Exodus developers talk about the importance of choice

Archetype Entertainment’s movement It's a game that requires players to make difficult choices. As a 'traveler', players will seek out artifacts called Remnants to protect and improve their homeworld, while competing against a variety of human and alien forces with their own goals and motivations. The time dilation associated with interstellar transport also means: movement Players will see the far-reaching effects of their decisions spanning hundreds and even thousands of years.

In conversation with Game Rant movement The development team (Vice President and Head of Studio Chad Robertson, Narrative Director Drew Karpyshyn, and Game Director Chris King) emphasized that choice will play a key role in the upcoming game. They revealed that many of the game's choices will revolve around “moral ambiguity” and that given the reality of time dilation, both short-term and long-term consequences must be considered. Ultimately, the Archetype team wants players to have conversations about the different choices they make, and they're looking forward to the significant replayability that the game's important and wide-ranging choices will provide.

Exodus developers believe that players are “co-authors of the experience.”

The idea that players would be heavily involved in shaping Jun's story was central to the game. movement The team's philosophy from the beginning of development. When creating the game's science-fiction narrative, they wanted to encourage players to discuss their experiences with each other by ensuring there were many key moments that made a big difference in the outcome. King explained the team's philosophy:

“We strongly believe that great RPGs are about agency. We call it a great moment when everyone plays it and they come to work the next day and talk about where they got from Exodus. The choices you make make a huge difference to the experience. One of the internal mantras we have is that we want to think of the players as co-authors of the experience.”

Player agency begins from the first moment of the game. movement, You can play as Jun male or female by taking advantage of the game's character customization system. From there, they will regularly encounter choices that set them on a unique path through the game's story. Some choices are big and some are small. However, each choice shapes the player's choices. movement Take a trip and encourage children to play the game multiple times to experience different outcomes.

The selections in Exodus center around themes of moral ambiguity and long-term implications.

Moral ambiguity is a major theme players will encounter as they progress through the game. often, movement' The choice is not simply black and white with clearly defined ‘good’ or ‘bad’ options. Instead, as King explains, players must weigh the “short-term versus long-term” effects of their decisions because of “the time lag and how these things are going to play out.” As Jun carries out his mission, more than a decade may pass by in his hometown. When they return, they will see the consequences of choices made long ago and how they still affect the world's inhabitants. King detailed what that would look like.

“Because of time dilation, the manifestation of change can be really dramatic for us. The span of time that occurs on some of these journeys that Jun takes is truly enormous. You can imagine the evolution of your homeworld through technology, and potentially other things related to how you harvest and select pieces of celestial technology called Remnants.”

most movement' The plot revolves around Jun harvesting the Remnants, highly advanced artifacts developed and used by the Celestials, a group of people who were once humans before undergoing significant genetic enhancements. Robertson revealed through Jun that players will be able to choose how they use the Remnant, and that it can be applied to both good and evil purposes. “All of this affects your home world. Not only does it affect the physical structure and appearance of things, but it also affects how your companions interact with you…. Scope of change [you] “It can really have a big impact.”

Karpyshyn agrees with Robertson and says he's excited for players to share the different results they've discovered due to the time dilation phenomenon that looms large in the game. movement. “The journey may not seem very long, but you came back after 10 years,” Karpyshyn explained. [later, things] It has changed. Everyone left behind has undergone an evolution, and new challenges arise depending on your choices. “It’s a different challenge than any other player has experienced,” he said, encouraging players to play again. movement Try different decisions several times to see the big and small changes your hometown and colleagues may experience.

Player choices can affect missions, companions, and more.

Not all selections are included. movement This is a large-scale decision that will have significant implications for Jun's hometown. King revealed that player choice will play a significant role in how missions are handled, with players able to choose to approach combat from a stealthy and infiltration direction, attack aggressively from the start, or mix strategies. “We embrace a kind of play style. When you engage in combat, there is no right or wrong way to play,” he said. He went on to explain that combat and mission decisions are often focused on dealing with situations where the player party is outnumbered by their enemies.

“We lean into what we call the sci-fi infiltration metaphor: You go into enemy territory, you're outnumbered, you're outmanned. So how do you deal with these guys?”

Ultimately, the core gameplay loop is movement The team calls it the “Choice and Consequence Loop,” so it focuses on player decisions. In addition to the previously described “macro loop” where Jun collects Remnants and uses them to develop his homeworld, players can choose which companions to prioritize with Jun's build. Of course, his colleagues may also react to Jun's choices and may even be completely opposed to them. Karpyshyn discusses this in more detail, to the point where Jun can influence romances with various co-workers.

“Your companions don't always agree with what you do, and they don't always agree with each other. You have to strike a balance… This brings a real role-playing element. There are certain decisions you can make that will upgrade or improve one companion at the cost of not helping another. So we want to keep you at this constant level. [state] “It’s where decisions are made, customized, and thought through.”

Ultimately, movement It's full of choices, big and small, that will have a huge impact on how each player experiences Jun's story and the development of the world. “You can’t have it all, so you have to choose what you want, and there are some tough decisions to be made,” promise Karpyshyn and team. of course, movement Players who want to see everything this expansive sci-fi world has to offer can embark on another playthrough to experience what they may have missed the first time around.