Publisher: Bioware/EA
Genre: RPG
Summary: As the colonists of the Andromeda Initiative arrive in that galaxy, Ryder must investigate possible habitable worlds, mysterious technology, and alien life.
Gameplay: With a new engine, Andromeda is quite different from the previous Mass Effects. Perhaps over-correcting for the use of the space bar for everything in previous games, every action seems to require a different key (and the initial bindings are awful.) There's also no manual, which adds to the confusion.
I found the maps in this game to be especially puzzling, with lots of twists and different levels. The map always starts out zoomed out to the biggest degree, too. It can be difficult to find locations even when selected you're following a chosen quest marker. You can also only add one secondary marker. With a lot of stuff to do, this can be frustrating.
The scanner first seen in Kasumi's DLC is now a main game element for Ryder to scan and examine things. It's nice to see this taken to its logical conclusion, but while there are some clever instances, it's over-used in the game.
Scanning is also used for crafting, as scanning various objects will provide research data for weapons and armor. These can then be crafted if you have found enough of the required materials. With lots of steps and requirements and levels of the same equipment, I found this system finicky and not fun.
There are also puzzles involving sudoku-like rune-matching sequences, although these are sometimes not necessary and can be skipped. I mostly found them pretty fun, beyond a few especially irritating ones.
Another addition is the use of jump-jets that allow the character to
jump heights and distances. This is used in exploring as well as
combat, as Ryder will often to need to get over obstacles. This is
quite fun (although I have to wonder why it never caught on back in the
Milky Way.)
Long-distance travel on planets is again
handled by a tank, the Nomad. There is some strategy in figuring out
the best path and method of using its traction drive and jump-jets to
get Ryder were they need to go, which can be frustrating. The Nomad
also has no weapons, so you need to jump out whenever a fight starts.
This can also be irritating.
Classes are gone from combat, as Ryder can learn any ability. Only three abilities can be selected at a time, however. Different types of ammo and shielding are consumable, and squad members can no longer be directed to use their abilities. Pausing can't be used to line up shots or abilities but is just for switching guns or adding a consumable.
Overall, I dislike the combat changes. I miss the variety and replayability offered by the different classes. And I miss the strategy involved in commanding allies to make strategic attacks.
Style: I mostly played Mass Effect: Andromeda on an under-specced computer, but the scenery of the new galaxy still looked spectacular. Andromeda offers lots of fantastic visuals and lighting. There are nice little details like armor becoming sandy on a desert planet or frosty on an icy one.
However, facial animations are extremely awkward and some clothing seems flat compared to other textures. Whole-body movements, though, can sometimes be well done, with some nice fluid motions I haven't seen before.
Story: The game has to do a lot of justification to explain why and how all these colonists come to the Andromeda system, and it almost manages it. Ultimately, however, I found myself wishing they'd just gone with the Reapers as an excuse (or better finished a certain sidequest regarding this matter.)
Ryder's beleaguered explorer is a nice contrast to the professional soldier of Shepherd. I found the female Ryder more compelling; the voice acting made me spend much of the game wanting to give her a hug. Male Ryder seemed too casual (even given I was playing him more so.)
Ryder has a backstory involving their family, providing an additional emotional element. This is well done, but I wished I had more opportunities to define my Ryder. There weren't many occasions to explore Ryder's history or choose their opinions about their past, family, or current events.
The party members and other characters are also mostly well-defined and interesting (favorites will differ, as usual.) Party members each get personal quests, which are generally good and occasionally excellent. There are a nice selection of romances available as well.
With so many quests and so much required of Ryder, pacing is odd. Whereas I never had a problem with completionism in Dragon Age: Inquisition, the Andromeda plot provides an urgency to many quests that Dragon Age lacked, meaning the main plot felt kind of lost in the shuffle.
This is a pity, because the main plot is much better than the filler missions, which tend to involve a lot of running around without much resonance. The ending is satisfying (and further quest-going is integrated well.) There are a few loose ends and further possibilities, which makes me sad that at the very least it'll probably be a long time before I get to play again in this galaxy.
Andromeda does surpass its predecessors in that it has an overarching theme. While tying into the motifs of exploration and new beginnings, Andromeda is about legacy: what we take from our parents and ancestors, and what we do for ourselves. Much of the game ties into this nicely.
Conclusion: Mass Effect: Andromeda has an engaging story in an interesting galaxy, but is beset with many minor irritations (in fact, I think I'll make a separate post just to rant about them all.) It's sad to think of the missed potential, but there is still much to be enjoyed.