I know that Anthem is literally just around the corner, like it'll be playable to those with preorders or Origin access next week, then onto it's full release! And of course, Dragon Age 4 is at-least 2 years away, which I'm extensively covering with video content every week. Yet here I am today, it's the start of 2019 and Jackdaw is creating a Mass Effect video...
You see, I love Mass Effect, it's my absolute favourite franchise among any series, book, film, show, game, etc! I give Dragon Age it's due credit, and I adore that franchise with all my heart (obviously), but Mass Effect is where BioWare truly shines in my opinion. Mass Effect is the franchise that I've grown up with for the past ten years, it's even half my age, I can technically say it's been with me for half my life.
I've honestly missed talking about Mass Effect, it's been so long since I've delved into content surrounding my favourite universe, I just can't let this series die guys and it seems Casey Hudson feels the same way!
So with that, today I'm once more looking into the future of Mass Effect, plunging into where the franchise will go since Andromeda's ramshackle attempt. Honestly, I respect Andromeda for trying to create a new narrative for the Mass Effect franchise, arching into many games. However, it's the direction that the game took, and the sheer lack of knowledge of games design from BioWare Montreal that, for the lack of better words, screwed this spin-off.
Andromeda didn't have the heart and soul of a Mass Effect game, and that's simply because the team had no experience with creating the previous entries. Though, now that Casey Hudson, the original trilogies director has since returned to BioWare, there's hope for the future now. Mass Effect has his vision, and under his supervision, perhaps we could get a return to this beloved franchise in due time, repairing the mistakes of Andromeda with a new entry in the series crafted from the same team as the trilogy.
With that, I guess we've got to ask ourselves what's next for Mass Effect?
Over the years, I've gathered and constructed many concepts and ideas for where this franchise could go from here, so lock yourselves down guys, because we're heading at ludicrous speed into the future of Mass Effect! First up:
Mass Effect Milky Way Spin-off:
This is probably the best possible way for Mass Effect to return in my opinion, this concept revolves around returning to the beloved Milky Way Galaxy as a new character surrounding an entirely new plot-line in a spin-off fashion.
I’ve always been enchanted by the idea of playing as one of the many races in Mass Effect, embarking on a grand space adventure, perhaps as a mercenary with a small crew, against a more localized threat. At least that's my pitch for now regarding such a spin-off!
This title would encompass origin stories just like Dragon Age: Origins, as an example, if the player we’re to be an Asari, perhaps they've lived a life on the streets of Omega, fighting for scraps and living in poverty, experiencing the true harshness of this urban lifestyle that Omega entails.
This could be a completely different narrative as to someone else who perhaps plays as a Volus growing up on Illium, or a Quarian living nomadically on a fleet. Either race the player picks, they'd always end up with the same goal.
From any lifestyle, perhaps the player would become a highly-skilled mercenary or freelancer, acquiring a ship for the first time in their life, building a squad and opposing a smaller threat within the Milky-Way. Just a quick, role-playing influenced idea there...
However, on the flip of that, perhaps the player and their squad are able to fit the role of anti-heroes within the galaxy, fulfilling a sort of 'Guardian's Of The Galaxy' archetype, allowing the squad to be slightly more antagonistic than ever before.
Even scrap that idea and let the player's just be antagonists in this world, let's have a Mass Effect game where we can be villainous, and stir up trouble in the Terminus System! I'm not rightly speaking on being a grand evil, I'm more for the idea of playing as a mercenary leader, experiencing a life of crime in a condensed space opera tied to this plot of backstabbings, betrayal and complete espionage.
Perhaps sneaking thorough the backstreets of Omega, assassinating contracts, smuggling and stealing resources, hacking into operations and even just blatant bank robberies, in Mass Effect's fashion of course!
It'd be a complete change-up from the previous Mass Effect titles, and the way I see this concept, it's more of a back to the roots of BioWare. They'd be a huge emphasis on character creation and freedom, with a story inspired by pen and paper role-playing games, inspiring more of a D&D feel than anything!
In any case, this scenario would allow me to fulfil my many fantasies of playing as one of the very many Mass Effect races, with a fun, jaded and morally grey narrative to boot, right back in the Milky-Way! With even the possibility of coming across so many of the beloved Milky Way characters that appeared in the original trilogy.
Perhaps not as simple as it sounds, but possibly this title could be a 'Mass Effect 4' set after Mass Effect three's events, this could be done if BioWare gave way to retconning three's ending. After accomplishing that, perhaps you could just pop this concept within the time-space after the Milky-Way is saved thanks to Shepard and Co.
Again though, this is just one of my fantasies, I could talk about this concept all day, perhaps I may do another video one day just on expanding this idea, for now though, we've got other ways to consider!
