Highlights
- Mass Effect 4 could draw inspiration from Starfield due to similarities in setting, exploration, and alien interactions, adding an interesting layer to its gameplay.
- Starfield's planet-specific gravity system provides unique exploration and varied gameplay, impacting movement and stamina economy, which Mass Effect 4 could benefit from.
- Including a gravity system similar to Starfield would make the Mass Effect universe more plausible and enjoyable to explore.
As fans await more news about the upcoming Mass Effect 4, theories and speculation have run rampant. Since the basic premise of the game is still shrouded in mystery, fans of the franchise are left with little to go on, and comparisons to Bethesda's Starfield have started to be drawn in the weeks following the latter's release. Many players have even started to wonder if Mass Effect 4 will draw inspiration from Starfield.
While Starfield is quite different from the Mass Effect franchise in a number of ways, there are certain similarities that warrant comparison. An obvious connection is the setting; both games take place in space, and are grounded in real-world history. Neither have a Star Wars-style "in a galaxy far away" set up. Both games capture the majesty and wonder of space by allowing players to explore a number of different locations, interact with alien life, and settle into futuristic spacecraft that serves as a home base. Starfield does share one controversial element of Mass Effect: Andromeda, that being a sprawling open world, but to much better results. By taking some notes from how Starfield handles planetary exploration, Mass Effect 4 could add an interesting layer to its gameplay.
Mass Effect 4 Should Could Have Planet-Specific Gravity
Among Starfield's many impressive achievements is its ability to make each planet feel unique, despite there being so many of them. Similar to another interplanetary adventure game, No Man's Sky, most of Starfield's massive, natural environments are procedurally generated, with variable temperature, environmental hazards, and gravity levels. It's that last point that Mass Effect 4 would do well to focus on.
Starfield's unique planet traits may get a lot of attention, but the different gravitational pull of each planet is an unsung hero, helping provide unique exploration and varied gameplay. Planets in Starfield will have either more or less gravity relative to Earth, and this can have a significant impact on gameplay. Immediately, players will realize that jump height and ragdoll physics are heavily impacted by gravity, in a way that is intuitive and realistic. Additionally, higher-gravity planets will mean more stamina exertion, with the inverse being the case for lower-gravity planets. This forces players to approach the game differently, in both combat and exploration scenarios, based on which planet they are on.
It's not clear how much Mass Effect 4 will reintroduce from the previous games in the series, but it's likely that it will include some degree of exploration. Andromeda, despite its flaws, showed that BioWare isn't afraid to expand the scope of Mass Effect, and with Mass Effect 4 being developed for the ninth generation of consoles, the potential for sprawling, varied environments has never been greater. Rather than simply making each planet look different on a superficial level, BioWare can make each planet feel different, by changing the gravity levels and having that impact movement and stamina economy. If Mass Effect 4 brings back Andromeda's booster pack, variable gravity could have an even greater impact.
It may not be completely fair to measure Mass Effect 4 against Starfield, as they are wildly different games at the end of the day, but the gravity system is a valid point of comparison. After all, gravitational pull is dictated by size, so it doesn't make much sense to pretend that every planet a player visits in the Mass Effect series has Earth-like gravity. In other words, the choice to add a Starfield-esque gravity system would go a long way toward making the Mass Effect universe more plausible, in addition to making it more enjoyable to explore. With Starfield setting the precedent for planet-specific gravity, it would be wise for Mass Effect to follow suit.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.