Mass Effect: Andromeda — Game Review
There are many promising planets for possible human habitation. What could possibly go wrong?
This game is the fourth installment of the Mass Effect series. Whilst the previous trilogy takes place in The Milky Way, this game will take players on a journey to the Andromeda galaxy to further the reaches of humanity in the name of exploration and research. There are many promising planets for possible human habitation. What could possibly go wrong?
World-Building
Just like the previous Mass Effect games, Andromeda is a filled with a rich science-fiction world. There exists Faster Than Light (FTL) means of transportation, spaceships, jet-packs, giant terraforming structures, intergalactic conflicts and intelligent species of aliens who bear a similar mode of morality to human beings. Humankind is the most prominent species, alongside Turians, Krogans, Salarians, Asari and the newly discovered Angarans.
It is a vast galaxy to explore from. Each planet can be probed or observed for potential resources. Each planet explored carries technical data, such as the orbital period, gravity force and atmospheric compositions. It’s quite full of detail, although it might feel repetitive at times.
Characters
The main character is referred to as the ‘pathfinder’. This means it’s his responsibility to provide a habitable environment for mankind. This typically involves travelling to different planets and using the existing structures to change the composition of the planet to allow it to become more livable. Other tasks include helping citizens in their quests as well as killing pirates and bandits to create a more safe environment.
The secondary characters are the crew members of the Tempest spaceship, of which the main character is the captain of. Each crew has their own speciality in combat. Some of them are experts in biotics, others in technology and the rest in physical combat.
The pathfinders also meets a variety of individuals over the course of his journey throughout the galaxy.
Story
The journey starts of mankind having reaching the Andromeda galaxy after over 600 years in hibernation since the departure from The Milky Way. Older telescopic examinations identified certain planets which would be suitable for human adaptation. However, not everything is exactly clear-cut as expected.
In reality, the planets appear to have totally different and seemingly hostile environments. An unknown factor has led to the changing of the planet’s climate. There, the crew of the Tempest encounter the scourge. The Scourge is an intergalactic phenomena of unknown origin which appears to be responsible for the destruction of the habitability of the various planets in the galaxy.
Eventually, the Tempest comes face to face with an hostile alien race known as the Kett who are trying to conquer the known system. They appear to be quite numerous in numbers and have already subjected most of the Angaran, the local alien lifeforms. Naturally, immigrants from The Milky Way attempt to unite with the Angarans to defeat the conquistadors and to discover the truth of The Scourge.
Critique
This 2017 game has a great premise. It is actually great for players who are interested in space and planetary exploration or generally enjoy the artistic value of the science-fiction genre in general. However, the game itself was an ‘okay’ experience for me. I completed a reasonable amount of side quests over the course of my playthrough and the experience eventually started to burn me out. There were couple of phases where I had to stop playing the game for certain periods, so I can enjoy it properly later.
Also, there wasn’t a sense of a unifying adventure as in the Mass Effect trilogy. The original games felt like they had a straight purpose with mass consequences and the trilogy itself never bore me out and I enjoyed those a lot more than I did with Andromeda. The latter game felt as if it was primarily just an exploration game which compels players to head to a certain direction to progress within the journey.
Simply, it felt repetitive at times and it wasn’t as tense or enjoyable as the original trilogy. Also, the facial animations were weird. However, the game still gave me a decent enough thrill, enough for me to generate this review.
Remastered
If this game is not for you so far, there is an alternative. A remastered version of the original trilogy is expected in 2021. It will arrive on PC and the next generation consoles, fully optimized for a 4K Ultra HD experience.
For many months now, our team at BioWare has been hard at work updating the textures, shaders, models, effects, and technical features of three enormous games. Our goal was not to remake or reimagine the original games, but to modernize the experience so that fans and new players can experience the original work in its best possible form. It’s been amazing to see the adventures of Commander Shepard take on new life in super-sharp resolution, faster framerates, and beautiful visual enhancements. As game developers, we always hope that our games will transcend their original platforms. Having the opportunity to remaster the trilogy means that the fruits of a decade of our work will live on, and will be experienced better and clearer than ever before. — Casey Hudson
Summary
In brief:
- Mass Effect: Andromeda is 4th installment in the Mass Effect series.
- It’s rich in science-fiction elements and lore.
- It’s a great action and exploration game.
- The goal of the game is to defeat the Kett and to discover the truth of the Scourge.
- There are definitely some thrilling moments in the game.
- At times, it became repetitive and burnt me out.
- It wasn’t as good as the original trilogy.
Afterwords
Overall, I would recommend the game to people who are interested in the exploration field of science-fiction lore with a blend of action sequences. This game does not live up to its predecessors, but it was still a fun ride to play. It was adequately enough to enjoy.
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