Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Exodus: The Last War thrusts you into a classic real-time strategy experience on the Amiga, offering resource gathering, base building, and unit production that will feel familiar to fans of Command & Conquer. You begin each mission by establishing mining operations to fund the construction of barracks, factories, and research facilities. From there, you can produce a variety of ground and air units—tanks, armored personnel carriers, fighter jets, and specialized infantry squads—each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and tactical roles.

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The game strikes a solid balance between accessibility and depth. Early missions ease you into fundamentals like securing resources and defending your base perimeter, while later stages push you to execute complex strategies—simultaneously juggling defense, expansion, and targeted strikes against high-value enemy assets. The variety of mission objectives keeps the pacing fresh: some scenarios demand that you hold a chokepoint against overwhelming odds, others task you with escorting fragile convoys through hostile territory, and a handful even transition to naval engagements on the open sea.

Unit management and micromanagement are both key to victory. Infantry squads can be entrenched in buildings or bunkers, while tanks and aircraft excel at rapid strikes but require protection and maintenance of supply lines. Research facilities unlock advanced units—hovercraft, long-range artillery, and stealth bombers—rewarding players who invest in a balanced tech tree. This tech progression ensures that no two battles play out the same way, fostering experimentation with combined arms tactics.

One subtle but welcome touch is the AI’s adaptive behavior. The opposing faction will occasionally alter its assault routes or switch its focus from ground to air attacks based on your defenses, encouraging you to scout aggressively and adapt your strategy. Although pathfinding isn’t flawless—fast-moving units can sometimes get hung up on terrain—the fluidity of combat and the satisfying feedback of well-executed maneuvers more than makeup for minor issues.

Graphics

On the Amiga platform, Exodus: The Last War delivers surprisingly detailed and colorful 2D graphics that impress given the hardware constraints. Unit sprites are distinct and easy to identify at a glance: enemy Zeld tanks bear a green camo pattern, while Moroi units are decked in a dark red hue. Terrain tiles are crisp, and the game includes a range of environments—arid deserts, snow-covered plains, dense forests, and coastal waters—each with custom assets that lend personality to the battlefield.

Animations are fluid for the most part. Tanks pivot smoothly, aircraft sprite-swapping conveys realistic flight, and explosions bloom with multi-frame effects that punctuate the chaos of battle. When units fire or get hit, particle effects such as smoke trails and debris enhance immersion. One minor drawback is that zooming out reduces sprite clarity, making small squads harder to distinguish in large-scale engagements, but the default view strikes a good compromise between overview and detail.

The user interface is intuitive and well-laid-out, featuring clean iconography for structures and units. The HUD displays resources, unit counts, and minimap in clearly separated panels, minimizing screen clutter. Context-sensitive tooltips provide quick info on unit stats, production costs, and research requirements, which is especially helpful for those new to the RTS genre. While the overall palette leans toward earthy tones, mission briefings and faction emblems introduce vibrant accents that underscore the game’s thematic conflict.

Sound design supports the visuals with chunky machine-gun fire, distant artillery booms, and the whirl of helicopter blades. The soundtrack is a collection of dynamic, midi-style tracks that ramp up during intense moments and recede into atmospheric loops during base building phases. Though not groundbreaking, the audio complements the on-screen action and enhances engagement without ever feeling repetitive.

Story

Exodus: The Last War unfolds against a backdrop of interstellar colonization and civil discord. Two rival factions, the Zelds and the Moroi, vie for control over a resource-rich planet they both claim by heritage. Each side has its ideological motivations: the Zelds present themselves as protectors of traditional governance, while the Moroi portray themselves as champions of technological progress and individual freedoms. Whichever camp you choose, you’ll find your own narrative arc shaped by twenty distinct missions.

Between missions, the story advances through text-based briefings accompanied by still images and faction insignias. Although there are no fully animated cutscenes, the dialogue is written with enough flair to convey urgency, betrayal, and moral ambiguity. Characters such as General An-Vor of the Zelds and Commander Xalora of the Moroi emerge as compelling antagonists, each delivering monologues that frame the larger stakes and personal vendettas fueling the conflict.

The mission variety further enriches the narrative. A desperate defense of a frontier outpost underscores the Zelds’ determination under siege, while a covert Moroi raid deep into enemy territory reveals the cost of unchecked ambition. Sea-borne levels introduce a naval chapter where both sides contest shipping lanes, emphasizing that this war encompasses land, air, and water. Although the story doesn’t reinvent the RTS wheel, its pacing and episodic structure keep players invested in seeing who will ultimately claim victory.

Subplots and optional challenges add layers for completionists. Secret objectives—protecting a VIP, capturing specific intel nodes, or completing a map within a time limit—are woven into several missions, giving motivated players extra reasons to replay scenarios. This narrative depth, combined with branching mission choices late in the campaign, offers modest replay value and encourages exploration of both factions’ perspectives.

Overall Experience

Exodus: The Last War stands out as a rare find for Amiga owners craving a strategy experience on par with early Command & Conquer titles. Its feature set—base building, resource management, tech research, and varied mission types—covers all the genre essentials, while platform-specific optimizations ensure smooth performance on classic hardware. Novices will appreciate the gentle learning curve, and veterans will enjoy the depth of tactical options unlocked through advanced units and adaptive AI.

The game’s visual and audio presentation, though not cutting-edge by modern standards, makes the most of the Amiga’s capabilities and delivers a cohesive aesthetic that suits the gritty sci-fi setting. At its best, the combination of engaging mission scenarios, faction-driven narrative, and robust strategic mechanics creates moments of genuine satisfaction: encircling an enemy base with stealth units, orchestrating a combined arms assault, or holding an improvised defensive line against overwhelming odds.

Replayability is bolstered by the choice of factions and secret objectives, giving dedicated players reason to revisit the campaign and uncover all its secrets. Multiplayer skirmishes via hotseat or local link could have elevated the longevity even further, but the absence of network play does not detract significantly from the single-player enjoyment. Ultimately, Exodus excels at capturing the thrill of real-time warfare within the constraints of the Amiga ecosystem.

For anyone seeking an Amiga RTS that rivals the depth and excitement of early ’90s PC classics, Exodus: The Last War is a must-play. Its blend of solid gameplay mechanics, varied mission design, and story-driven progression makes it a standout title. Whether you’re defending your homeworld as the stalwart Zelds or spearheading a Moroi uprising with cutting-edge technology, Exodus delivers a compelling war theatre that will keep strategy fans engaged through all twenty missions.

Retro Replay Score

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