I can not wait for the high-definition mass-effect trilogy. I was actually so excited that I gave in and tried to play Mass effect Andromeda, a game I deliberately avoided during the launch. It was not due to the poison-poison, but it no longer helps because of the collective ‘meh’ it provoked in everyone who played (my colleagues included).
When I went to grab the game a few weeks back, I realized I had bought it two years ago. I picked up Mass Effect Andromeda: Deluxe Recruit Edition in 2019, for less than ten dollars, directly from the PSN store. (If you want an easy sign that a game has not done well, see how fast the online price drops.) But I still have not played it. I think I had a series of long games, and I did not invest the time, especially not with a game that might ruin a series for me.
But living alone during this pandemic gave me enough (read: too much) time to play through my backlog in the game, and it was now time to explore Andromeda.
Now I’ve finished exploring, and I realize this is not a bad game. It’s just not enough for everyone who likes the series. Quality varied greatly through the game. Some planets and portions lovingly designed and planned, while others resembled one-note areas with a random environmental hazard. (Do not start me off with all the repetitive parts that seem to express half of the game, such as the ‘remaining’ temple structures you must activate to establish your pioneers.)
I could only see when one planet gave more love and attention than others. The first one was Elaaden, the Andromeda home of the warlike Krogans, a desert desert with large pits, squeaking bugs, scavengers and a surface temperature that was not focused on human biology. Accessories here had a wild-west flavor, with new political twists, and a touch of your relationship with your Krogan member, and the mystery behind what went wrong in the Nexus, the collective space base for all the species that the journey to Andromeda.
Without spoiling anything. the final location also looks absolutely beautiful, with glorious plant life, space battles overhead and a hectic race chasing you through the whole thing. I later found out that I could not return to this place to explore the game in the section. What a waste.
Other planets and places are usually smaller than Elaaden, and the same criticism can be expressed on most parts of the original games, which do not have the impossible power to deliver larger areas.
But it is these larger areas that make use of what was new Andromeda: exploration. It does not surprise me that Bioware planned to focus on exploration with this game, and build on the story and action base refined in the first three titles. (Kotaku published a great deep dive about its difficult development.)