space and historical time — means there is plenty of room for diverse stories to coexist, drawing from the same established rules without creating overlap.

Stories Within the Void

Although Exodus has been on the radar for a couple of years and isn't releasing, several stories have already told within its universe. The first major novel delves into the connection between a Uranic human and a woman whose ship arrived tens of thousands later than planned, making Celestials totally alien to her experience. An episode of a television series recounts a heartbreaking story about a father pursuing his daughter across star systems, with time dilation imparting life-altering effects on their family; by the time he finds her, she has aged a lifetime.

The game itself is centered on “Jun’s story,” set on the planet Lidon — a world primarily left by Celestials that has become a bastion. A corrupting influence known as “the Rot” has begun destroying everything, including essential life support systems, and Jun must use his Celestial-like powers to {find a solution|stop