When a newMass Effectgame was announced by BioWare, fans rejoiced at the reveal of new content. From the short trailers and few other details fans have gathered so far, it seems thatMass Effect 4will return players to the Milky Way Galaxy, where Shepard’s war against the Reapers began and ended. Also, in thereveal ofMass Effect 4, fans got a look at Liara, one of the companions from the original trilogy, who appears to be significantly older than when players first interact with her.
Details like Liara’s age and some of the teaser images forMass Effect 4have raised plenty of questions among the franchise’s fan base. Some hopeful people are wondering whether there’s a possibility ofShepard returning inMass Effect 4, while others are questioning whether BioWare will canonize a specific ending fromMass Effect 3. Most, though, are happy to see a return to the sci-fi setting, especially with a return to where the first games began.
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However, even with a potential return to theMilky Way galaxy inMass Effect 4, it seems that gameplay may reflect the open-world style ofMass Effect: Andromeda. This is according to a recent job listing at BioWare for a Level Design Director. A requirement for this role is to have experience in “nonlinear, self-directed level design.” This heavily implies that the newMass Effectgame will let the player choose their own path around a level, rather than have that choice laid out for them.
While this doesn’t exactly mean that the nextMass Effectgame will be open world, it does imply that the game will take more influence fromMass Effect: Andromedathan it will the original trilogy.Mass Effect 1, 2,and3all used a more linear style of level design, directing players on a given path without many options for taking different routes. This decision for a less linear style of levels could still restrictMass Effect 4’smain story to select levels, each with a multitude of paths to take, similar to the level design of theDishonoredgames.
IfMass Effect 4is ditching the old level design in favor of an approach similar toMass Effect: Andromeda, it is possible that other features from the spin-off game could feature in the new title as well. However, it does seem thatMass Effect 4will be taking a new direction in a lot of ways, and some even believe that it mustmake up for some ofAndromeda’sshortcomingsby introducing new alien races and companions.
