Mass Effect: Andromeda ReviewDeveloped by: BiowarePublished by: EAMass Effect. A trilogy that Bioware have lovingly crafted with depth and structure giving us a story on an intergalactic scale, following the journey of Commander Shepard as humanity venture forth into the unknown of the Milky Way. From the First Contact war with Turian, to the destruction of the Reapers. Forming friendships an enemies along the way with the various species the Milky Way had to offer. From Quarians, to Krogans and more. A wide variety of cultures rich in diversity and their stance towards humans. Shepard became an iconic character within the gaming industry, and Bioware stamped their mark on narrative driven games. Now the Shepard era has drawn to a close, and it's time to introduce us to a new name. Not just one though, but two. Scott and Sarah Ryder. The Offspring of Pathfinder Alec Ryder, whose job it was to deliver an Ark of humans to Andromeda who have been kept in Cryo for over 600 years. Signs were good, the races of the Milky Way had marked worlds for colonisation and left the Milky Way for good. Safe in the knowledge that they would have a new home once they woke.
This is when your adventure starts. For the sake of spoilers, I will look to avoid talking to much about the story. But whether you choose Scott or Sarah, they will become the new Pathfinder for Humanity. The journey to Andromeda despite travelling at FTL speeds, still took 600 years, and in that much time, things can and inevitably will change. What comes to be known as The Scourge has affected the Andromeda galaxy on a massive scale. Not only that, but a mysterious race that is known as the Remnant have left their mark across the galaxy. Chaos and disarray are rampant once you're out of Cryo. Civilty has gone, people have gone rogue and mutinied resulting in exile. This is not the wake up call you expect.
The first thing you will notice about Mass Effect Andromeda, is the detail on the first world you land on. Running on the Frostbite engine, you just know that you're in for a visual experience that not many other developers can offer. Controlling Ryder is different than it was from the previous trilogy also. Gone is the short sprint, and replaced with a constant spring in you decide to stop. A jump feature is implemented thanks to a boost from your armour, allowing you to reach high ledges or cross otherwise impassable gaps. Finally, you have been given a scanner to, well scan environmental objects and creatures within the thriving game world.
With the variety of the Milky Way's alien species totalling 11 if I have my facts correct. Andromeda is less populated by alien species. The Kettle and the Angara are who you will encounter within the galaxy. But what about the species that come with you? Surely that adds some variety? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Gone are the Batarians, Drell, Hanar, Elcor, Bolus and the Varen. They have been left behind and almost all but forgotten. Aside from some mentions from a conversation I heard between Peebee and Drack. This pairing ha great synergy with each other as I traversed alien worlds with the Nomad. Which I have to say is far more enjoyable an experience than the Mako. So Andromeda does feel empty by comparison, which does leave interaction with Anagaran's as the mist alien to you. The reason for a lack of Milky Way species is given early on, but never mentioned thereafter.
The game has remained a lot of what made the original trilogy fun for me at least, and given it a makeover. The journey between systems now happens in real time, an since release has been given a patch allowing you to skip this if need be. Exploring systems is still allowed, but now it's on current gen consoles, it looks so much better. So what's changed here? Well scanning planets is not the way to acquire resources. That is down to exploring planets you can land on, and calling in mining bots to drill for resources. No big deal right? Well, there does seem to be fewer locations to land on and explore. In defense of this, worlds are bigger, and there are more missions to undertake. But with the lack of new species and worlds to discover, you will be left with little reason to visit new solar systems. Scanning planets was a fun objective to kill some time, an now it feels like an after thought. Very little in the way of information has been included about these new worlds, and this became less important to me as the game went on. Also, nearly every planet seems to have a set of rings orbiting it. A bit much and boring to see after a while. Another missing feature that I enjoyed, was when searching the Codex, that well known voice over reading the information to you has vanished. I would regularly listen to this as I ate my tea, or busy tidying up after the kids. Not a huge loss for some, but it's those little things that can add so much.
With that out of the way, there is still a lot of good about this journey with the Ryder clan. The Tempest is now your vehicle of choice, and is more streamlined in every way. You can access different floors without the need for a loading screen, and have a full crew to interact with and earn loyalty from between missions. Aside from them, only 2 pilots and an engineer make up the rest of your crew that cannot be taken with you on missions. The layout is not confusing either. But what has been included is the Research and Development console. Make sure you have your resources though if you want to craft bigger and better weapons. There is also a traders console nearby, so you don't always have to go and find a merchant on a planet.
As with previous installments, the voice acting is comprised of a wide cast and performs well. I chose male Ryder, and despite hesitancy at first, given I was a big Shepard fan, Scott Ryder performed admirably an he grew on me as Pathfinder. In fact, the crew on the whole was great. Each bringing their own unique personality to the table. Betta, a female Turian is no Garrus, but then she means never meant to be. Different in every way except race. Peebee, your Asari squad mate is also different from Liara. Fun, random and a breath of fresh air with her inquisitive nature. Drack is your Krogan, and like other Krogan. But different again with his old age making him the butt of jokes and jibes from Peebee. He's around 1000 years old after all. Talk to them, an even if you aren't their biggest fans at first, you will find that they slowly grow on you.
The amount of game time for the Story is vast. I clocked in at just under 50 hours, and that's without completing every mission and still leaving 2 planets without 100% viability. There is a huge amount to undertake, and you can easily lose yourself. Sure there isn't as many new locations to visit as there could have been, nor is there a rich selection of alien life either. But Mass Effect Andromeda isn't a game you should miss out on either. No doubt we will see more with the obvious DLC that will happen, as is Bioware's tendency to give us more. But I do hope we see more single player content being added. A new race would be ideal, as would new planets to explore. Not that the ones we have are a disappointment, as they are all diverse in their own way.
The story itself is well written and executed, building up to the finale in a way that pumps the adrenaline. But once the Archon has been dealt with, it left me feeling kind of deflated. An anti climax I guess you could say. A great villain, but the means of his defeat is what I had issues with. But the setting of Meridian is stunning, and the build up more than make up for it.
The skill trees are deeper this time around, and distribution skill points across Combat, Tech and Biotic can help you grow your Ryder exactly how you want. Gone is the option to be stuck with just one profile, such as Vanguard. You can change on the fly, which offers different buffs to Ryder. If you're not happy with your choice, then just visit the medbay of the Tempest and change them.
Summary I did encounter frequent frame rate problems when driving the Nomad, where the game would freeze for a second or two. Aside from this, I didn't notice anything that would cause problems for anyone. Ryder as the protagonist is well designed, and likable. Voice acted more than satisfactorily, and becomes a character you know will go on to greater things in the future. The cast of your crew is also fresh and exciting, giving Mass Effect Andromeda a platform to stand on for others to take notice. Will it succeed the incredibly popular Mass Effect trilogy that preceded it? Only time will tell, but it's off to a good start in its new home. Just needs some fleshing out and new species, whether that be in the form of DLC or the next installment.
Pro's
• Fluid movement and controls
• Skill trees are far superior
• The Nomad is a joy to use
• Visuals are immense
• Peebee is funny and witty
Cons
• Lack of planet information
• No reason to go and explore new systems
• Lack of new planets to explore
• Lack of new and old species
• Frame rate when driving the Nomad
Gameplay - 9
Audio - 8
Graphics - 9
Replay Value - 8
Value for Money -9
4.0