Mass Effect-Style Game Exodus Picked a Hell of a Time to Reveal Its Redesigned Male Protagonist

Archetype has shown off its updated character model for the male version of Exodus protagonist Jun Aslan. Prior to this, fans had complained about Jun’s “long” face, “beady eyes,” and “botox” cheeks.

“He just looks uncannily plastic surgery filled who's constantly serving his best iPhone face,” said one person at the time. “He looks like chad version of Timothee Chalamet (derogatory),” said another.

With his makeover complete, Jun has gone full twink mode, and looks a bit like Leon Kennedy’s younger brother. The rough edges have been sanded down and now he looks like he could front a space boy band. Dem cheekbones.

Side by Side by u/Journey2thaeast in exodus

Fans on Reddit seem much happier. “Not a huge fan of the default hair TBH but I can change that so all's good — the facial structure has really improved,” said one poster. “OHHHHH that is so much better. He looks like a dashing space hero instead of a bad go in the character creator, which is perfect,” said another.

The timing of this new trailer is interesting. Players are looking at Exodus and Owlcat's The Expanse: Osiris Reborn as spiritual successors to the dormant Mass Effect series. Exodus is clearly inspired by Mass Effect, putting you in the shoes of a ship captain making tough choices across alien worlds. It also puts an emphasis on relationships with your crew, who you can bump uglies with. Indeed, former Mass Effect developers, such as lead writer Drew Karpyshyn, are working on the game.

With EA announcing Mass Effect developer BioWare’s closure and the cancelation of Mass Effect 5 this week, this Exodus announcement feels like a timely reminder that space RPGs are still very much on the menu, and BioWare lives on in spirit at other studios.

Exodus fans have picked up on this, too, with some pointing to the Jun reveal coming hot on the heels of the leaked Mass Effect 5 trailer, which suggested a Mass Effect Universe title for the canceled game. "Who is here after watching the leaked Mass Effect Universe trailer?" one Exodus fan said. "I purposely watched the Universe trailer first and Exodus last so I'd feel a little better," another said.

"Great timing Archetype!!!" one person commented. "This couldn’t have been revealed at a better time with the fallout of BioWare’s closure. The cheekbones really were the issue I think and this new, younger looking model really addresses it plainly and completely. Hopefully this satisfies the complainers who have made such a rabble about Jun’s face!"

When you play Jun Aslan, you choose whether they are male or female, with options like hairstyles, hair color, facial hair, and tattoos available to the player. Archetype has yet to reveal 'FemJun,' but did promise we'll see her soon. "We’ve got something special cooking for her reveal, and we think it’ll be worth the wait," Archetype teased.

Archetype promises a dark story where your actions have a massive impact on the world around you, with branching dialog trees where your choices matter. A butterfly flaps its wings on one planet, and a bit of space dust sticks in a dude’s eye lightyears away. Exodus is planned for launch on April 7, 2027, for PS5, Xbox Series X and S, and PC.