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Game Info
Year
2020
Collection
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Description
X-ODUS: Rise of the Corruption is a collaborative adventure and tactical game for 1 to 4 players, with a rogue-like mechanic and rpg elements, in a sci-fi setting.
Set in the distant future, players take command of powerful spaceships, and explore the Galaxy to try and prevent an ancient entity known as the Corruption to rise and destroy all life.
The modular board of hexagonal tiles, revealed as the game progresses, along with the random enemies, allies, explorations and events, creates an always renewed experience.
On top of that, each spaceship has a different role, and as you play and evolve, you get to choose new abilities with each level. Many of these synergize with each other and with other ships as well, creating a vast number of possible team combinations and ways to approach each situation.
The game is also highly cooperative,and generates a lot of player interaction around the table when strategizing, planning your next moves or simply fighting together against powerful enemies.
Finally, with immersive art, design and texts, each new game tells the story of a band of adventurers saving the Galaxy, and the hardships they face along the way.
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 4
This page: 4
Sentiment:
pos 3 ·
mix 1 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–4 of 4
Video N9_WjDIGXnI
Hungry Gamer Rules Teach at 0:09 sentiment: positive
video_pk 84011 · mention_pk 212850
Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Spectacular production quality (even in prototype)
- Reasonably sized box for the amount of game content
- Nails the sci-fi aesthetic
- Awesome and easy ship leveling up system that encourages different playstyles
- Cool fleet system allowing ships to move and fight together
- Streamlined and fun combat system
- Dice have different benefits (hits vs. lightning bolts)
- Limited dice pool is a great mechanic
- Love the co-pilots and their potential for amazing combos
- Ascendancy/avatar level-ups add crisis management
- Avatars' teleportation and respawn mechanic adds pressure
- Love the exploration cards and discovering lore/allies
- Satisfying space crawler experience
- Reminds of Too Many Bones in its quest structure
- Worthwhile upgrade from the first edition
Cons
- Ship standees in prototype are hard to identify
- Sentinel level text is teeny tiny
- Easy to forget about co-pilots due to their placement
- Game can sprawl bigger than expected
Thematic elements
- saving the galaxy from opening rifts and big bad spaceships
- space
Comparison games
- Battlestar Galactica
- Too Many Bones
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Players have a limited number of actions per turn to perform various tasks like probing, jumping, exploring, and combat.
- Card Drafting — Ascendancy cards are revealed each turn, and players draw from exploration and ally decks.
- Combat — Players engage in combat with sentinels and avatars, choosing to roll one or two dice for offense or defense.
- Cooperative Play (implied) — While not explicitly stated as cooperative, the mention of fleets moving and fighting together and trading implies cooperative elements.
- Dice Rolling — Used for skill checks, combat, and determining avatar movement.
- exploration — Players explore the board by moving their ships and interacting with locations revealed by exploration cards.
- Push Your Luck — The 'strain' mechanic involves flipping a token and rolling dice, with potential penalties if the roll is too low.
- Resource Management — Players manage resources like scrap (currency) and energy for abilities.
- Set Collection — Players need to find precursor keys to win the game.
- ship upgrades — Ships can be upgraded by going through individual upgrade decks, offering two-sided ability choices.
- Variable player powers — Each ship has different ways of leveling up and unique abilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Oo, that looks tasty.
- I very clearly like the company and I like the publisher and the designer.
- What this game is is what I like to call a space crawler.
- It has a lot of the aspects of a dungeon crawl as you're exploring and you're fighting bad guys and trying to accomplish this mission, but it has a little bit of a crisis management vibe to it as well and a lot of dice chucking.
- The production is going to be spectacular.
- Leveling up the ships I think is awesome.
- It's crisis management, not boss battle.
- I love the exploration cards. Those are the best.
- It's easy to forget about the co-pilots.
References (from this video)
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Video BcIb1B_ik3I
Preview at 0:02 sentiment: positive
video_pk 78074 · mention_pk 189219
Click to watch at 0:02 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Tactical building of the map is fun.
