The following contains the text found within the second part of The Art of Mass Effect, published in 2007. The commentary was written entirely by Casey Hudson.[1]
Life-Forms[]
To add life to the worlds of Mass Effect, a galaxy of new creatures and aliens was required. To achieve a truly alien appearance for creatures and monsters, artists combined the features of earthly animals in strange combinations, creating unique new creatures with immediately recognizable traits. In addition to these basic life-forms, players would meet characters from advanced alien civilizations that would need to interact with the intelligence and emotion of a human being. Developing the anatomy and costuming of these aliens would require an extensive concepting process, as well as considerable reference to earthly cultures and creatures.
Asari[]
To capture a familiar element of science fiction [sic] "fantasy" fulfillment, one of the main species in Mass Effect was to be a race of beautiful "green alien girls". An extensive exploration of ideas was needed to make them appear exotic and alien while still retaining human qualities allowing them to be desirable as potential love interests.
Though they are able to wear clothing and armor meant for human females, special costumes were designed for the asari, ranging from the tight-fitting armor of the biotic commandos to the alluring clothing of the asari Consorts.
In developing an alien species, it is as important to visualize personality and spirit as much as anatomical details. These paintings helped to define the strength and mystery behind the asari.
Elcor[]
To create additional species to expand and diversify the populations of Mass Effect, BioWare's artists were free to explore countless ideas for weird and wonderful creatures. From this wealth of creativity, the elcor, volus, and hanar were chosen to become three distinctly different species.
The stout and powerful appearance of this concept became a front-runner for the elcor, but its bipedal stance was considered too human.
This painting (right) and its original sketch (above) cemented the design for the elcor. They also provided a definitive (and humorous) perspective on their personality.
Geth[]
In the first story drafts, Saren's geth army was actually a bat-like species. But as Mass Effect's underlying theme of organics vs. machines emerged, the geth were rewritten as a synthetic lifeform.
In contrast to the image of the classic metallic robot, the geth were designed to have a more lithe and sinewy appearance. One image (top left) appropriately captured this disconcerting approach, using rubbery tubing in place of veins and muscle striations.
Closing in on the final design, detailed paintings were made to establish material properties and other details that would help the 3-D artists create the geth, including the single blue "eye" that casts a horizontal lens flare.
Human Clothing[]
The design of human clothing helped establish the sleek and clean future of the Mass Effect universe. Early concepts focused on the graphical shapes and colors that would clearly differentiate characters from one another, such as mechanics, doctors, and bar patrons.
Human Armor[]
To create a unique and consistent style, all armor designs would be based on the same principles: the use of straight lines and circular arcs to create strong geometric shapes.
The final design for standard human armor (opposite, in white) created a futuristic and form-fitting look while retaining a functional appearance that could be effective in combat. Other armors were required for unique characters, such as the hazmat suit (above and opposite, in red).
Hanar[]
To quickly evaluate a wide range of ideas for alien anatomies, small silhouette concepts were produced. Though some of the spider-like shapes were compelling, they were too similar to some of the other creatures, such as the rachni. Instead, the jellyfish concept (opposite) represented a unique direction for an exotic species. Later concepts developed the hanar into a more slender, lighter-than-air creature.
Krogan[]
Filling the role of the big, brutish species in the Mass Effect universe, the krogan incorporated reptilian features. The final concept (opposite, top left) brought their design somewhat closer to human proportions, allowing them to move and fight as traditional soldiers.
Quarians[]
Creators of the geth, the quarians were overrun by their creations and forced to leave their homeworld. Their visual similarity with geth anatomy helps connect their history. Quarian clothing, seemingly pieced together from scraps, was designed to reflect their nomadic nature.
Tali represents the appearance of only one member of her species. What others might look like-and [sic] what they might look like under their visors-remains [sic] remains a mystery.
Salarians[]
To create a very alien and intellectual look, the salarians were inspired by the wide-eyed, delicate appearance of salamanders. Their bodies and armor were designed to support these qualities by creating a unique profile.
Salarian Clothing[]
For each species in Mass Effect, a range of clothing styles was required to create characters from various levels of society. The concept for the counselor [sic] robes (above) was approved as a final design, whereas many early concepts were never build (left).
Turian[]
Knowing that Mass Effect's villain would be a turian, artists gave this species features that would support his intimidating character. The bony face plates give turian characters a stern, hawk-like appearance, while the wiry body frame implies a potential for stealthy movement.
Volus[]
Sometimes a design seems to have a life of its own. The volus began as a heavily-clothed character with a gas mask (below) that developed into this lovable and portly final design (opposite). This final drawing inspired artists and writers to transform the volus into a diminuative, comical species.
Rachni Queen[]
While the rachni would initially appear as mindless monsters, the rachni queen would be surprisingly intellectual, in addition to being physically intimidating. Though she would be nearly 50 feet long, her design was inspired by tiny beetles and insects.
Rachni[]
Early versions of the rachni showed a spider-like form with deadly pointed arms that could attack with a stabbing motion. These would later become whip-like appendages that could attack from a greater distance.
As the final design of the rachni took shape, ideas for rachni eggs and hive entrances were developed to provide locations for rachni to emerge from.
The Thorian[]
Although the Thorian was originally written as a plant-like creature, its design transformed into a more slug-like appearance, achieving a grotesque and intimidating form.
Harvesters[]
The harvester was meant to be a very large creature that could only be defeated with the use of the Mako all-terrain combat vehicle. Althrough its final design (opposite, center) was built, it was never used.
Ambient Creatures[]
The Mass Effect universe is populated with a number of ambient creatures that give life to the environments. Gas bags (above, right) are lighter-than-air creatures that release poisonous fumes when "popped." Man-sized beetles (above, left) represent no danger but nonetheless, are a remarkable sight.
Varren[]
Creature designs in the Mass Effect universe employ a simple device to make them seem alien: an unnatural combination of familiar earth creatures. The varren are a perfect example of this, combining the body of a dog with the scaly skin and bulbous eyes of a deep-sea fish.
Thresher Maw[]
Possibly the largest creature in the Mass Effect universe, the thresher is able to burst from the soil without warning.
Keepers[]
To achieve the appearance of a "gentle insect", the design of the keepers was based on the praying mantis, with whimsical details (a vest and tiny backpack) to make them seem sentient.
Additional Concepts[]
In the process of exploring ideas for creatures seen in Mass Effect, many excellent concepts were drawn but not built. A team favorite was the "space goat" (top, right).
Trivia[]
- The unused harvester would eventually be incorporated into Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3.
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References[]
- ↑ Beyond the Game, Derek Watts section