Summary
- Mass Effect: Andromeda's storyline will connect to the Milky Way galaxy's storyline, making it a must-play for fans to understand Mass Effect 5's narrative.
- Despite its initial glitches, Mass Effect: Andromeda has become a solid game with stunning graphics and smooth combat gameplay.
- Andromeda's tone and narrative approach didn't land well with fans, and the omission of the morality system affected its story. However, Bioware still recognizes its importance within the franchise and will incorporate its story into Mass Effect 5.
It looks like Mass Effect: Andromeda is now a must-play for fans looking to get the full Mass Effect experience. Details gleaned from N7 Day 2023 teasers point to some exciting hints that the Andromeda galaxy’s storyline will somehow connect to the Milky Way galaxy’s storyline.
This means that players who were previously avoiding the last entry in the franchise will likely have to dive into the game to better understand the narrative Bioware is crafting for Mass Effect 5. Given the game’s reputation, that may sound like a daunting task, but it’s better than it seems.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is widely known as the most controversial entry in the series for many justifiable reasons. It had a pretty rocky launch, sporting tons of odd glitches, like wonky movement and baffling AI.
Facial animations were notably one of the most egregious issues in Andromeda, spawning the infamous ‘my face is tired’ meme. Fortunately, Bioware did a pretty remarkable job of resolving most of these problems, turning the game into a solid overall experience in its current state. Now is perhaps the best time to jump into the game since seeing its strengths is much easier now.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Is A Pretty Solid Game
There is a lot to like about Mass Effect: Andromeda. The numerous patches it received post-launch polished it into a stable, enjoyable experience. Yet, most of what makes it great was there from the beginning all along, merely hidden by the hilarity and frustration of bugs. The first and foremost of Andromeda’s accomplishments is its graphical fidelity.
There is no denying that it is one of, if not the most gorgeous-looking Mass Effect game in the series. The lighting and color palette are stunning and impressively varied, from the lovely, deep blues of Havarl to the saturated sandy environment of Eos.
Beyond the visuals, Mass Effect: Andromeda features incredibly smooth combat gameplay. It isn’t the sticky 3rd person cover shooter for which Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 are known. Instead, combat is more free-flowing in Andromeda, which is complemented by the addition of a jump-jet to augment movement. It feels good to boost around in combat encounters, finding devastating ways to flank opponents. Perhaps the best part of Andromeda’s combat is the skills Ryder can employ.
Players are no longer restricted to one class as in the trilogy, which opens the opportunity to play around with as many skills as possible to find the best for the situation. Biotic powers, in particular, feel incredibly satisfying, but they are made even more fun when combined with the Flamethrower tech skill. However, as stellar as Mass Effect: Andromeda’s gameplay and visuals are, it does, unfortunately, lack in some key areas that put a damper on the experience.
Some Of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Shortcomings Are Still Apparent
Some of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s issues are just too deep to be fixed with some post-launch patches. The game's most outstanding issue is its tone and narrative approach. The Mass Effect trilogy featured a mostly serious story with dark, mature themes and content. On the other hand, Mass Effect: Andromeda opted for a more silly, carefree tone that didn’t land well with fans.
Over three Mass Effect games, the Reapers return to the Milky Way to harvest all life and Commander Shepard attempts to thwart their invasion.Fan reaction aside, the tone doesn’t even work well within itself. Characters often act unpredictably, treating some situations with an appropriate sense of gravity and others with extreme frivolousness.
This dichotomy creates a jarring ambiguity that leads to many plot beats falling flat; if the characters don’t feel threatened by the looming danger, then the player doesn’t either, which makes conflict feel shallow and the villains weak. Overall, Andromeda’s tone doesn’t feel like a Mass Effect game and is one of the primary reasons players disregard it as part of the series.
This is amplified by Andromeda’s omission of the iconic Paragon/Renegade morality system that defined playthroughs of the trilogy. Instead, the game offers choices based on four quadrants conveying different tonal responses, all of which are constantly available, meaning players can make Ryder’s characterization wildly inconsistent. Ryder simply can’t be shaped as a character like Shepard could, which makes them vastly inferior by comparison and negatively affects Mass Effect: Andromeda’s story overall.
How Mass Effect: Andromeda Could Tie Into Mass Effect 5
There are so many ways Bioware could tie the storyline of Mass Effect: Andromeda into the plot of Mass Effect 5. Thankfully, the possibilities can be narrowed down thanks to critical details from the teasers. An Angara, a race native to the Andromeda galaxy, appears to be hidden within the N7 Day 2023 art print, standing at a table where an Asari and a Geth seem to have set up shop.
Bioware is intentionally keeping plot details about Mass Effect 5 ambiguous, encouraging hardcore fans to craft theories and speculation.
The Geth were notably missing from Andromeda since they were not part of the Initiative and weren’t present on any Arks. However, a Geth super telescope was used to locate the golden worlds the Andromeda Initiative sought in the new galaxy.
If Mass Effect 5 is set in this galaxy, perhaps the Geth have somehow devised a means of travel or had departed shortly after the Arks. Admittedly, this theory is quite a reach, but there is one confirmed Andromeda mystery with which the Geth may have some relationship.
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