Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda is the title of BioWare's upcoming game in the Mass Effect franchise. The game is planned to be released for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, and Xbox One.

Release

Mass Effect: Andromeda was previously slated for release on holiday 2016, but has since been moved to Spring 2017.

The Collector's Edition of Mass Effect: Andromeda will come bundled with steel game case and the buyer's choice of either a remote-controlled version of the Nomad vehicle or a die cast model of the Nomad.

Retail bonus items

Depending on where the game is purchased, what edition is purchased and whether or not it was pre-ordered, the customer may be entitled to one or more Retail Bonus Items.

The following table details which items are available based on which version of the game is purchased, and whether or not the game was pre-ordered.

	Standard Edition		Deluxe Edition	Super Deluxe Edition
Item	Preorder	Purchase	Purchase	Purchase
Deep Space Explorer Armor	✓		✓	✓
Nomad Skin	✓		✓	✓
Multiplayer Booster Pack	✓		✓	✓
Pathfinder Casual Outfit			✓	✓
Scavenger Armor			✓	✓
Pathfinder Elite Weapon Set (4)			✓	✓
Pet Pyjak			✓	✓
Digital Soundtrack			✓	✓
Multiplayer Deluxe Launch Pack			✓	✓
Multiplayer Super Deluxe Booster Packs				✓

Plot

The game takes place in the Andromeda Galaxy, "far away from and long after the events of the original trilogy," and is "very much a new adventure." The primary protagonist is a human called Ryder. Unlike Commander Shepard, Ryder has yet to achieve "hero status" prior to the start of the game, and will undergo a narrative arc more akin to the traditional hero's journey. While the male and female Commander Shepards are different versions of the same character, male and female Ryders are different characters said to canonically exist as they are twin siblings traveling to Andromeda with their family, including their N7 father. If a player selects the female Ryder, the male Ryder would be somewhere else in the universe and vice versa. However, the non-selected Ryder will not be a squadmate. The fate and whereabouts of the mother Ryder will also be addressed.

The Ryder twins are named Scott and Sara by default. Their father is Pathfinder Alec Ryder.

The Ryders will be onboard the Hyperion, an Ark starship that has been sent to Andromeda as part of the Andromeda Initiative to find a new home for humanity. A coalition of races from the Milky Way are also present in the journey to Andromeda.

Known returning races from the franchise include asari, krogan, turians, and salarians. Introducing in this game are the kett, bony-looking aliens with a militaristic bent.

Although there will be little to no reference to characters from the original trilogy, a few cameos are expected, but there will be no crew members from the previous games returning. Choices made in the original trilogy may be recognized, but will not be the main focus of the game.. Player choices related to the ending of Mass Effect 3 will not be acknowledged nor will a canon ending be selected. The original trilogy is said to provide a "foundational background," but it is intended that Andromeda be accessible for players who haven't played the original trilogy.

Gameplay

Gameplay will feature a "new and improved" version of the M35 Mako, the Nomad ND1, which can be customized.

Branching dialogue options will continue to feature, as will Interrupts. Paragon and Renegade choices will not be classified as such, but there will be decisions that feel like them.

The game will feature an online component, though unlike the Galaxy at War mode of Mass Effect 3, it is unlikely it will affect the main campaign in a manner similar to War Assets.

As with the trilogy, there will be a Galaxy Map for space navigation but it will be "different" from its predecessors. Fish for the player's cabin (and collecting/feeding thereof) will not be returning. Mineral scanning will also return, but with a different execution from previous iterations. The player starship, the Tempest, will not require periodic refueling unlike the Normandy SR-2.

Mass Effect: Andromeda will have about 7 player classes, but not in the traditional sense. Ryder can learn any ability and isn't locked to a single progression tree, but the squadmates aren't afforded the same level of flexibility.

To date, two squadmates have been revealed by Bioware: a human male named Liam and an asari nicknamed PeeBee.

Loyalty missions will return to the series after having been absent in Mass Effect 3. However, unlike the loyalty missions from Mass Effect 2, the loyalty missions from Mass Effect: Andromeda will not affect the game's ending.

As with the previous Mass Effect games, the ability to romance other characters will be available. However, romance in Mass Effect: Andromeda has undergone several changes. Deadlines in the game where a romance must be initiated have been eliminated as has the locking in of romances. Romances will offer differing levels of intimacy, including casual dating and non-sexual friendship akin to shooting bottles with Garrus in Mass Effect 3. Romanceable characters will show more variability in their preferences. Some characters will be more interested in emotional intimacy while others are more concerned about physical intimacy. Romance arcs will follow different paces for different characters with some willing to initiate a relationship immediately while others will take longer. It will be possible to romance multiple characters, though the reactions of the characters involved will vary in that some will react quite negatively while others will be more non-nonchalant about it.

Development

Unlike the previous three games of the main series, which were built using the Unreal Engine 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda is built using the Frostbite engine, which is also used by Dragon Age: Inquisition. Because of this, the game will be able to share assets.

Conceptually, the game is intended to embody the themes of "stranger in a strange land," "I am the alien," and becoming a hero. These ideas were present in the earliest days of the project. The Mako's return was similarly planned early in development.

Addressing the relative lack of female aliens in the trilogy, Mass Effect: Andromeda is slated to feature more of them.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is not expected to be the starting point of a new trilogy. It is still "to be determined" if the save file for the game carries forward, as is the question of future sequels altogether. It is also to be determined if there will be downloadable characters for the game. Future adventures in the franchise, however, are still possibilities.

In creating the romance mechanic, Bioware sought to create a more realistic and less formulaic approach to romance. Thus, they introduced more variability in characters' preferences. They also included more variation in the story arc of each romance, including the introduction introduction of more causal elements and allowing for more friendship. Bioware also took strides in making sure a character's sexuality makes sense for the character and avoiding "shoe horning" a sexual preference onto a character as well as to avoid a set quota for male and female romance options as well as making everyone a potential romance option.