Archetype Entertainment and Blur Studio’s space RPG Exodus was announced back in December, and was broadly notable for a couple of things: 1) Matthew McConaughey plays a character, and 2) the game’s story is woven around time dilation during faster than light travel, with star-hopping adventurers prosecuting a fight against evil Celestials over hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
Now, it is notable for three things, the third thing being a cosmic blubber-spire of gurning faces who want to eat your ship and soul. Say hello to the Mara Yama, the ickiest Celestial faction so far. Here’s a trailer, in which McConaughey does that thing where he lingers on the sibilants and makes you want to lean in and vigorously mess up his hair.
And here’s some blurb:
The Mara-Yama, horrifying Celestials, twisted into monstrous forms, are unlike anything humanity has ever faced in the battle for survival. The Mara-Yama feed on fear, delight in cruelty, and revel in the agony of their prey. They aren’t just hunters – they are sadistic predators who savor every moment of psychological torment they inflict.
Stalking the deepest shadows of the Centauri Cluster, the Mara-Yama strike without warning, targeting the isolated and unsuspecting. But they’re after more than cargo – they harvest minds, memories, and even emotions, leaving survivors forever haunted by the terror that hides between the stars. Few escape their grip, but those who do know the frightening truth that lurks out there in the void.
We’ve yet to see any in-game footage of Exodus. While there’s definitely room for a new sci-fi yarn in the Shepard vein at the minute, I hope it’s not too much like Mass Effect, and is able to do something fiddly and fancy with time dilation in particular. Signing up McConaughey must have cost a pretty penny – it’d be a shame if the Interstellar connection turned out to be purely a question of cutscenes. You can read more about what time dilation in Exodus involves here.