Mass Effect: Andromedawas released in 2017, and I played it at launch. Like many people, I wasn’t thrilled about my first experiences, and I ended up quitting the game before I completed it. A big part of why I quit was the countless bugs and glitches I encountered that often made sections unnecessarily frustrating, or even seemingly impossible to complete. However, now that I’m ready to give the game another chance after 7 years, it’s sad to realize thatAndromedawon’t be able to reach its full potential.
After the hit trilogy that made upMass Effect, a new adventure started withMass Effect: Andromedato take us to our neighboring galaxy to uncover what mysteries it holds, and figure out how to create new homes there in case the Reapers weren’t defeated back in the Milky Way. Because of the long distance we traveled as Ryder,Andromedatakes place over 600 years into the future, when we wake up from a cryogenic sleep a bit early. From there, we start our journey as the Pathfinder, the person tasked with finding a new home for humanity.
It Felt Like Patches Barely Helped
The trailers and teasers forAndromedaall looked fascinating, and it was an interesting idea to have an entirelynew galaxy to explore with new races, new enemies, and hidden secrets originating from a mysterious species referred to as the Remnant. Unfortunately, the launch didn’t give us the polished game that I tend to expect when a game is considered complete enough to release on the market. At launch, the game was a mess, and playing it wasn’t fun when it felt like you were constantly running into issues with gameplay.
Even after multiple patches,Andromedacontinued to feel riddled with bugs and the criticism of the game remained strong. As a result, the game and the DLC and expansions that were meant to add to it would be canceled.It’s not impossible for a game to come back from a rough launch, andCyberpunk 2077is a great example of this, but it’s not possible to make a comeback like that without the publisher’s support and all those financial details. WithAndromeda, I guess it made more sense to cut the potential trilogy instead of using resources to improve it.
Where The Content Of ME: Andromeda Went Wrong
How The Trilogy Impacted It
It feels like the play now is to justignore thatMass Effect: Andromedaexists as part of the franchise’s universe moving forward, but I don’t think that’s the best solution. As far as the game’s content goes, I think that it was impacted by the controversy over the endings ofMass Effect 3, and by the general love for the original trilogy. When you have a beloved trilogy, and people then expect a new project to resemble what they love,it ends up being disappointing if the new project goes in a different direction.
Naturally, the technical issues don’t help endear a new world to you, but there were some choices that could have helped. One complaint I saw repeatedly regardingMass Effect: Andromedais the love interests. Compared to the original trilogy, theromance options didn’t feel as interesting or endearing inAndromeda, and some romances felt needlessly complicated to initiate. Beyond that, and this is a tiny complaint, I don’t think that Ryder should’ve been put in their dad’s N7 armor. It wasn’t necessary.
N7 is the highest designation for the special forces of the Alliance Military in the Mass Effect universe.
Having Ryder in N7 armor like Shepard felt like it hurt the game more than it helped the game as a reference. When you reveal somebody at the helm of a ship in N7 armor,I think that it’s going to be Shepard, or a character like Shepard. Then, Ryder isn’t an N7, and that armor is inherited from their dad instead of belonging to them, so it feels like purely a way to connect Ryder to Shepard, an already loved character.Andromedaneeded a completely new direction to carve out its place as a new journey.
I’m Ready To Try Andromeda Again, But It’s Bittersweet
The Story Won’t Be Complete
I think that enough time has passed now for me to be willing to giveAndromedaanother chance, and not have the experience influenced by my love for the original trilogy. The problem is that, when I go into the game this time,I start it knowing that the story will never be completed, because the content that was meant to continue it ended up being canceled. Therushed development forMass Effect: Andromedawas obvious when it launched, and that affected any potential it had as it led to issues and cancelation.
Mass Effect 4 Needs To Abandon One Of The Series’ Defining RPG Elements
Although this mechanic has historically been part of many RPG games, the next title in the Mass Effect series can improve upon the past.
However, I want to try and enjoy the game as its own entry and not as a follow-up to the original trilogy.I don’t expect it to be referenced or included in any way inMass Effect 4, butME4is probably years away from being released yet, and I don’t have a reason not to revisitAndromedain the meantime. This time, I won’t have unrealistic expectations for the game, but if the Remnant makes an appearance inME4, I’ll be prepared with any knowledge we learn about them inAndromeda, at least.
Could Mass Effect: Andromeda Ever Be Picked Up Again?
Is There Hope For Its Future?
In this industry, there’s always the possibility of a game or series being continued long after its last entry, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a great possibility. When it comes toAndromeda, I don’t think that it’ll make a comeback and receive the additional content that was originally planned to be part of it. We’ve already seen in teasers thatMass Effect 4is going in a new direction, and bringing back characters like Liara, to make it more like the originals. If it succeeds, that’s more incentive to continue on that path.
A storm of perfect circumstances and rushed development issues led to the downfall ofMass Effect: Andromedabefore it had a chance to come into its own as a game. Unfortunately, that means going back to give it another chance years later has you going into a story that will never be finished. While I’m ready to give the game another chance, I wish I could say that BioWare is also ready to return toMass Effect: Andromedaand make it into the trilogy it could’ve been.
Source:Mass Effect/YouTube
Mass Effect: Andromeda
BioWare’s fourth entry in the sci-fi RPG franchise, Mass Effect: Andromeda, puts players into the shoes of Sara or Scott Ryder, a young recruit who has recently awakened from a 600+ year cryosleep on a journey to colonize new worlds for humanity. In the game, players will traverse an open-world galaxy to explore the deepest reaches of space while contending with the Kett, an alien race set on impeding humanity’s efforts.
