It's been almost 10 years since we the Canadian developer studio BioWare into the world of Mass Effect for the first time. The trilogy revolving around Commander Shepard ended in 2012. Andromeda is now telling a whole new story, without Shepard and without the earth.
New galaxy without background knowledge
A big problem with the Mass Effect games is their complexity. Players who didn't dare to get started right away are often put off by this. With Mass Effect Andromeda this problem does not occur. A completely independent story is told.
In Andromeda, humanity takes the next step in space colonization. Thousands of people in cryosleep try to reach the Andromeda galaxy in a huge spaceship. The player slips into the role of Ryder, whether male or female is up to you. The task as a so-called Pathfinder is to find new planets for humanity to colonize.
The "Mass Effect Principle"
As known from its predecessors, Mass Effect is an RPG with an enormous focus on dialogue and freedom of choice. Tasks can often be solved with the help of communication, but weapons can always be used. Thousands of characters are waiting to interact with the player as the world adapts to your actions. In its predecessors nothing less than the complete extermination of an alien race was possible, so you know what to expect.
It all sounds great, but right now it looks like Andromeda is going to disappoint. Poor animations and bugs are criticized by players. The trade press is not really impressed either. With a current Metascore of 78, Andromeda would be by far the weakest game in the Mass Effect series. Let's hope that EA and BioWare provide patches quickly.
