PS4 | XBOX One | Windows PC | 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' has arrived!
'Mass Effect: Andromeda' is the forth entry in the massive action role-playing series. Developed by BioWare and published by EA Games for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PCs, the main story arc takes place in the 22nd century in the Milky Way Galaxy, where plans have been made to populate new worlds in the Andromeda Galaxy as apart of the Andromeda Initiative.
Players can choose to play as either sibling - Scott and Sara Ryder - inexperienced military recruits that join the Andromeda Initiative, waking up in the Andromeda Galaxy after a 600-year journey.
The game has had quite a long development run, with the initial stages of development beginning in 2012 after the release of the final instalment in the 'Mass Effect' trilogy. As a result, this gave the development time to change gameplay elements as seen in 'Andromeda's' predecessors, initiating the latest instalment with a fresh and new feel.
The game's tone became lighter than its previous titles during this extended development period. BioWare was given the chance to push the boundaries of the Frostbite 3 engine, which required the company to build everything from scratch, seeing as the original trilogy was built on the Unreal Engine provided by Epic Games.
However, even with this new engine, the animation continues to hit somewhat of a downfall. The facial animations of the characters, and the rendering are especially evident in the cut scenes; character's look somewhat robotic and poorly designed, which is something critics note as sub-par.
The worlds that can be explored, however, are beautifully designed. It is just a shame that the character animations weren't exactly up to scratch.
'Andromeda' is an open world game. Players are able to travel across each planet on the Nomad - an all-terrain vehicle. By using Nomad to travel across each of the planets, the player is able to scan the terrain of the planet they're on for resources, collecting through the drones deployed. Because of this, there's quite an emphasis on exploration though many of the elements found in the previous games in the series still remaining.
Thankfully, combat has shifted, and the character you choose to play (Scott or Sara) is more mobile.
Another notable change from previous games is the ability to choose between six different character classes, where they have their own skill sets that aren't as limited. Players are able to pick and choose any skills they'd like, building towards a specialty throughout the game.
Overall, the game is mostly engaging. Although the overarching story remains relatively interesting, the delivery of the story has its issues and often suffers from less than average writing. The dialogue makes this flaw especially evident.
Due to its scripted inconsistency and technical difficulties, 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' tends to struggle with promoting its strengths of combat, sound design, and the strong sense of atmosphere.
That said, it is still an enjoyable game despite its technical polishing.
Grab your copy of 'Mass Effect: Andromeda' today! Available in all good gaming retailers.
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