Following an announcement in November for a new game, Mass Effect dropped a trailer at The Game Awards 2020, giving fans a taste of what might be to come. The news comes after several years with no forward motion on the series after Mass Effect: Andromeda was released in 2017. For those who weren’t big fans of the Andromeda game and storyline, there may be hope for a return to the original narrative from the first three games, as Liara T’Soni has made a reappearance in the new trailer.
It is very possible the new Mass Effect game could be set some time after ME3, as Liara seems to be quite a bit older than she appeared in the original trilogy. How much time has passed and what Liara is doing aren’t currently clear with the information given via the teaser, but there is a chance her appearance could mean more content for those who were invested in the Shepard storyline. She also appears to be on a mission, potentially to track down Shepard or traces of what happened to them, but it is too soon to know for certain.
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BioWare has good reason to steer the new game away from Andromeda, which was not met with stunning reviews when it released. From issues with glitches and bugs, to an unfortunate problem with animation mistakes making every character look dead inside, Andromeda was seen as a disaster. The game feels disconnected from the rest of the series both in story and character development, making it lackluster in comparison to the deep narrative of the previous trilogy. While BioWare released patches to help mend the overall issues with Mass Effect: Andromeda’s gameplay, those updates weren’t enough to redeem the game entirely, and many still view it as a blemish on the series.
Mass Effect’s New Title Might Leave Andromeda Behind
While it is possible the new Mass Effect game might try to distance itself from Andromeda, it is more likely the story might just focus on the timeframe between the two games, linking them together in an attempt to bring Andromeda back into the original series narratively. The new game could also officially decide which of the ME3 endings is canon, as any content following the third game will need the conclusion to guide the plot, especially if characters like Liara and potentially Shepard are again involved.
Because of the recent departure of BioWare developers that had a lot of involvement with the series, this new installment for Mass Effect has a lot to prove, especially after Andromeda. The game will need to show the new developers can put out a solid game, and reassure fans the time of terrible glitches and rushed content are a things of the past. While it is unlikely Mass Effect will leave Andromeda behind in the story, it will need to leave it behind as an example of what BioWare is capable of developing if they want to continue to be supported by gamers in the future.
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