It’s time to take our first steps into a new galaxy with Mass Effect: Andromeda. Trust me when I say that I’ve been hyping myself for this game all month. I’ve watched the introduction videos, read the backstory and I am ready for this game. With the game releasing on the 22, I thought I’d give a rundown of what to expect from this new venture.
New Galaxy, New People
For the first time since the beginning of the Mass Effect series, we are not familiar with the cast. When it came to Shepard, you had your friends and enemies and it was great to get to know them! However, since we’re closing the chapter on Shepard, we also have to bid goodbye to her squad. In Andromeda we’re meeting people we have never seen before. And while there may be nods towards previous characters, there’s pretty much 0 chance they show up to say hi. We get the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to the universe and see who talks back, and I can’t wait to get to know these characters.
“I can’t tell the aliens from the animals”
Yes, the infamous quote from Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams! Now, let’s not be racist! But with so much uncertainty about what we’ll find in Andromeda, there’s bound to be life out there. In fact, Bioware has confirmed one such race; the Angara. Whether there are more like them remains to be seen. However, if you’re anything like me, just the idea of new species sounds exciting. One of the things I always loved in the Mass Effect series was seeing all these races and how they fit together. Everyone had their own traits, different looks, their own religions and something unique to offer to the universe. Being able to discover a whole new system with all new aliens is bound to be an exciting adventure.
Explore The Stars
As a gaming community, we have learned a harsh lesson. From the original exploration side missions on ME1, to the more recent failures of No Mans Sky, it is very hard to get planetary exploration right. The appeal is there for those who want to see new worlds unlike our own. However, if there isn’t much to do then things can get dull somewhat quickly. However, from what I’ve seen of Andromeda so far, we’ll be taking a much more exciting approach than previous attempts. Think of it like Interstellar the game. Yes there are some gorgeous, interesting vista’s to see. But there’s also things to do once you’re there. The Andromeda galaxy is much more than just a pretty picture, so let’s get out there are explore it.
Combat Ready
As shown in the video below, combat is still a shining point of the Mass Effect series. There’s not much change in the combat from Mass Effect 3. What you see is really what you get when it comes to commanding your squad and taking aim. However, the real changes come in with your specialisations. The series has more or less retooled their old class system. While in previous games, you picked a class that best suited your style between combat, biotics and tech. In Andromeda, you have the chance to essentially build your own class. You aren’t chained to specific weapons or skills throughout the game. The jury is still out on whether this is a good move, but personally I’m looking forward to experimenting with things we haven’t seen before. Maybe being able to cloak yourself and run into enemy lines to unleash biotics is viable now. The sky is the limit for experimentation.
So, those are my top points when entering Andromeda. What are some of yours? Be sure to let us know on our social media channels and let us know how you’ll be proceeding into the new world.