- Ship level ups are fun and unique to each ship.
- Lots of variety and emergent narrative from exploration and event cards.
- The precursor keys offer a good way to mix and match difficulty.
- Co-pilots provide great mitigation options.
- Lots of variety in ships, unique decks, and dice pools.
- Ascendancy cards provide interesting challenges.
Cons
- Dice can be frustrating and swingy.
- The random draw of tiles can be swingy and lead to frustrating situations.
- Two-player might be the swingiest player count.
- Some game elements (like scrap threshold for ascendancy cards) can feel too easy or not impactful.
- The prototype still has elements being balanced and worked on.
Thematic elements
- Defeating evil corrupt forces trying to take over the galaxy
- galaxy
Comparison games
- Robinson Crusoe
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action Point Allowance — Players have a set number of actions per turn (e.g., 4 for the explorer, 3 for the warship) which can be augmented by strain die rolls.
- Ally trading — Players can trade with allies found in certain systems.
- Card Drafting (implied) — Ally cards offer modules that can be purchased, and unique ship augmentation cards are gained through leveling up.
- cooperative play — A 1 to 4 player cooperative adventure game where players control spaceships.
- Deck building (implied) — Each ship has its own unique deck of cards.
- Dice Rolling — Dice are used for combat, skill checks, and various other actions, with different colored dice offering different probabilities and effects.
- event cards — Ascendancy cards provide mini quests or ongoing effects that influence gameplay.
- map exploration — Players navigate and reveal a set of tiles, exploring different areas and systems.
- Modular Board — The game uses a set of tiles that are revealed during gameplay, creating a modular map.
- Resource Management — Players manage 'scrap' which is a general resource used to upgrade and repair ships, and 'energy' which is used for actions and abilities.
- Set Collection — Players need to collect precursor signals/keys to seal a final rift.
- Ship leveling up — Players level up their spaceships.
- Threat track — A marker advances each round, increasing enemy levels and spawning bosses (avatars).
- Variable player powers — Each ship has unique abilities, leveling paths, and dice pools.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- The second edition has just a metric ton of changes. So much that it's not entirely a new game.
- The dice of this one can be a little frustrating if you don't roll well.
- The dice are going to make people angry sometimes. They can be swingy.
- Swingy can be how the tiles come out.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video QLl0vx6hqEo
Board Game Critique Review at 0:00 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 62556 · mention_pk 155276
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Strong ship asymmetry delivering meaningful decision points
- Tight balance between depth and accessibility in combat
- Solid setup/insert system improving play flow
- Compact base box with scalable modular board and evolving map
- High replayability via multiple ships and scenario signals
Cons
- Marketing claims of a ground-up remake may be overstated
- Transparency around components and production proofs was lacking
- Solo mode requiring multiple ships is confusing or misleading
- Pacing can stall due to multi-turn boss moves; session times often exceed promised length
- High tiers offer cosmetic-only enhancements with questionable value
Thematic elements
- cooperative space-dungeon crawler with asymmetric ships and a campaign arc
- A collapsing galaxy explored via modular hex maps; space exploration with avatars, sentinels, and rifts.
- procedural, with some branching signals but limited storytelling depth
Comparison games
- Star Wars Outerre
- Spirit Island
- Space Hulk
- Space Hulk: Death Angel
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection loop — Each ship has three actions per turn to move, probe, explore, or jump to tiles, driving tension and planning.
- ascendancy / boss escalation — A rotating set of challenges in ascendancy mode that can power up bosses if you fail side-quests.
- asymmetric ship design — Eight distinct ships with unique dice and progression create varied playstyles (warship vs explorer vs drone variants).
- Boss Battler — A rotating set of challenges in ascendancy mode that can power up bosses if you fail side-quests.
- Co-pilot system — Draw a new card each turn to power up actions or trigger special powers; can boost damage or defenses.
- Cooperative Actions — Draw a new card each turn to power up actions or trigger special powers; can boost damage or defenses.
