Full disclosure: I did not get to play Exodus with the grumpy mecha octopus sniper. "Where’s the octopus sniper?", I whispered, confusion melting into sadness as the two other members of my space station infiltration team stepped forward under the support of their dull, seen-it-all-before vertebrae. No, it’s fine. It’s fine.

I’d like to say that the demo’s shooting and roleplaying moments made up for the lack of squidmates. In some places, particularly when venturing back out into the vacuum, it actually did. But if Exodus really is going to occupy the Guns & Conversation space that Mass Effect is currently leaving vacant, I’d hope it’s holding much more in reserve, as the corridor battles and bland heroes I saw probably aren’t going to cut it.

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With The Expanse: Osiris Reborn proving lacklustre in the hands, I'd say Archetype's time-dilating space RPG Exodus is currently closest to the much-coveted status of unofficial Mass Effect 5. The developers have dropped a release date - 7th April 2027 – alongside a new trailer which digs into the backstory of a super-intelligent octopus sniper, Salt, who fights in a mech.

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