So, I want to start writing these things I’m gonna call First Impressions. I don’t have enough time at any point to really dig in with a game and the big boys like Mass Effect Andromeda are threatening to pass me by as a result. This article will therefore be me talking about dipping my toe into the big bad galaxy instead of a definitive review.
The game starts off nicely and in a familiar fashion; quick-start or custom character? Was Shepard male or female? Vanguard, adept, soldier, etc.? For what it’s worth if you’re about to grab the game then custom character; there’ll be no major difference but you’ll put your own spin on your adventure. You’ll wake up as whichever Ryder twin you picked upon the Earth vessel Hyperion after a 600 year cryo-nap. You’ve made the trip from the Milky Way galaxy to Andromeda in search of a new home and immediately find things aren’t panning out as the Initiative had hoped.
It looks immediately as though there’s a few issues for you and your shipmates to work through, though your primary point of contention has to be the mean looking space-cloud known as the Scourge. It seems as though your new home has developed a number of problems since your team last checked it 600 years ago (shock) and now you’re going to have to check out and work upon the viability of the worlds here if you’re going to call one home. This is done nicely by completing missions, which feeds into the overall viability of the planet your standing on but also unlocks points for you to use and wake up other members of the space station you inhabit known as the Nexus.
It’s a fun idea to pitch in this way for a potential new home but what with it being a brand new galaxy there are new and dangerous life forms for you to meet/kill. It’s no spoiler to say that the very first new alien race you meet you’ll end up shooting as this is literally all set out within the first 15 minutes. They’re incredibly reminiscent of the Collectors from ME2 which is cool, though you’ll meet plenty of enemies on your travels; it seems a little bit of a shame that we still have armored and shielded versions of these enemies who you take down the same ways you did back in 2010, but then this is a tried and tested method and the new combat mechanics make for fun fights regardless. The new jump-jet mechanic means that you’ll be exploring new terrains in ways never done before, letting you reach higher platforms all across each planet. It also allows to to dash in any direction during a firefight which means you can move from one set of cover to another without being in the firing line.
The dynamic with your team upon the new ship is fun, the ship feels smaller though that’s accurate given that the Tempest is smaller than the Normandy ever was. It’s a gorgeous setting and your crew are just as interesting as the ship itself; Asari, Krogan, Salarian and Turian are there to great you within moments, though if any of your support group needs mentioning then it’s SAM. The Simulated Adaptive Matrix is an AI that the Initiative relies upon, but none more so than Ryder who’s SAM implant allows him or her to switch between profiles; soldier, adept, engineer and so on. This means that you can save your currently assigned abilities and profile perks to one of four slots on the favourites wheel, allowing you to rotate between 4 different profiles and up to 12 different abilities without having to go through the pause menu during a fight. As you sink points into the three disciplines: biotic, tech and combat, your profiles improve as well giving you greater perks from those that you’ve managed to rank up. Your team isn’t quite as malleable to your commands as you may be used to; you can’t command your biotic squad member to fire off a singularity and likewise you can’t ask your tech specialist to set off a small turret with overload. This is because your team now only has 3 active abilities per person, putting more focus on Ryder and how you choose to develop him or her. It’s nice, because you’re not concerned so much with how many points you’ll sink into your allies many abilities; simply which ability you feel you’d like to develop first for them. It leaves you feeling as though you don’t have to babysit people and they genuinely seem to come in handy in a fight.
The Verdict So Far: Mass Effect Andromeda is a fun game that remembers its roots nicely whilst also defining itself as a stand alone version of the Mass Effect universe. If you enjoyed any of the original trilogy then this is one to pick up. There’s a lot I haven’t done yet and I can’t wait to get back to the Tempest.
PIXEL PREP 