Andromeda Sequel - continuation of Mass Effect Andromeda's narrative, crafted by original dev's:
The next possibility surrounds the Andromeda Galaxy, within the game - Mass Effect Andromeda, the developers did a great job of opening up and setting this galaxy as a new narrative. The team were expecting on creating a trilogy within that space, they've planted plenty of seeds for the future of Andromeda.
So, perhaps with the original developers of the trilogy on hand, we could potentially return to the Andromeda Galaxy.
Of course, I've got a few ideas of how this could work!
The simplest concept is just a basic Andromeda sequel, perhaps fulfilling the repressing role as Ryder once more and picking up where things were dropped off. It'd be simple, however I don't think it'd be a good idea just considering the flack both Ryder and Andromeda's narrative got. it's still an idea though!
A better and more efficient way for Mass Effect to return to the Andromeda Galaxy is to simply set the events of the next title 500 years ahead. Allowing all of Andromeda's ongoing political turmoil, misguided narratives and just general settlement of humanity and other species on this Galaxy. No more Ryder, no more dull companions, a new pallete in a Galaxy that could've changed dramatically since it's very origin.
With centuries ahead since the last game, new threats and species may have evolved, more characters, different technologies, varied biotic capabilities, etc. A completely unique perspective on Mass Effect, just with the same original team working on this one. Perhaps a different protagonist, not related to the Ryder family with a fresh cleanser of a world, this could be a blank canvas for the Mass Effect franchise to start again.
In the same vein as this concept, however slight adapted considering Andromeda's flack...
Andromeda Galaxy meets Milky-Way:
Perhaps the Andromeda and Milky-Way Galaxies could convey a way to correspond and transport - to and from. Sharing an experience with both world-states, creating an incredible way to amalgamate the main games and spin-off together, creating an adventure and narrative that could sprawl between two Galaxies, perhaps there could be an even more apocalyptic threat that risks more than just the destruction of worlds, but instead Galaxies!
Rivalling an opponent with the capabilities to wreck supreme havoc, with the help of both the Andromeda and Milky-Way Galaxies, the narrative could easily over-arch, creating a huge space-opera scale of a story!
With this narrative set so far in the future, Mass Effect as a franchise would be recreating itself, with no more tie in's to Shepard or Ryder's adventure, this would be world's apart from either story. Which I guess could be a good or bad thing....
Anyhow, onto the next concept!
Reboot of franchise:
In a similar vein to games like PS4's God of War, 2013's Tomb Raider and Legend Of Zelda, Breath Of The Wild. Mass Effect could reboot itself following a similar a fashion, each of the mentioned games have accepted the past games narrative and lore, however don't particularly regard it, it's not necessary in it's new forwarding narrative. God of War for example, Kratos' previous narrative with the Olympian Gods, doesn't really have much influence in his remembrance of his lover, and new fatherhood revelations. Breath Of The Wild, hardly any of it's previous stories sway much within that games narrative... perhaps Mass Effect could attempt such a reboot for a future title.
Simply done by creating a new title, set it in the Milky-Way disregarding the previous events and continuing on a new adventure. If that doesn't intrigue you, perhaps an entire reboot of the original trilogy, or (as we'd all prefer) perhaps a reboot of Andromeda's story. Taking this new direction towards the discovery of the Andromeda Galaxy into a exciting, encapsulating narrative with the OG team helming the way, as it was supposed to be.
At best, this concept works as a retconning for a future title, ignoring or only subtly mentioning the past, perhaps as a reboot of the previous games, or a new adventure entirely!
The final potential future for Mass Effect comes from one of my Swallow-Bird Patrons.
Eli Deason:
"They really need to do the First Contact War. It's been hinted at for so long, that the hype behind it might put them back into the good books for most fans. It's also a very important part of the Mass Effect universe, that deals with Humanities first attempts at colonization and first contact with a alien species."
Prequel:
I agree partly to this concept, I'd love a prequel of Mass Effect, simply so I could go back and witness key events and characters that have shaped the experiences we cultivate in the trilogy. For instance, It'd make for an encapsulating story if we, as a human we're to be one of the few to travel into the first Mass Effect relay for the first time in history, going through that Charon Relay with an entire squad of humanities best, would be an enthralling experience!
Witnessing character's like Alec Ryder, Ashley's grandfather, etc. We'd see Jack Harper, before he became the Illusive Man, fighting in a galactic war against the Turians. Plenty of previous narrative's could unfold, setting the way for the trilogy, and as much as that sounds like a great idea, we all know the ending of it all.
This narrative's been told thousands of times within the games, books, comics, etc. It's a sold story, I feel to go back to that, may be slightly underwhelming, I think it's a great idea, especially seeing previous characters before they develop, witnessing their origin stories, but again this ship has already sailed, we know those plots already. It'd just be a rehash in my opinion.