Exodus from the Earth

Exodus from the Earth (Russian: Исход с Земли, abbreviated EFTE) is a linear science-fiction first-person shooter for Windows PCs developed by the St. Petersburg studio Parallax Arts. It was released in Russia by 1C on August 24, 2007, and Strategy First released the English version on October 24, 2008, including on Steam. In 2016, the Sun is turning into a red giant, and the A.X. Corporation offers humanity a way to survive on other worlds, at the price of lifelong dependence on the company. You play special agent Frank Rixon, sent to investigate. Reviews are mixed: the Russian aggregator Kritikanstvo averages 63/100 from 14 reviews, Igromania gave it 6.5/10, IGN 6.2/10, and Steam shows Mixed, 58% positive from 206 reviews. In 2023, Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White ran a $10,000 speedrun tournament for it.

The title is easy to confuse with other games. The upcoming sci-fi RPG Exodus from former BioWare developers is unrelated. German coverage spells this game’s title Exodus: From the Earth, but it is the same shooter.

Technical Specifications

Plot: A Dying Sun and a Mineral That Replaces Carbon

In 2016, scientists find that the Sun will become a red giant within a couple of decades, not in the distant future as was thought. The gene-engineering corporation A.X. offers a way to survive: a mineral implanted in the body that replaces carbon in human cells, so people can live in almost any environment. The injections must be repeated regularly, which makes the patient permanently dependent on the company. The other option is to move to an Earth-like planet in another system. The government suspects that A.X. has data on such a planet and is hiding it to get rich on the mineral and take control of the world, so it sends special agent Frank (Francis) Rixon to investigate and find the planet where the mineral is mined. Igromania adds that the investigation starts after the company kills a pilot who reportedly found a habitable second Earth, and iXBT says the story ends with a tragic finale at the company’s secret base on a distant planet. IGN called the story lazy, and Ilya Chentsov of Strana Igr said it was solidly told.

How It Plays: 30 Levels, Crates, and Puzzles

According to Russian Wikipedia, it is a classic linear shooter with 30 levels, each designed for at least half an hour. Between the shooting levels there are driving levels, cutscenes, puzzles, and platforming sections. Interactive objects such as movable crates matter: one level requires building a staircase out of objects lying around. The weapons are heavily modified modern ones, including an assault rifle, shotgun, Uzi, and sniper rifle, with no sci-fi weapons, and most have at least one alternative fire mode. WorthPlaying also lists a missile launcher and remote-detonated grenades, StopGame a hand ax that breaks crates for ammo, and iXBT a machine-gun buggy with a slowly recharging energy shield. You can change the difficulty at any time, and it mainly affects the number of medkits and ammo. Loading screens show text notes written by the main character, which build his personality. Multiplayer supports up to 10 players over the internet or LAN.

Reception: What Critics Said

Critics agreed that the game adds nothing new to the genre and looks dated, but many found it fun. Russian Wikipedia lists these scores: Strana Igr 7.5/10, Igromania 6.5/10, IGN 6.2/10, PC Igry 6.0/10, NIM 6.0/10, Shpil! 7+/12, and Absolute Games 40%. 3DNews called it a “solid action game without ambitions” that is interesting to play, and Igromania’s Stepan Chechulin called it the second Russian shooter after Eastern Front in which the genre’s essentials actually work. IGN praised the frequent change of scenery but complained about monotony, and Western critics rated the English translation poorly. StopGame was negative, writing that the game “evokes no emotions,” and Absolute Games called it “the grayest shade of gray.” Graphics drew average marks, and critics often praised the weapon design. Opinions on the puzzles are split: Chentsov found them well integrated, while StopGame called them silly.

The 2023 Speedrun Tournament

In 2023, Charles “MoistCr1TiKaL” White organized a speedrun tournament for Exodus from the Earth with a $10,000 prize pool, plus $1,000 for the player who found the biggest time-saving trick without placing in the top three. According to Russian Wikipedia, before the tournament only one person had speedrun the game, finishing in under two hours, and on the first day of the event that record was beaten by more than an hour and a half.