“Great RPGs Are About Agency”: Exodus Developers Talk The Importance of Choice

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I’m really excited about Archetype Entertainment’s Exodus! From what I’ve seen, it’s going to be a game where your choices really matter. You play as a ‘Traveler,’ basically searching the galaxy for these powerful artifacts called Remnants to help your home planet. But it’s not simple – you’ll be dealing with different human and alien groups, all with their own agendas. What’s really cool is the time travel aspect – because of how long it takes to travel between stars, you’ll actually see the consequences of your decisions play out over centuries, even millennia! It sounds like your actions will have a lasting impact, which is awesome.

I recently read an interview with the team behind Exodus – Chad Robertson, Drew Karpyshyn, and Chris King – and they really highlighted how important choices will be in the game. Apparently, a lot of decisions won’t be simple right-or-wrong answers, but more about navigating morally grey areas. What’s really interesting is they’re factoring in time dilation, so you’ll have to think about how your choices affect things both now and in the future. The developers are super excited to see what players think about the different paths they take, and they’ve built in a lot of replayability because your decisions truly matter and have lasting consequences. It sounds like there will be a lot to discuss!

Exodus Developers Believe In The Player As “Co-Author Of The Experience”

Image via Archetype Entertainment

From the start, the team making Exodus wanted players to really influence Jun’s story. As they built the game’s science fiction world, they focused on creating important moments with different outcomes, hoping it would spark conversations and sharing among players. This core idea, as explained by King, guided their work.

For us, the heart of a great role-playing game is giving players real choices and letting them shape the story. We want those moments where everyone at the office is buzzing about their unique playthrough – what happened to them in the game, and how their decisions led to different outcomes. We really see the player as a partner in creating the experience, almost like a co-author.

Image via Archetype Entertainment

In Exodus, players have control from the start, beginning with creating their character as either male or female Jun. Throughout the game, you’ll face choices that lead to different storylines. These choices, both large and small, will impact your experience and encourage multiple playthroughs to see all the possible outcomes.

Exodus’ Choices Center Around The Theme Of Moral Ambiguity And Long-Term Effects

Image via Archetype Entertainment

Throughout the game, players will face difficult decisions with no easy answers. Instead of clear ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ choices, Exodus presents situations where players must consider both the immediate and future consequences of their actions. As the game’s creator, King, explained, this is due to the concept of time dilation: when the character Jun goes on a mission, years can pass on their home planet. Upon returning, players will witness how their past choices have shaped the world and impacted its people, and King detailed that this will be a significant part of the gameplay experience.

Time dilation means big changes can happen during Jun’s travels. We’re talking about enough time for entire worlds to evolve – technologically and based on the decisions made while collecting powerful alien technology called Remnants.

Image via Archetype Entertainment

So, in Exodus, I’ll be playing as Jun, and a big part of what I’ll be doing is collecting these things called Remnants. They’re basically super-advanced tech left behind by the Celestials – these beings who used to be human but got seriously upgraded with genetic enhancements. The cool thing is, I get to choose how to use these Remnants. I can use them for good, or… not so good. And apparently, my choices really matter. It’s not just about story stuff either – the way I use the Remnants will actually change my home world, physically altering how it looks and even affecting how my companions react to me. The developers are saying the impact I can have is massive!

Karpyshyn echoed Robertson’s enthusiasm, saying he’s eager to see players compare their experiences with the time dilation in Exodus. He explained that while a player’s journey might not feel long, returning after ten years reveals a changed world. Those left behind will have evolved, and the challenges players face will depend on their choices – potentially different from what other players encounter. Karpyshyn encouraged players to replay Exodus multiple times, experimenting with different decisions to see how their homeworld and companions change, both in small and significant ways.

Player Choices Can Affect Missions, Companions, And More

Image via Archetype Entertainment

While Exodus features important, world-altering decisions, many choices will simply affect how you approach missions. The game will allow you to tackle combat in a variety of ways – stealthily, aggressively, or by mixing strategies. As the developer explained, there’s no single ‘right’ way to play; it’s about finding what works for you. Many combat scenarios will involve facing enemies who outnumber your team, and you’ll need to adapt your approach accordingly.

We’re heavily inspired by the classic sci-fi idea of sneaking into enemy lines – being the underdog and facing overwhelming odds. The story focuses on how these characters overcome such a challenge.

Image via Archetype Entertainment

At its heart, Exodus is built around player choice, so the developers refer to its central gameplay as the “choices and consequences loop.” Beyond the larger cycle of collecting resources and improving your homeworld, players constantly make decisions about how to develop Jun’s abilities and which companions to focus on. These choices matter, as companions will react to them – sometimes even disagreeing with or opposing Jun, potentially impacting romantic relationships, as Karpyshyn explained.

Your companions won’t always see eye-to-eye with you or with each other, which adds a layer of realism to the game. You’ll often have to make tough choices, like choosing to upgrade one companion while potentially hindering another. We want players to constantly be making these kinds of decisions, customizing their team, and really feeling the weight of those choices.

Image via Archetype Entertainment

In Exodus, players will face many choices, big and small, that significantly impact their experience of Jun’s story and the world around them. The developers, led by Karpyshyn, emphasize that resources are limited, forcing players to make tough decisions. However, for those who want to explore everything this vast sci-fi universe offers, Exodus encourages multiple playthroughs to uncover missed content.

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2025-12-15 14:05