Exodus: The Ultimate Guide for the Dedicated Science Fiction Enthusiast.
For a distinct breed of science-fiction fan, the announcement of Exodus stood as the most significant moment from a recent gaming awards ceremony. Curiously, those very fans could have missed grasped its full implications during the initial showcase.
Exodus, the first project from a new studio populated 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 targeted release window of 2027, accompanied by a fast-paced trailer. Before this reveal, the studio's leadership elaborated on some of the grounded scientific theories that underpin for the game's universe: time dilation, biological engineering, and interstellar colonization. These are all suitably heady ideas, which are notoriously tough to communicate in a brief, marketing-driven trailer.
“It's a shame some of those innovative and fresh ideas were featured in the trailer. What I perceived was ‘generic man in space,’” wrote one observer. Another responded, “All I got was ‘we have a well-known space opera RPG at home.’” Feedback in community spaces were equally mixed.
The trailer's approach undoubtedly makes sense from a business perspective. When attempting to stand out during a marathon onslaught of game announcements, what sells better: Scientists contemplating the finer points of theoretical science? Or giant robots blowing up while additional giant robots fire energy beams from their visors? However, in choosing loud action, the developers omitted to include the more nuanced elements that make Exodus one of the more exciting hard sci-fi games coming soon. Let's delve deeper.
Evolved or Alien?
Does Exodus feature aliens? Perhaps. The answer is nuanced. Look at that shot near the beginning of the trailer, featuring a humanoid with gray-blue skin and technological components integrated into their body. That was definitely an alien, yes? The truth hinges on your perspective regarding one of the game's major thematic dilemmas: If you applied Ship of Theseus philosophy to the human genome, is what results still human?
“We want the Celestials... for a player that isn't dedicate large amounts of time into learning the lore, to still grasp the fundamental idea that they're evolved humans, see that they’re an foe you have to face... But also, ultimately, make sure it's engaging and that they're cool and that they are satisfying to challenge,” explained the studio's head.
Comprehending how these alien-seeming beings aren't technically aliens requires understanding immense expanses of both the galaxy and temporal progression. Time dilation — the relativistic effect that time moves slower for high-velocity objects — is an operative core tenet of Exodus’ narrative setting. Here are the fundamentals: Humanity abandons a desiccated Earth in the 23rd century for a far-off corner of the Milky Way. Due to time dilation, some human travelers arrive centuries before others. Those firstcomers radically altered their genetic sequences and took on the “Celestial” name.
“There’s different levels of evolution. The people who got to the Centauri cluster first... had many thousands of years of evolution into the Celestials... They really see baseline humans as essentially unevolved, lesser, not really worthy for the upper echelons of society,” stated the game's story head.
Exodus is set roughly 40,000 years in the future. Ponder that scale — that's the equivalent of all of human civilization repeated ten times over. Now contemplate what humans would evolve into if they spent ten entire human histories pushing the frontiers of biotech. You would not possibly recognize the end product as human. You might certainly believe you're looking at an alien. The most vicious branch of Celestial, known as the Mara-Yama, can assume multiple forms. Some possess fangs and appendages and stand nine feet tall. Others are protected in exoskeletons. According to expanded universe lore, when Mara-Yama travel between stars, their physical forms can degenerate into little more than a mass of tissue attached to a head.
A Universe of Ideas
Between the detonations, energy weapons, and war beasts, you might have glimpsed snippets of advanced technology in the trailer. The protagonist, Jun Aslan, interacts with a shiny machine that emanates a purple glow. A spaceship accelerates into a portal and is gone at near-light speed. This all seems beyond human achievement, the kind of tech ascribed to a Type 3 civilization. Yet, these are further examples of concepts that appear alien but are deeply rooted in mankind's own ascension.
Beyond the core development team, the Exodus universe is being expanded by what the narrative lead called a duo of “renowned authors.” One bestselling author has already published a lengthy novel set in the universe, with another planned, while another esteemed writer has penned a series of short stories. Incorporating such legendary science-fiction minds into the world years before the game's release has allowed the studio to develop a rich fictional universe as a backdrop for the game.
“It was really a joint venture. We had set some basics, and working with him, he would have ideas... and we would work to see how they all meshed... With someone of that caliber, you don't want to limit him. You want to give him creative freedom,” the narrative director said of the collaboration.
One key scene shows Jun seemingly mold the ground beneath him, fashioning stone into a instant bridge. This material, called livestone, responds to neural commands from Celestials or a specific human subclass — descendants of later human arrivals who were allowed specific technologies by the Celestials. Since Jun demonstrates this ability, speculation arises about his nature.
“Jun's not technically a Uranic human... Jun is sort of a unique version, for want of a better term,” clarified the writer, adding that the ability to use Celestial technology is a “important element of the game.”
The sheer scale of the Exodus setting — both in the galaxy and temporal scope — means there is abundant room for diverse stories to be told, drawing from the same universe without creating contradiction.
A Broad Narrative Canvas
Although Exodus has been on the radar for a couple of years and isn't releasing, several stories have already begun to be told within its universe. The first major novel explores the connection between a Uranic human and a woman whose ship arrived many millennia later than planned, making Celestials totally alien to her experience. An episode of a sci-fi anthology tells a tragic story about a father pursuing his daughter across star systems, with time dilation imparting devastating effects on their family; by the time he finds her, she has lived many years.
The game itself is centered on “Jun’s story,” set on the planet Lidon — a world mostly left by Celestials that has become a human stronghold. A corrupting influence known as “the Rot” has begun corroding everything, including critical life support systems, and Jun must harness his unique powers to {find a solution|stop
