Ever since the first game was released in 2007, BioWare's Mass Effect series has been a firm favorite among RPG fans. With the compelling story of the original trilogy following Commander Shepard and their crew as they faced down a Reaper invasion, players had the chance to explore a vast Milky Way galaxy. After the trilogy concluded, the Mass Effect series moved the action to the Andromeda Galaxy and introduced a brand-new protagonist and cast of characters as the franchise went in a different direction. Mass Effect: Andromeda wasn't received quite as well as the previous mainline games, but it still found its fans.
Now players are eagerly awaiting the next installment. The upcoming Mass Effect is still pretty much a mystery, but thanks to the recent trailers and teases, fans are already full of theories. BioWare has been clear that the next entry will not forget about the slightly less well-received Mass Effect: Andromeda, and the inclusion of both galactic settings has some interesting narrative implications. However, featuring both the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies could also lead to some unnecessary complications.
Mass Effect 4's Two Galaxy Approach
One trailer for Mass Effect 4 opened with a shot of the two galaxies – a subtle indication that both the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxy will feature in the next game in some way. It’s not currently clear to what extent either setting will be used, but with the Milky Way in the foreground and Andromeda being on the peripheries, it seems like the first might be the prominent location used in the game. This seemed to be confirmed by Liara's appearance in the trailer, especially as she picked up what looked to be a piece of Shepard's N7 armor. Many fans will be excited to see so many familiar elements make a return in the next Mass Effect game, but there are also some potential downsides as well.
Expanding The Mass Effect Story
The Mass Effect trilogy established a diverse galaxy with multiple alien races working to overcome tumultuous histories of political and cultural upheaval as they came up against a common enemy. The Milky Way galaxy that BioWare created was full of life and fascinating characters, and while Shepard's story arc culminated in a galaxy-saving sacrifice (depending on player decisions), there is still lots to explore. Gamers learned more about the ancient Reaper threat, the complicated origins of the Geth, and the motivations of the mysterious Leviathans. However, many questions still remain unanswered, and the next game could go a long way to answering them.
Mass Effect: Andromeda also left plenty of doors open for more narrative developments. Humans and the other Milky Way species are still new arrivals in Andromeda, and they have a long way to go before they can truly call it home. The Angara are also rebuilding themselves after the Kett occupation, and the mystery of the missing Andromeda Initiative Ark hasn't been resolved in a game yet. Basing the story of Mass Effect 4 on some strands left over from the previous four games could be a way of neatly tying them all together, as well as building upon lore already established within the franchise.
Mass Effect Characters
Another big appeal for the next game to feature both galaxies is the potential return of plenty of fan-favorite characters. Although it seemed unlikely, Mass Effect 4 might have followed in Mass Effect: Andromeda's footsteps and moved the setting to another galaxy entirely and started fresh. This would have allowed the franchise to start again from a completely blank slate, but it would have made it extremely difficult for popular characters like Liara to appear. Her presence in the trailer seems to imply that she'll be a feature of the upcoming game in some way, but it also points toward other characters making a comeback.
Even if a large amount of time has passed, long-living companions like Grunt could also be in Mass Effect 4 and might provide another callback to the original trilogy. Angarans and most of the other Andromeda Galaxy inhabitants don't live for as long and would also have to make the potentially centuries-long journey back to the Milky Way if that's where Mass Effect 4 is set, so that seems to rule out Ryder's return along with any of their crew. Considering that characters from the original Mass Effect trilogy are on the whole more popular, fans will probably not be too disappointed by this.
Retreading Old Ground with Mass Effect's Narrative
There are lots of positives to the two galaxy approach – honoring the older games, tying all the previous Mass Effect entries together with the upcoming installment, and the possibility of fan-favorite elements making a reappearance like familiar characters. However, it could also cause some problems for the franchise's next entry. As the trailer for Mass Effect 4 would suggest, the next game is still looking backward to some extent. There will undoubtedly be new features, game mechanics, and storylines to pursue, but if the game is set in either the Milky Way or Andromeda (or both), it will inevitably retread some old ground.
Major locations will probably need to be revisited, but while there will likely be massive changes due to the fallout of the Reaper invasion, the destruction of The Scourge, a massive time jump, or a combination of all three, exploration won't quite be the same. Players might not be discovering as many new locations as in previous entries, particularly Mass Effect: Andromeda which presented gamers with a whole new collection of worlds and a society to get to know. Details of Mass Effect 4's story aren't clear just yet, but there's an ever-present danger that it will focus too much on the older games instead of trying to forge its own place in the franchise.
Particularly after Mass Effect: Andromeda's fairly lukewarm reception, BioWare may be keen to move back into the safer territory of the first three Mass Effect games. But while Mass Effect: Andromeda made some mistakes, it had its positives too. Featuring both galaxies shows that at least Andromeda won't be forgotten, but it remains to be seen if this is a smart move or just a safe one.
The next Mass Effect is in development.