Mass Effect: Andromeda had a lot riding on its shoulders, from the moment it left the developer’s sandbox to when it went into the hands of hungry video game fans. Rumours of a turbulent development cycle formed when the game revealed itself to be plagued with bugs and visually lacking serious polish. Facial animations became the target of the video game media, and many people questioned why the newest game in one of EA’s flagship franchises was allowed to be released in the state that it was in. Andromeda’s reviews started to pour in through the floodgates and I began to look at the game in a different light. I purchased my copy on March 22, 2017, one day after its release. I even managed to wrangle a still-sealed copy for less than the sticker price. I decided to uninstall the game, put the disc back in its plastic prison, and wait until it was patched to be similar to the game that BioWare had originally envisioned. Now, enter 2018 – BioWare has announced they are no longer patching the main campaign. The last update has already dropped, and now that the game is no longer being supported, it is as good a time as any to jump feet-first into the galaxy of Mass Effect: Andromeda.

It’s incredibly satisfying to biotic-pull an enemy towards you, only to send them flying off the edge of a chasm with a follow-up shotgun blast.
Andromeda begins its premier voyage by doing an excellent job at setting itself apart from the previous trilogy, mostly due to its emphasis on exploration and discovering the unknown. Instead of saving humanity and Earth from extinction at the hands of the Reapers, this time the player is responsible for ensuring not the survival of Earth, but the future of the entire human race outside of the Milky Way Galaxy. As part of a strategy between the Citadel Council races (Human, Asari, Krogan, and Turian) and the Quarians, the Andromeda Initiative was created to send 20,000 citizens from each race on a 600-year one-way voyage. Each race was intended to travel in a massive ship known as an Ark, to a new galaxy to guarantee the continued existence of all races involved. Without spoiling any beginning plot points, the player takes control of Scott or Sara Ryder, the offspring of the Human Pathfinder, Alec Ryder, who is a representative from the human race chosen to lead them in the Andromeda Galaxy. Upon their arrival in Andromeda, everything that could possibly go wrong, goes wrong – the planet originally chosen as the human outpost is no longer habitable, three of the other Arks haven’t arrived from their voyages, and the Initiative is not quite alone in the Andromeda Galaxy.
Immediately noticeable are the graphical and gameplay enhancements compared to the previous entries. Combat is quick and responsive with an effective cover system that demands to be utilized, otherwise Ryder will quickly be reduced to a steaming pile of plasma. With the addition of Ryder’s jetpack and dashing mechanics, enemy encounters feel a lot more thrilling. If suddenly faced with a squad of enemies, Ryder can instantly dash backwards while emptying ammo into the enemy at the same time. The ability to shift perspective between the left and right shoulders also allows the player to adapt to any battle situation. Biotics and Weapons abilities are also back in full force, adding variety to encounters. It’s incredibly satisfying to biotic-pull an enemy towards you, only to send them flying off the edge of a chasm with a follow-up shotgun blast.

It’s safe to say that if players are willing to take in all of what Andromeda has to offer, there is easily over 60 hours of content to be explored.
There is an assortment of weapons that can be created and upgraded, each under the umbrella of Human, Remnant (more on them later), and Kett Technology. I found that I didn’t spend much time creating weapons, as completing side quests yielded many item caches that often contained very good equipment. Ryder can also have up to 5 weapon slots once a certain level is reached. If too many weapons are equipped, Ryder’s mobility will decrease. I opted to hold two assault rifles and a melee weapon, and proceeded to upgrade those weapons until the completion of the game. Research points from scanning pieces of technology on the different planets can be used to create additional weapons, modifications, and upgrades, which is excellent as it encourages planet exploration.
Being a series known for its expansive optional content outside the main campaign, there is no question that Mass Effect: Andromeda has plenty to offer. Like most RPGs, there are incredibly banal fetch quests that have you going to Point A to deliver something to Point B, but there are some fantastic quests that can really get the adrenaline pumping. When I began Andromeda I felt like something that was inherently “Mass Effect” was missing. I didn’t really care about the Ryders, who they were, and what the entire point of their own journey was. I felt like my squad and shipmates were shallow, one-dimensional characters; however, as I began to flesh out the available side quests, my opinion quickly changed. The characters developed, and their odd mannerisms and off-colour quips made sense once I figured out what kind of people they were, and their own reasoning for joining the Andromeda Initiative.
Eventually, the player will have the option of joining in the search for the missing Arks. During these missions, I was presented with some powerful choices, and many had outcomes that were not at all clear. The last time I felt this in the Mass Effect trilogy was Mass Effect 2, where the player is forced to choose members of their squad to carry out specific tasks to ensure victory in the game’s conclusion. The player needs to know the strengths of their squad mates and assign them accordingly. What determined whether or not this was successful was if the player had completed all the side missions for their allies, and if they had all survived up to that point. From what I experienced, I feel this trait was successfully implemented into Andromeda – specific actions I had taken in the past determined the outline for the final phase of my campaign.
When the player is not completing main quests and side quests, the meat and potatoes of Andromeda are in making the many planets in the galaxy viable for human outposts. This is done by activating monoliths in the environment, which then provide access to a subterranean area known as a Vault. Further investigation determines that these mysterious structures were created by a synthetic race known as the Remnant. When Ryder activates a Remnant Vault, there is a stabilizing effect on the environment, and it increases the planet’s outpost viability massively. Once the Vault is activated and an outpost is placed, there are even more tasks that can be undertaken, including helping outpost settlers and taking down giant Remnant beings known as Architects. It’s safe to say that if players are willing to take in all of what Andromeda has to offer, there is easily over 60 hours of content to be explored.

Andromeda at launch was not the same Andromeda I recently completed. I began my campaign after the last single player patch had already dropped, and many of the game-breaking technical issues disappeared. Despite this, many noticeable bugs and glitches remain. Facial animations are still rather wonky at times, but not so much that they steal the player’s focus during cutscenes. There’s also some weak voice acting with cheese-saturated dialogue that sounds completely forced. It should also be mentioned that on multiple occasions the entire world around me would freeze for a few seconds, but I’d still have camera control. Texture pop-in occurs frequently, as well as AI that occasionally lets itself be shredded without lifting a finger to fight back. The game is far from perfect. Despite the lack of polish, a troublesome development cycle, and the facial animation controversy, Mass Effect: Andromeda is a different picture than what was painted almost a year ago. Since its launch, many of the game-breaking bugs have been fixed, as well as minor improvements to the facial animations. While it’s far from perfect, it is a bold step forward in an exciting direction for the series. It presents serious gameplay choices that force the player to make tough decisions, provides a plethora of optional content with beautiful planets to explore, and offers an interesting premise that could one day become a reality of our own. With recent price cuts and numerous sales, now is as good a time as any to begin the settlement of the Andromeda Galaxy. While the sum of its moving parts don’t quite come together to create the game that was originally envisioned, there is a lot in Mass Effect: Andromeda for fans to enjoy – it’s just not the game everyone had hoped for.
FINAL REVIEW: 7/10
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