- fleet up / formation strategy — Players can team up to combine actions and dice for tougher challenges, then split to cover ground.
- Modular Board — Dynamic map that changes as you jump and complete objectives; signals present choose different strategies.
- modular board with precursor signals — Dynamic map that changes as you jump and complete objectives; signals present choose different strategies.
- probe vs reveal risk — Probing reveals new areas or systems but comes with potential exposure to threats; tension increases with each reveal.
- Simultaneous Reveal — Probing reveals new areas or systems but comes with potential exposure to threats; tension increases with each reveal.
- solo multi-ship requirement — Solo play requires controlling multiple ships, introducing high multitasking and management pressure.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- practically a whole new game is just not accurate
- This whole conversation is based on us watching every available scrap of gameplay footage
- The setup. Now, let's dig into how Exodus actually works when you get your hands on it
- Box stores tight, but when it hits the table, it dominates
- There's the 159 edition with the neoprene mat allin
- If you love first edition, play all your games multi-handed, and don't mind campaign risk, it could be worth the plunge
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 8tmQ6wySUSI
The Dungeon Dive Discussion at 0:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 61230 · mention_pk 153920
Click to watch at 0:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong space opera feel with tension and tempo
- Rich ship customization and upgrade paths
- Co-pilot and fleet mechanics add depth and cooperation
- High replayability due to modular components and randomization
- Prototype quality is impressive; looks finished
Cons
- Some iconography and text are small, impacting readability
- Co-pilot board can be visually off to the side during play
- High complexity with many interacting parts; can be overwhelming
- First edition upgrade path not provided; second edition exists as a separate purchase
Thematic elements
- Corruption vs unity and exploration; endgame against avatars
- Space opera universe under threat from corruption; pilots exploring sectors to collect precursor keys and stop corruption
- Climactic, tension-filled with timer-driven progression
Comparison games
- Arkham Horror Second Edition
- Eldritch Horror
- Star Wars Outer Rim
- Zia Legends of the Drift System
- Spacers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Ascendancy track — A timer-based deck that influences boss power and endgame pace; managed through ascendancy cards.
- Avatar bosses — Massive boss ships (avatars) with powerful abilities; can respawn and escalate threat.
- Boss Battler — Massive boss ships (avatars) with powerful abilities; can respawn and escalate threat.
- Co-pilot system — Co-pilot deck/dice pool that can augment actions; cards offer double-use effects and currency-driven boosts.
- Combat System — Tactical combat with varying enemy abilities triggered by misses; players choose offense/defense tradeoffs.
- Cooperative Actions — Co-pilot deck/dice pool that can augment actions; cards offer double-use effects and currency-driven boosts.
- End Game Bonuses — Precursor keys must be activated at the final void tile to trigger endgame.
- Endgame keys — Precursor keys must be activated at the final void tile to trigger endgame.
- Energy and strain — Energy is a currency; strain allows extra actions with risk of damage based on dice results.
- Fleet mechanics — Players can form a fleet and share actions among ships, enabling coordinated momentum against threats.
- Hex tile exploration — Players explore hex tiles with various tile types (void, blue keys, red boss spawn) to collect precursor keys.
- Tile/Map Shifting — Players explore hex tiles with various tile types (void, blue keys, red boss spawn) to collect precursor keys.
- Upgrade and modules — Each ship has upgrade cards and modules (regular and precursor) to enhance capabilities.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- One of the best things about Exodus is it feels like it starts at the third act of an exciting space opera
- The back of the box images should be bigger. I would like to see these images much bigger and just have a little more of an exciting look to this box
- The rules are well written. I really didn't have any issue at all with the rule book
- I could probably play this game with all of the various precursor signals and have a very different game one game to the next
- This is one of the nicest prototypes that I have ever seen
- There is a lot going on in Exodus
- The pressure is on and it's very tense
- I could buy this game tomorrow in a store and be perfectly happy
- Arkham Horror Second Edition in space
- Exodus feels substantially more robust than the first edition
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
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