RETRO! 'Mass Effect' | Part 3
Writer and gamer David Nolan continues to record his immediate reactions to the 'Mass Effect' games as he returns to the action-shooter-RPGs for a third time...
After checking in with the Council, Zoë Shepard has two main quests from which to choose. However, there are more than a dozen other star clusters to explore - each with at least one star system of its own. The star systems all have one planet to land on, which is good for side-questing, level grinding and collecting loot, but this part of the game can drag a little and get repetitive.
One of the game’s major flaws can reveal itself in the worst way during this part of the game: the auto save function. The game will save when you go through nearly any door but won’t save when you’re in your car for a long period of time. It’s quite a rude shock when a giant worm one-shots you and suddenly you’re back at your landing site half an hour earlier.
Once you have your preferred squad up a few levels and equipped with upgraded weaponry, the time has come to choose between one of the two worlds left: Feros or Noveria. Since Feros is apparently under attack, it seems the more pressing of the two, so that’s where we’ll go.
The Normandy approaches Feros with no sign of humans around. However, once your squad steps off the ship, you immediately meet a colonist who tells you to talk to the man in charge, as though you weren’t the protagonist of an RPG, before getting shot in the back by Geth. Now you must fight through a large number of the robots to make your way to the colony of Zhu’s Hope where the leader refuses to talk to you until you clear the tower above town of the one-eyed, one-horned walking purple people shooters. Upon doing so, you’re told that the main Geth attack is coming from the company running the colony, ExoGeni’s headquarters.
It’s at this point that one of the series’ best mechanics comes into play, albeit without the player’s knowledge. You’re given the opportunity to help out the colony by doing several side-quests to improve their resources. In completing the side-quests, you’re actually increasing the odds of the colony surviving into future games. While there are still other things to do later on, they are far easier after having completed these tasks.
Next comes a large amount of driving in the Mako and, while it is possible to drive back to leave the planet and change squad members, this is a point-of-no-return for the most part.
The bridge across to the headquarters is an impressive view of ancient architecture. Unfortunately, it’s covered with hostile Geth, so you need to focus on them more than the great scenery. About halfway to your destination, you’ll hear other people talking over your radio. While it’s an optional stopover, it’s also a good place for a break and to gather more backstory.
You’ll meet two important people in the corporation who seem very hesitant to regroup with their fellow colonists. Whether or not you find this interlude a little too spoiling is personal, but considering how many different nasty space bugs there are in this universe, it works ok here.
When Shepard arrives at the headquarters, it is finally the point-of-no-return; the colony will be saved or destroyed based on your actions in the next few minutes. Players will hear about the experiments the corporation was committing on the colonists from one of the scientists, so you’ll need to use your gas grenades to either save or kill them, wiping out the colony forever.
With communications jammed, there’s a Geth drop ship to destroy first; this section of the game is prominent with tight corridors and many corners. It can be really difficult on higher difficulties, and when using a powers-based class. However, the challenge is very rewarding and there is a nice hint at the Geth’s culture at one point. To finally destroy the Geth drop ship, a clever little puzzle is used based on simple arithmetic. While pretty common and simple, it’s a nice addition.
With communications now re-established, you hear that the colonists at Zhu’s Hope have started attacking the Normandy, forcing your crew to take shelter. Shepard and her team need to get back there and take the giant plant controlling them out.
Halfway back, you’ll again pick up chatter on the radio. This time, the scientist you picked up at the headquarters hears her mother and so immediately jumps out. You can keep driving but the game is clearly telling you to stop. When you step out you’re faced with one of the corporate heads threatening the others with a gun; this scene is an odd one, as to resolve it peacefully you need to have an absurdly high morality level to access the dialogue options, but this means you’d need to attempt this mission towards the end, which doesn’t really gel with the way the narrative is written or flows. It’s an odd design choice and it’s uncertain as to whether or not it is a design flaw or glitch. So, now that the man is dead, we have to work even harder to save the colony.
After you have made your way back to the colony, you discover that the garage door is locked and there’s a creepy plant-zombie-thing waiting to meet you; this is a Thorian creeper and you’re going to be fighting a lot of them in the next few minutes, and many more if you decide to do several of the available side-quests. The reuse of assets is common in games of this size and there is at least somewhat of a reason for the creepers to be on other worlds, but they are too similar to the husks that you have fought many times already. It’s a little disappointing that there weren’t other choices made for some of the enemies.
The fighting in this next section is one of the more unique in the game if you’re rolling a paragon character. As you’re trying to save the colony, you’re also trying to make sure that you don’t shoot any of the colonists while taking care of all the creepers. The gas grenades work well if you can aim them properly, but fortunately if you get close enough, you can melee them and they will still be counted as alive.
There are sixteen colonists that you need to deal with before the leader will appear. Sadly, you can’t do anything to help him and he kills himself. It is a frustration about the series: the choices that are provided to players are too restrictive. It’s understandable that not everything can be changed by your actions, but sometimes the options in place seem arbitrary.
With the colony now taken care of or destroyed, you now head into the caverns underneath the colony to take care of the giant plant that spawns Asari clones that attack. It is now time to fight a bunch of creepers, a series of Asari clones and shoot its roots.
After taking enough of them out, the giant plant falls down and dies, releasing the Asari that Saren had given the plant to clone. From her you learn much about Saren’s character and the Protheans. You also get to choose whether to keep her alive or kill her: if you keep her alive, she stays and helps the colony - so that’s the choice a paragon Shepard would make. If enough colonists were saved and side-quests completed, Zhu’s Hope will continue. It’s one of the earliest times you can see how your actions as Shepard significantly impact the world, and it helps to emphasise the major theme of the game.
With Feros completed, it is now time to head to the last world left. But wait, because after your debriefing, the Council will contact you and tell you of a new lead on a different world.
Now you have the choice to head over there, or go to the other lead already available to you.
But that will have to wait until the next time…
