On March 21, 2017, a new Mass Effect game set outside the Milky Way dropped. The hype at the time was palpable; after all, BioWare’s reputation was at the top of its game. There had been stumbles, but the ME1-ME3 were still highly celebrated and Dragon Age: Inquisition was yet another feather in BioWare’s cap. So, when Mass Effect: Andromeda dropped, many were highly disappointed.
The thing to keep in mind is that Mass Effect: Andromeda was NEVER a bad game, but it didn’t hit the same marks as the trilogy. It’s hard to live up to what’s come before, especially when that’s the Mass Effect Trilogy. But 5 years later, it seems Andromeda will always be remembered as part of the Mass Effect world, not as a discarded cousin.
What Mass Effect: Andromeda Got Right
First and foremost, Mass Effect: Andromeda’s combat was a diamond in the rough. It was refined and allowed players to change abilities on the fly to fit whatever it is they needed. Indeed, it’s something that hopefully Mass Effect 4 gets right. Some of the characters were lackluster, but many of them were also as compelling as ever. Jaal, PeeBee, Cora, and more all likely find their place in many fans’ hearts. The worlds and exploration was another feather in its cap, but the thing is, Andromeda was NEVER as bad as many seemed to remember it for a while.
Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Criticisms and Changing Fan Perception
Of course, the criticism and reviews of Mass Effect: Andromeda were not unfounded. It currently sits at a 72 average score and about 40% of critics recommend it. Part of this was a plethora of bugs and technical issues, with the character animations—particularly the eyes and facial expressions—of Mass Effect: Andromeda getting picked apart. In comparison to the Mass Effect Trilogy, the story had less impactful choices and was much more straightforward than most had anticipated. Other issues include excessive menu diving, overloaded tutorials, heavy exposition dumps, and more.
While not everything could be fixed, BioWare did a lot of work to improve some things like character animations. Many—either dissatisfied by the game, disappointed by the cancellation/lack of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s DLC, or unwilling to return for one reason or another—would be forgiven for never realizing how much support was put into Andromeda. The changes were clear when Mass Effect: Andromeda would release on Steam years later.
As of this writing, Mass Effect: Andromeda sits at over 7,000 reviews and 224 of them being recently on Steam. Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Steam reviews scale to Mostly Positive, not just because of how the game improved but because of the overall shifting perception. With its biggest issues fixed, it may not hit the highest bar of any Mass Effect game, but it becomes clear it’s a solid, fun game.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is Proof Any Game Can Be Redeemed
Many saw Andromeda as a death knell for the beloved franchise. Not only did BioWare announce it was icing Mass Effect after its release, but it seemed to be moving on with new games like Anthem. Of course, even those who were largely forgiving of Andromeda felt betrayed by the release quality of Anthem.
Its continued development was eventually canned, but had BioWare been able to fully pull off the Anthem 2.0 Reboot (made harder by the pandemic), it could have been in Andromeda’s shoes one day. Indeed, any game can be redeemed in the eyes of fans, should it openly tackle the issues. This goes for Cyberpunk 2077, which has trended upward ever since releasing at rock bottom, and Battlefield 2042—should EA pursue it thoroughly.
What’s clear is that Andromeda has found its way into the hearts of many fans, and BioWare isn’t abandoning it. There had to be some temptation to choose another new IP over Mass Effect or to return to the Milky Way, ignoring the events of the Andromeda Galaxy. It may have once been seen as the best option, but BioWare has made it clear Andromeda is going nowhere. There was an intentional two-galaxy shot of Andromeda and the Milky Way in one Mass Effect 4 trailer, and somehow bringing them together is incredibly ambitious. It also bodes well for the overall franchise.
But for many fans, it’s also incredibly exciting to see a game that once was considered the low hanging fruit of the franchise be lifted up—as far as its technical faults, as far as its place in the franchise, and as to the future of the new world Mass Effect: Andromeda showed fans.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is available on PC and PS5.
