A new Mass Effect game, tentatively dubbed Mass Effect 5, is on the way. EA announced the new game towards the end of 2020, and based on the teaser, it appears to be a complete entertainment win. It is a continuation of the original trilogy, possibly making this Mass Effect 4 rather than Mass Effect 5. While BioWare is keeping a lot of information regarding the upcoming instalment in the space-faring game under wraps, we have some hints courtesy of the announcement trailer and the first image released.
EA has already confirmed that Mass Effect 5 will not be present at EA Play Live, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer for more information. Until then, we’ve compiled all of the Mass Effect-related news in one place so you can go through it all and become excited about our forthcoming return to the iconic franchise.
According to Casey Hudson, Bioware’s general manager, we shouldn’t expect Mass Effect 5 to be released any time soon. However, the studio is ready to discuss it and provide a few juicy tidbits of fantastic news. Sadly, we must wait a few years, based on Bioware’s Casey Hudson’s assertion that the game is still in its “early phases.” As a result, we’re guessing that Mass Effect 5 will be released in 2022. However, we wouldn’t be astonished if it appeared in 2023 or even in 2024. Basically, we’ll have to wait a long time for a whole new Mass Effect game.
After its debut, Andromeda had a rough time, with clips of dialogue passages becoming memes. Other aspects of the game were criticised, such as its limited character creator, glitches, and animation peculiarities. But, beyond that, Andromeda’s goals, plot, and characters failed to ignite the planet. Andromeda set out for a new galaxy, a fresh premise, and new party members without Commander Shepard, the Normandy, or the original trilogy’s ensemble of well-loved characters.
Fans have been deconstructing the Mass Effect teaser on social media, and BioWare developers have confirmed that their assumptions are correct. The first view in the trailer depicts our Milky Way and the (relatively) close Andromeda galaxy. This has significant implications for the upcoming entry’s focus, and the trailer may have hinted at how they’re linked as well. By seeing both galaxies in the new teaser, it’s evident that this new, standalone Mass Effect game will try to bring the two franchises together, which isn’t impossible.
If the new game takes place after Andromeda, centuries have elapsed, maybe long enough for the Milky Way to reactivate the Mass Relays and communicate with one another. Narratively, there’s a chance that pre-existing characters may link the games, and the trailer may have already hinted at who might return. A woman digs through the snow and discovers a piece of armour in the trailer. The woman is shown to be an Asari, a monogendered alien race with unusually long lifespans. Asari has been known to live for over a thousand years, and the one in the teaser looks awfully like Liara T’Soni, one of Shepard’s original trilogy companions.
Finally, we come to gameplay, and while we can’t be sure of much here, there are a few reasonable conclusions to be made. First, the Mass Effect series has always been a third-person shooter with RPG elements, although it’s fair to argue that the shooting has gotten heavier as the series progressed. Or, at the very least, the shooting improved over time. We see no reason for this to change in the new game, and combat was one of the areas where Andromeda made significant progress, becoming punchy and variable once you learned to use and experiment with the many powers and options available to you.
You can also expect a lengthy tale with numerous side tasks, all of which provide you with options for how to settle issues, as well as a roster of partners to acquire and pick from as you embark on missions. At present, no one knows who these people will be. Similarly, it’s difficult to say how many locales and planets we’ll be able to visit, but we’re hoping BioWare raises the standard on all of these fronts. All we can do is wait and see, for the time being.
BioWare and publisher EA haven’t said whether the new Mass Effect would support DLC or microtransactions. Microtransactions were present in Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect: Andromeda’s multiplayer and the original trilogy had paid DLC expansions that provided new squadmates, story-driven side quests, and additional weapons and equipment. Both Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 feature some of the best post-launch DLCs of any RPG in their Lair of the Shadow Broker and Citadel expansions, so we’d be willing to pay for DLC for Mass Effect 4 if BioWare can maintain that level of storytelling.