We've finally seen 'Exodus' gameplay, and it's 'Mass Effect' with a space grappling hook

EXODUS Gameplay: First Look - YouTube

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Sure, we're painfully aware that Archetype Entertainment's time-dilating interstellar adventure, "Exodus," won't arrive until 2027, but that won't stop them from teasing us with more sneak peeks to keep the sci-fi RPG title at the forefront of our lizard brains.

The latest batch of "Exodus" previews was just unveiled last week, and it's a tempting threesome of short gameplay clips gathered together that highlight the massive project's smooth combat mechanics, exquisite environments, crisp sound effects, and atmospheric ambient score.

What's that? Sounds pretty standard? Well, did we mention it shows off a space grappling hook, too? Yeah, now you're interested.

We're treated to a blistering early-game firefight outside Lyonesse on the planet Lidon with the characters of Jun, Tom, and Elise. It looks like Mass Effect 3, but... slicker, if you know what I mean? It's hard to tell without playing it myself, but I'm getting good vibes from this.

This is followed by a dizzying traversal sequence on a Lyonesse orbital space tower, highlighting the cool “railclaw" grappling gun. It looks sick, though maybe a bit too contextual for our liking. Still, a grappling gun is a grappling gun, and we're here for it.

Finally, we see Jun Aslan on an exploratory trek inside the Sankhara Glyph Shrine, an ancient Celestial temple on Khonsu. Neat.

"Exodus" was conceived by former BioWare developers, which explains the major "Mass Effect" vibes, particularly in the combat sequences, and we're completely at ease with that old-school sensibility and appropriate comparison (especially since the next Mass Effect game has gone weirdly silent). It's still a ways out, but don't worry sci-fi fans; there are still plenty of other upcoming space games to get hyped for in 2026.

"Exodus" lands on Earth sometime in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Windows PC (Steam), and Xbox Series X|S.