Highlights

  • Mass Effect 4's choices need to be more impactful than previous games, with relevant consequences for players' decisions.
  • The game should not save major choices for the end like ME3, either, instead offering plot-altering decisions throughout the story.
  • BioWare has to address past criticisms about player choices to ensure Mass Effect 4 stands out as the best installment in the series.

BioWare is known for its choice-driven RPGs, particularly its Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. Many of these choices have revolved around the player character's relationship with their companions, but others have been known to impact a game's narrative, along with any side stories it may include. Now, with the next mainline Mass Effect installment, Mass Effect 4, on the horizon, BioWare's longstanding tradition of allowing players the freedom to influence a game's story will likely continue. The only real uncertainty is what these choices will be, who and what they will impact, and whether they will be tied in any way to the original Mass Effect trilogy.

Unfortunately, the choices in BioWare's games have been known to not carry meaningful consequences, to be too binary in their design, or to not amount to anything until the end of the story. This is particularly true of Mass Effect 3, which saw the culmination of the player's choices coming into play at its conclusion. After that, Mass Effect Andromeda was largely criticized on account of its choices being too binary, seemingly offering only two paths, neither of which generally inspired any sort of thought-provoking dilemma. This puts Mass Effect 4 up against a unique challenge in its player agency, as expectations will undoubtedly be high regarding its choices.

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Mass Effect 4's Choices Need to Matter Even More Than Those of Its Predecessors

Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect Andromeda Had Controversial Choice Systems

The two most recent titles in the Mass Effect franchise, Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect Andromeda​, aren't the best examples of the series' choice-driven narratives. The ending of Mass Effect 3, in particular, divided fans, with many saying they felt the choices they made up to that point had very little impact on the outcome. Despite having multiple paths for players to take at the end, those choices really only occurred then, rather than being the result of decisions made long before the conclusion of the story. Overall, Mass Effect 3's narrative structure has been brought into question, as well as the degree of player agency allowed to be involved in shaping it. Thankfully, BioWare released an "Extended Cut" update soon after that with additional ending scenes, providing some much-needed closure to Commander Shepard's story.

Mass Effect Andromeda was a bit of a different story, quite literally. Fans weren't as concerned with Andromeda's choices as they were with the game's technical issues and lackluster character development, but the choice system was nonetheless not Mass Effect's best. Most choices in Andromeda were binary and required very little thought from the player. Furthermore, many of Andromeda's choices lacked meaningful consequences of any kind — a strong departure from the original trilogy. Needless to say, Mass Effect 4 needs to come out on top as the series' best since Mass Effect 2, which is widely considered Mass Effect in its prime.

Mass Effect 4 Needs Big, Meaningful Choices With Relevant Consequences

Moving forward from Mass Effect 3 and Mass Effect Andromeda, Mass Effect 4 needs big, meaningful choices that matter, and those choices need to have significant and relevant consequences. It would also be a shame to see choices made in Mass Effect 4 not come to fruition until another game in the series is developed, so it would be best if any choices made in the next installment were resolved, either immediately or soon after they are made. Mass Effect 4 also can't afford to leave its biggest choices for the end of the game. Instead, perhaps going the route of having players make a major plot-altering choice during each act of the story would allow them to feel as though their decisions have a significant impact on the story. However, despite any choices it may or may not have, at the very least, a new Mass Effect game is on the way.