Should the next Mass Effect continue the story of Andromeda?
Mass Effect is one of the legendary RPG franchises, as it allowed the player to lead a crew on the final frontier. The first Mass Effect game came out in 2007 with massive praise for its grounded storytelling and the cast of interesting characters. With Mass Effect 2 (2010) and Mass Effect 3 (2012), the trilogy was praised and considered to be a benchmark of RPG games. After the Trilogy concluded, fans wanted more from the Mass Effect universe, which came in the form of Mass Effect Andromeda, which failed to meet expectations, but has gathered a cult following over time. During the 2020 Games Awards, EA unveiled the next Mass Effect game, which left fans excited but divided. While some fans felt the new game should continue with the story of Andromeda and not drag the story of the original trilogy unnecessarily, others felt it should ignore Andromeda and continue the story of Commander Shepard and the Normandy crew. What went wrong with Mass Effect Andromeda  Starting from the end of Mass Effect 3, Bioware Games were beginning to be a letdown. After a legendary story over 3 games, the original ending of Mass Effect 3 was boiled down to a simple 3 button choice. Even though a later DLC fixed that, the cracks in Biowares system were beginning to appear. Even Dragon Age Inquisition (2014) despite being a beautiful game, somewhat failed to live up to the reputation built by Dragon Age Origins (2009) and Dragon Age II (2011). This constant lack of care was also a major cause behind the failure of Anthem (2019) even though it had the potential. Mass Effect Andromeda came out in 2017, a time when fans still had trust in Bioware and were hyped for Mass Effect. However, at launch, the game was riddled with game-breaking bugs and expressionless facial models. The story also felt somewhat dialed down, compared to previous Mass Effect games. Over time, multiple patches fixed the game, but by then, the reputation was already ruined. Over time, the game has gathered a cult following, as fans understood that Andromeda was its adventure, and not trying to build over the legacy of the original trilogy. The fans who gave Andromeda a second chance years later are confident in saying that the next Mass Effect should continue the story of Andromeda, and let the original trilogy be its own thing. However, only Bioware can tell what will happen as they have already confirmed their absence from EA Play 2021. Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinions of the writer. Edited by Srijan Sen