While Mass Effect is likely going to keep us waiting until 2029 for its return, we have two upcoming sci-fi action RPGs to look forward to in Exodus and The Expanse: Osiris Reborn. The latter wears its Mass Effect inspiration on its sleeve, but Owlcat Games also compared it to a different kind of RPG when it comes to playtime.
Speaking with Wccftech, game design director Leonid Rastorguev revealed that the RPG's length would be "about the length of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33." That means about 20-30 hours of direct story content, but a lot more if players are willing to engage with all the side stories available.
It doesn't seem as if much else from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has inspired The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, as Mass Effect appears to be the main draw for inspiration. Further along in the interview, we see Rastorguev talk about how companions will be shaped similarly to those found in Mass Effect. Particularly, he and game design producer Yuliya Chernenko spoke about the suicide mission from Mass Effect 2, and applying that thought process to all the missions.
"That's where we want to differ from the other games in the same genre, because even if you take two companions with you, the others don't just sit idly on the ship. They try to be useful. They contact you over the radio to give you some advice. They might even appear in the mission in a particular place, or they might have a particular role in the mission. You need to assign them to this role so that they will have other stuff to do during the mission," Rastorguev said.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn is in development for PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5.