TheMass Effectseries is as expansive as it is beloved, spanning two whole galaxies and a range of core games, spin-offs, comics, animated films, and books. While fans may have thoughtMass Effect: Andromeda’s poor receptioncould have spelled the end for the series, BioWare reignited hopes forMass Effect’s continuation on N7 day 2020 with the announcement that a new as-yet-untitled game was in development.Mass Effect 4will be the latest installment and has the potential to take things in an entirely new direction. WithMass Effect: Andromeda’s controversies andAnthem 2.0’s cancellation, this could be an interesting few years for the BioWare series.
WhileMass Effect 4’s story, protagonist, setting, and even its title are still yet to be confirmed, this hasn’t stopped fans from speculating on everything from returning characters and potential powers to available romance options. However, it’s the state of the galaxy (or galaxies) inMass Effect 4and how it will handle interspecies relations that raise some of the biggest questions. Depending on when and where it takes place,Mass Effect 4may have to contend with First Contact all over again as the various worlds deal with the migration across galaxies and the possible destruction of the Mass Relay network.
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Mass Effect 4’s Potential Setting
It’s not clear what the main focus ofMass Effect 4will be yet, but from glimpses in trailers and details revealed by the developers, fans can start to piece together enough clues to begin building a picture. As Liara featured prominently in an early look at the game, it seems as if BioWare is hinting at an original trilogy focus rather than aMass Effect: Andromedaone. This makes sense, asthe originalMass Effecttrilogywas a critical and commercial success, and despite a slightly rocky ending, the games became firm fan favorites.
However, it seems like BioWare isn’t ready to let go of the fourth installment just yet, and other visual links toMass Effect: Andromedahaveappeared inMass Effect 4’s marketing material- like the silhouette of a possible angaran in an image, as well as the galaxy itself making an appearance. With this in mind, it looks like BioWare wants to combine the four previous games in some way and feature elements from all of them inMass Effect 4, undoubtedly leading to some very interesting alien interactions.
There’s also the question of just what state players are findingthe Milky Way galaxyin duringMass Effect 4. There were several infamous choices that players could make at the end ofMass Effect 3, and if the game involves the Milky Way it will need to make one of them canon. After N7 day last year, it seemed like BioWare was presenting the Destroy ending as the canon option, meaning that all synthetic life and the vital Mass Relay network were destroyed along with the Reapers. This will of course have huge ramifications for the galaxy as a whole and will impact the storyMass Effect 4will be able to tell.
Focusing On First Contact
First Contact between humans and the first alien species they encountered hardly went smoothly prior to the events ofMass Effectand led to a human-turian war.Interspecies relations inMass Effect: Andromedawere hardly any better, with the kett kidnapping and assimilating angarans and the Roekaar attacking any aliens they encountered. During theMass Effecttrilogy, the various alien races may have found an uneasy peace, but that didn’t mean they were entirely copacetic either.Mass Effecthas a history of antagonistic and turbulent interspecies interactions, andMass Effect 4is likely to be no different.
An interesting element ofMass Effect 4’s plot, if the Destroy ending is made canon, will be how long the different species are separated by the destroyed Mass Relay network. As some glimpses of the upcomingMass Effect 4hint at Mass Relays being rebuilt, species will inevitably come into contact with each other once again, meaning First Contact will have to be revisited. However, it’s also not that straightforward, as there were plenty of planets where different species already lived together, in addition to their much more homogenized homeworlds like Palaven and Thessia.
This could be further complicated by aliens like the asari and the krogans whose lifespans significantly outlast those of species like humans and salarians, and who could be among the only ones to remember the galaxy’s heyday. WhileLiara seems to be a feature ofMass Effect 4, this doesn’t rule out a significant time jump between titles, as asari can live for centuries, and she was still fairly young during the events of the original trilogy.
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New Aliens To Introduce
The hint of an angaran presence inMass Effect 4might not be the only thing fromMass Effect: Andromedato cross over into the new game. The post-credit scene implies that the kett threat is far from over, and both of these species could make their wayacross to the Milky Way inMass Effect 4. While the angarans are familiar with some Milky Way species, they never had the chance to meet drells or quarians thanks to their missing ark, not to mention the plethora of other aliens that didn’t make the trip to Andromeda. However, because of the poor reception ofMass Effect: Andromeda, BioWare may choose to leave behind a lot of this game’s elements in favor of fresher ones.
One of the key criticisms ofMass Effect: Andromedawas the lack of new aliens. Only two new sentient species were introduced, which was a poor offering compared to the diverse array in the originalMass Effecttrilogy. Bringing together established species – potentially from all four previous games – and dealing with rekindled alliances and antagonisms as well as first meetings seems like a tall order. Adding another entirely new (or several new) species might make the game feel a little too busy, but it could also serve to set up some interesting new villains and interspecies dynamics.
Mass Effect 4is in development.
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