GamesRPGExodusBioWare veterans place their new sci-fi space adventure Exodus on two crucial RPG spectrums: Skyrim to Final Fantasy, and Dragon Age to Mass EffectWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGExodusBioWare veterans place their new sci-fi space adventure Exodus on two crucial RPG spectrums: Skyrim to Final Fantasy, and Dragon Age to Mass EffectWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Archetype Entertainment)
Exodus, the new time-dilating space epic fromdevelopers who worked on the Mass Effect trilogy, Halo, The Last of Us, and Baldur’s Gate, lands somewhere on two RPG spectrums apparently - between fantastical games likeSkyrimandFinal Fantasy, andBioWarebangers such asDragon AgeandMass Effect.
Speaking during a recent Q&A, Archetype Entertainment describes how Exodus' protagonist works and whether their personality is one left up to players' own interpretation. Will they have a pre-established one, or can fans shape it as they play? “The level of personality that a character might have in a role-playing game is really dependent upon the kind of role-playing game and it kind of goes on a scale,” explains studio head James Ohlen.
“On one end, you have massive multiplayer games or Skyrim, where you really can imagine yourself or your character, your avatar, as almost anything you want,” continues the lead, detailing how personalities work in some of thebest RPGs. “On the other side of the spectrum, you have like Final Fantasy or otherSquare Enixgames where your character’s name and gender and everything is decided for you, and personality.”
Ohlen goes on to useBioWare’s own titles as examples, which he worked on himself for over 22 years. “At BioWare, we had two different types of franchises. One was the Dragon Age, one was the Mass Effect, and Dragon Age allowed more character customizability - it was more important because Dragon Age was a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate franchise, and that was important.” Mass Effect, on the other hand, was slightly different.
“Mass Effect was more authorial in how the personality was developed, in that the developers gave Shepherd more personality,” states Ohlen. As for how and where Exodus fits amid all of these RPGs, the director says Archetype Entertainment is “leaning more towards the BioWare science fiction game.” Players will “make choices with lots of cinematics, and where you’re fully voiced, we want to have lots of drama - that’s hard to do if you don’t have a personality.”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
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3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
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Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”