Mass Effect is a franchise that still holds up today. The original game released in 2007, and subsequent entries in the trilogy improved its formula and reinforced BioWare's fantastic storytelling and character development. By the time Mass Effect 3 launched in 2012 expectations were sky-high, and save for a lackluster ending it largely delivered. A quick and less well-received pit-stop in the Andromeda Galaxy came and went in 2017, but fans are looking to the future with a confirmed fourth entry.
BioWare got plenty right with Mass Effect, including its characters on either side of the moral spectrum. Tali, Garrus, Jack, Jacob, and plenty of others felt like firm friends once the credits rolled. Meanwhile, the villains were also worthy of praise given Mass Effect understood that an all-encompassing threat to the galaxy was needed alongside something down-to-Earth that could be utilized to help the heroes feel like they had to overcome more direct adversaries. The fourth game has to match, or even exceed its predecessors' villains, which will be far easier said than done.
Mass Effect's Antagonists Captured All Sides of Villainy
It would have been easy to just use a looming, faceless threat to give the heroes' quest a sense of urgency, but Mass Effect does one better by giving the Reapers a deep sense of identity and history. The Reapers are fascinating, with an all-seeing, all-destructive mindset that makes them feel truly impossible for Commander Shepard and his unlikely cast of crewmates to conquer. Right until the bitter end they were a frightening presence, and the Alliance's desperate scramble to stop them was always reactive.
However, having a big threat without a shred of humanity can rob stories of more intimate conversations and moves between the good guys and bad guys. Stopping the Reapers is the overarching goal, but having a different antagonist that is more of a thorn in the side than a galaxy-ending threat can give stories a more grounded feel. The Illusive Man introduced in Mass Effect 2 achieves this well, being a disagreeable but influential man who Commander Shepard can speak with directly. Mass Effect 4 has to understand the benefit of both antagonist models, as only adhering to one could make the story far less interesting.
Mass Effect 4's Villains Could Get Creative
While few will be expecting the Reapers to return in Mass Effect 4, it's important to keep things fresh when returning to a property that has been well received for such a long time. Creativity is key, and using new plot threads like a good betrayal or a personal adversary from the protagonist's past would do well to differ the narrative from what has come before, while giving the world even more history to explore and lean into.
Games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales prove that a villain doesn't need to have world-ending plans, and that a closer connection to the world's politics can be a more effective means to create a barrier for the hero to overcome. The Mass Effect trilogy does so much right with its enemies, and knowing that the Reapers are smarter, tougher, and more experienced than humanity - or indeed any of the Citadel races - makes them a frightening foe. Add to this the sly, sinister, and manipulative Illusive Man, and the BioWare series sets a sufficiently high bar that the fourth game needs to find a way to clear.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.