A day ago, we knew barely anything about Mass Effect: Andromeda . Today, we’ve got so much new information that it’s almost difficult to take everything in. As you may already know, Andromeda takes place 600 years in the future, counting from around the events of Mass Effect 2 . This means that Andromeda ‘s characters, having been in cryosleep for centuries, are unaware of what transpired in Mass Effect 3 . This creates something of a fresh launching point for the series that gives the game’s writers more flexibility in playing with the aftermath of Shepard’s journey.
Andromeda ‘s story centers around the Ryder twins, Scott and Sara, one of whom (as dictated by the player) is thrust into the role of “Pathfinder,” the leader of an expedition to find new habitable planets for humanity. The focus may shift away from the Ryders in future installments, but for now, the team wants Andromeda ‘s story to feel complete on its own.
The team is taking inspiration from one key element featured in each Mass Effect title. The Nomad, Andromeda ‘s new land vehicle, is based on ME1 ‘s Mako but is far more maneuverable. Andromeda ‘s character interactions are more robust than ever and informed by ME2 ‘s loyalty missions. There are more relationships to cultivate, and even the least talkative of your squadmates will have more lines than the chattiest characters in ME3 . And speaking of ME3, that title’s multiplayer mode serves as the base for Andromeda ‘s own four-player brawls. It will include a player progression system where you earn XP and Prestige, and will grant you bonuses for use in the single-player campaign (although the team insists that it will not affect the game’s ending this time around).
Combat is receiving a total overhaul as well. Abilities have individual timers instead of being tied to a global cooldown, a dynamic cover system is in place, a jetpack allows for more verticality in movement, and more. The class system has been abolished, and you can now allocate skill points using more flexible customization options. You’ll be able to specialize in certain roles, but the team wants players to experiment instead of being locked into one role at the beginning of the game.
The Normandy was a hugely popular part of earlier Mass Effect games, so Andromeda’s ship, the “Tempest,” will serve a similar function. It will be rendered as one seamless environment that you can move through from top to bottom without loading screens. Two crew members have also been revealed: Liam, a casual-minded former police officer, and Peebee, the smart and bubbly Asari who has been featured in the game’s early footage. Player choice is a huge part of the Andromeda experience, naturally, and ditches the Renegade/Paragon system for dialogue “tones”: heart, head, casual, and professional.
With all of this exciting new information, it’s hard not to be swept up in the hype for Mass Effect: Andromeda . We’ll have more details when Bioware debuts new gameplay footage early next month.
Source: NeoGAF