BioWare is known for giving RPG fans immersive gameplay filled with lore and in-depth characters and storylines. Its Mass Effect franchise has largely lived up to that expectation, with the exception of Mass Effect: Andromeda, leaving many fans wondering if Mass Effect 5 will pick up the slack Andromeda left behind. The biggest and most glaring mistake of all was Andromeda’s lack of new alien species.
The original Mass Effect trilogy built an entire story from the ground up and supplied players with a multitude of new alien species to make the world come alive. It’s possible Andromeda thought including previous fan favorites would be enough to satiate players’ hunger for aliens, but it simply wasn’t, especially when BioWare took care to include the Asari, Turians, and Krogan, all alien species introduced in the first Mass Effect game, but left out the Quarians. Introducing the Angara was one of the best things Andromeda did, but there could have been so much more.
Mass Effect 5 would do well to pick up where Andromeda left off in terms of the mystery and origin of the Angara. Jaal is a delight to have as a crew member and romantic interest, and many players would love to experience more of his personality and useful sniper skills in the upcoming installment. If Andromeda is still the backdrop for Mass Effect 5, that is.
The Angara had a rich history and interesting origin story with quite a few unanswered questions. If Mass Effect 5 is a prequel this won’t work, but if it’s still following Ryder and the crew of the Tempest, it should take care to not only answer these questions, but create more as well. The key to good storytelling is to keep the audience wanting more, so the Angara need to remain interesting, enticing, and still just shrouded enough in mystery to keep players invested.
The biggest critique and downfall of Mass Effect: Andromeda lies in its lack of new alien species. The Angara were exciting, but it’s unrealistic, even in sci-fi terms, to think that in a whole new galaxy there was only one type of alien species that humans were unfamiliar with. To be successful, Mass Effect 5 needs to integrate many new types of aliens into its framework.
Following the Andromeda storyline, it wouldn’t be far-fetched for the crew of the Tempest to delve deeper into the Andromeda galaxy and find rich new worlds teeming with new and captivating alien species. Even if every planet didn’t have new species, having them present and integrated into the storyline would be a good move.
A different approach to Mass Effect 5 could come in the form of changing the main protagonist. Since the origin of the franchise, players have fought evil in the galaxy as a male or female human — Commander Shepard or Pathfinder Ryder. But it would be interesting and exciting to play Mass Effect 5 with new companions and from a different perspective. Namely, an alien perspective. Although humans are technically aliens to other species found in the galaxy, it could be fun to play as a Turian, or Krogan, or even an Angara. BioWare could blow players away by introducing a new, playable species in Mass Effect 5.
In addition to just needing new alien species incorporated into Mass Effect 5 and its mysteries, their design should differ from already existing aliens as well. While it’s true the original alien species each have their own unique design, they’re still very humanoid in nature. Asari, Krogan, and Turians, to name a few, are all bi-pedal, but the Asari especially emulate the femininity found in humans.
Mass Effect 5 has the opportunity to take a risk in designing aliens that the original trilogy never even dabbled in. Quadruped companions would be an interesting and refreshing change in alien design and make for some extremely interesting animations and gameplay. To date, the Elcor are the only aliens in the Mass Effect universe to walk on for legs, but players have never had the opportunity to have one on their crew or take them into the field.
If BioWare does choose to branch out and tackle quadruped crew members, it will probably require a change in software for Mass Effect 5. The Frostbite 3 engine used to build Andromeda was notoriously difficult to work with and required building lots of different game aspects from scratch. The team was already criticized for its bizarre facial and body movement animations, so trying to implement a quadruped squad mate using this finicky software would not be a smart move. Returning to the Mass Effect trilogy’s Unreal Engine 3 roots might make a quadruped companion a more easily accessible possibility.
The sci-fi genre is fascinating because it opens so many doors that other genres don’t. If a company is creative enough, sci-fi games can have rich storylines and in-depth, well-thought-out characters in uniquely designed worlds. Thanks to BioWare, Mass Effect used to have that magic touch but Andromeda didn’t live up to that hype. Mass Effect 5 could make up for it though.
Andromeda featured planets that largely resembled one another, with a special preference for large desert biomes. While stunning, gameplay in these environments tended to be redundant after awhile. Mass Effect 5 has some serious competition, but also has the opportunity to reduce redundancy in this aspect.
By having more diverse biomes and environments to explore, it’ll not only eliminate how redundant some of the gameplay of Andromeda felt, but open doors for new alien species too. Having planets with exclusive alien populations would be interesting and hopefully evoke the same feeling as visiting the Quarian Migrant Fleet or Rannoch—a special connection with the alien population’s home world.
Mass Effect 5 has a lot to overcome in the wake of Andromeda’s critical reviews, especially in terms of animation and storyline. It could blow Andromeda out of the water by introducing new alien species to really make the galaxy feel like it has a history beyond the Angara.
Mass Effect 5 is currently in development.
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