Commander Shepard is an enormous figure in the gaming landscape. Synonymous with the Mass Effect series, the space-faring hero has reached a level of recognition deserving of such an iconic character.
Brave and righteous; kind and ruthless, Shepard is extremely multifaceted and talented beyond belief, capable of mastering weaponry, biotic abilities and engineering skills in a way not seen in other characters. This week, Redditors have discovered another of Shepard’s many aptitudes, the ability to move both eyes independently.
In a video uploaded to Mass Effect’s subreddit by user Extreme996, Shepard is shown with her left eye stuck staring at her nose while in a discussion with companion, Kaiden Alenko. Meanwhile, her right eye is sent darting all over the place as her head swivels about. Adding to the absurdity of the video, Extreme996 is currently undertaking one of Mass Effect 1’s more serious side missions, “UNC: Lost Freighter,” during which Shepard decides whether to euthanize a brain-dead passenger after everyone else on board was massacred.
Reddit commentors jest that, in a moment of existential dread, Shepard can see the Polish subtitles beneath her and is attempting to read them. Extreme996 goes on to joke that “I guess it’s true that polish is hard for foreigners.”
Other Redditors question the success of the Lazarus Project, the Cerberus funded program to bring Shepard back from the dead in Mass Effect 2. Paraphrasing the Project leader, Miranda Lawson, a user named Bacxaber quips that “Cerberus spared… some expense,” poking fun at Cerberus’ many failed scientific endeavors.
Still, more jokingly suggest that this glitch confirms the Indoctrination Theory which has circled in the Mass Effect community since the third game’s release. This theory suggests that Shepard, and therefore the player, was never in control, and that the Reapers had indoctrinated Shepard before they reached the Citadel during the Battle for Earth.
Other weird bugs have made appearances throughout Mass Effect Legendary Edition, featuring characters stretching through geometry and eerily spinning their heads a full 180 degrees. This isn’t even the first time that something has gone wrong with Shep's face in the remastered collection, as Shepard's eyes can erupt from his skull in Mass Effect 3.
Regardless of these issues, the Mass Effect Legendary Edition has been praised for its steady performance, impressive visual upgrades and gameplay enhancements. This emphasizes the love the community has for the Mass Effect franchise; despite certain missteps and quirky bugs which can entirely undercut the seriousness of a scene, the richness and depth which permeate the games shines through, and will hopefully continue to with the release of Mass Effect 4.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
