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FEATURE
GAMES
Andromeda is also known as M31
It’s 2.3 million light years away, and one of the most
distant things we can see with the naked eye
The galaxy was named after the Greek princess
Andromeda, daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia
Attention, Pathfinders – Mass
Effect has re-entered orbit. It is
time to return to the vast reaches
of space in search of a new home
for humanity.
Words
Alesha Kolbe
B
ioWare’s last instalment in the
action-adventure RPG space
series was
Mass Effect 3
back in 2012. The game concluded
a trilogy and left many fans
wondering where the series would
go next.
Fortunately, five years later we
finally have an answer.
Mass Effect
Andromeda
(MEA)
takes players
away from the Milky Way, heading
to the Andromeda Galaxy instead.
Playing as either Sara or Scott
Ryder, it is your job to join ranks
with your father Alec – the lead
Pathfinder – and scout new planets
in the Andromeda Galaxy to find
humanity’s next homeworld.
Being an entirely new galaxy,
BioWare recognised it was
essential to retain the feel and the
essence of the original trilogy.
“As a franchise, we’ve never
wanted Mass Effect to be
realistic – we just want it to be
credible,” offers producer Fabrice
Condominas. “The distinction
between those two is important.
Of course, we’ve added our own
races and politics and things like
that, but we do spend a lot of
time and research on what the
atmospheres and habitats of
these planets would be like,
to make them as plausible as
possible.”
This level of
environmental detail in
MEA – now powered by
EA’s Frostbite engine – is
immediately noticeable. We
had the chance to go hands-
on for a few hours last month,
and the graphics on the planets'
surfaces and in the character
models are truly impressive.
Condominas notes the switch to
the more powerful Frostbite was a
welcome one.
“We had definitely reached
our limits within the old engine
[Unreal], and with Frostbite being
shared amongst the other EA
development teams, it meant we
could use assets and animations
from their games. But, being one
of the first RPGs on the engine
[BioWare’s
Dragon Age:
Inquisition
used it first],
it was also something
new and exciting.”
It wouldn’t be a
Mass Effect game
without the fast-paced
Fabrice
Condominas
combat. You’ll have no limit to
the ways you can dispose of
your enemies in
Andromeda
– a
fact we found out first hand.
MEA disposes with the class
system, instead allowing players
to assign their skills through one
of three perk trees – combat,
tech, and biotics. This, according
to Condominas, removed the
“restrictions” placed on players
in the previous games. These
skills include everything from
grenades to flamethrowers, and
that’s without even touching on
the multitude of sniper rifles,
pistols and other weapons you will
have at your disposal. The most
appealing part of MEA’s combat is
its reliance on mobility, with the
dash and cover system meaning
you’re either on the move or dead.
You won’t have to take on the
new alien baddies alone – you
still have your trusty squad with
which to boldly go, and of course
the Nomad (your trusty vehicle)
is making a return. Cultivating
relationships and character stories
has always been a cornerstone of
the Mass Effect franchise, and this
game is certainly no different.
If you still aren’t sold,
Condominas's take on the Mass
Effect games will change your
mind: “If you like space, if you’re
keen on emotional bonds
and character relationships,
if what matters to you is
creativity and discovery, if
you love
Star Trek
, you’ll love
Mass Effect.”
As a franchise, we've
never wanted Mass
Effect to be realistic –
we just want it to be
credible
•
Mass Effect
Andromeda
is out March 23