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The krogan are a fictional extraterrestrial
humanoid A humanoid (; from English ''human'' and '' -oid'' "resembling") is a non-human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of ...
species in the ''Mass Effect'' multimedia franchise developed by
BioWare BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American ...
and published by
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry ...
. A member of the species is first introduced in the 2007 novel '' Mass Effect: Revelation''. The krogan are typically depicted as large reptilian bipedal humanoids who are physically tenacious, favor mercenary work, and thrive on conflict and violence. The krogan are native to the planet Tuchanka, which is presented as a post-apocalyptic wasteland as a result of the krogan's global thermonuclear civil war in the distant past. The krogan are presented as having a complicated relationship with the rest of the
Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...
galactic civilizations, especially the salarians; a past conflict led to the other interstellar species unleashing a genetically engineered
biological weapon Biological agents, also known as biological weapons or bioweapons, are pathogens used as weapons. In addition to these living or replicating pathogens, toxins and Toxin#Biotoxins, biotoxins are also included among the bio-agents. More than 1,2 ...
called the genophage on the krogan, drastically reducing their population and potentially driving the species to a slow and inevitable extinction. From a design perspective, krogan faces are inspired by bats. Their bodies are covered in a thick exoskeleton which is expressive of their battle-hardened nature. Animation limitations meant that krogan's design had to be tweaked in order to fit into human animation skeletons, which prompted the developers to increase the size of their back area in order to maintain the species' intimidating image. The krogan have appeared in most ''Mass Effect'' games and media, and are available as playable characters in the multiplayer modes for ''
Mass Effect 3 ''Mass Effect 3'' is a 2012 action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major entry in the ''Mass Effect'' series and the final installment of the original trilogy, it was released in March 2012 for ...
'' and '' Mass Effect: Andromeda''. Major characters include
Urdnot Wrex Urdnot Wrex is a fictional character in BioWare's ''Mass Effect'' franchise, who serves as a Party (role-playing games), party member (or "squadmate") in the Mass Effect (video game), first game of the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy. He is a krogan, an ...
, Urdnot Wreav,
Grunt Grunt, grunts or grunting may refer to: Sound and music * Grunting (tennis), in tennis refers to the loud noise, sometimes described as "shrieking" or "screaming", made by some players during their strokes * Death grunt, the death metal singi ...
, Urdnot "Eve" Bakara, and Nakmor Drack. The krogan are the central figures of the krogan genophage storyline, which spans most of the original ''Mass Effect'' trilogy and is referenced in '' Mass Effect: Andromeda''. The storyline has received a very positive critical reception and is praised for its moral complexity and nuanced writing, in particular for its effectiveness as a plot device to create friction between alien species as well as a method to develop several characters of the series.


Background

Within the series, the krogan are described as having warred over dwindling habitable land on Tuchanka thousands of years before the events of the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy.
Nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either nuclear fission, fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and nuclear fusion, fusion reactions (thermonuclear weap ...
were deployed in such numbers that the krogan created a
nuclear winter Nuclear winter is a severe and prolonged anti-greenhouse effect, global climatic cooling effect that is hypothesized to occur after widespread firestorms following a large-scale Nuclear warfare, nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact ...
and transformed their planet into a radioactive wasteland. The krogan were reduced to primitive, warring clans as a result. Two thousand years before the events of the original trilogy, the salarians " culturally uplifted" the krogan by intervening in their development. The krogan were given faster-than-light technology by salarians, rather than discovering or developing it on their own, and were relocated to a new habitable world to live on. This was motivated by the salarians' desire to manipulate the krogan as soldiers to combat the rachni, who were winning a war against the Council at the time. Within two krogan generations, the krogan had the numbers to not only defeat the rachni for the council, but also push them back to their home world and commit
genocide Genocide is violence that targets individuals because of their membership of a group and aims at the destruction of a people. Raphael Lemkin, who first coined the term, defined genocide as "the destruction of a nation or of an ethnic group" by ...
on the species. As reward for their efforts, the krogan were awarded former rachni worlds and several other planets in Citadel space to settle. Their fallen were even honored with a monument in the Citadel, which still exists in the trilogy's timeline. However, the salarians' gambit backfired when the krogan population, uncontrolled by natural predators or harsh environments, exploded. Facing a population crisis, the krogan forcefully extended their dominion to other planets The krogan eventually founded a colony on the asari world of Lusia and refuse to leave. In response, the Council ordered the Spectres,
special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...
personnel originally founded to keep the krogan in check, to strike at the krogan, who retaliated and sparked the Krogan Rebellions. The Citadel Council also made first contact with the Turian Hierarchy, who eventually join the war against the krogan. The Krogan Rebellions continued unabated as the krogan were able to persist due to their high birth-rate. The
turians The turians are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial humanoid sapient species in the Mass Effect, ''Mass Effect'' multimedia franchise developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. Turians are the first alien spe ...
eventually deployed the genophage, a biological weapon developed by salarian scientists, on the krogan. This forced the krogan to accept the turian terms of surrender. Once hailed as the saviors of the galaxy from the rachni, their role at the center of the Citadel military has been replaced by the turians, and are a shadow of their former prominence by the events of the original trilogy. Due to the genophage, which causes near-total sterilization of the krogan, their birth rate have plummeted with only 1 in 1000 krogan births being viable.


Concept and design

During the initial concept stage for the krogan's visual design, the writing team for ''Mass Effect'' provided a short written paragraph to the design team, which contains a basic description of the species, lore background, and specific but concise details on what they require for the race. Associate art director Matt Rhodes chose the
wrinkle-faced bat The wrinkle-faced bat (''Centurio senex'') is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae and the only identified member of the genus ''Centurio''. This bat is found in various countries in and around Central America. It eats fruit but is not ...
as his basis for krogan faces, as he felt that their faces look alien to him. He refined the concept by creating more drawings of different animal species, and then blending the disparate designs he has seen for the final design. As a battle-hardened race, something akin to a thick
chitin Chitin (carbon, C8hydrogen, H13oxygen, O5nitrogen, N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of N-Acetylglucosamine, ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cell ...
exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...
was given to the race. The heavy skin of an
Indian rhinoceros The Indian rhinoceros (''Rhinoceros unicornis''), also known as the greater one-horned rhinoceros, great Indian rhinoceros or Indian rhino, is a species of rhinoceros found in the Indian subcontinent. It is the second largest living rhinocer ...
was used as the reference for the krogan's body. Originally, the eyes of a krogan were located on the sides of their heads; as they were being modeled, the modeler noted that this was a typical trait of prey animals. Rhodes agreed with his colleague's assessment, and so the eyes of the krogan were moved to the front to match their predatorial nature. This had the benefit of both making their design more believable, and worked better in conversation. The team faced limitations when texturing and preparing the krogan character model for inclusion into the game as it still had to fit into a humanoid skeleton for animation purposes, which results in the deprecation of some early concept of large, apelike creatures. As the back area of a race was considered a "safe" area, which allow designers to play with the
silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...
without negatively impacting combat animation and conversations, the team resolved to increase the mass of that area for the krogan, which led to their characteristic large humps. The writing team would normally collaborate on top-level ideas and then individually take charge of specific characters and story arcs. The genophage story arc, which dominates the opening third of ''
Mass Effect 3 ''Mass Effect 3'' is a 2012 action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major entry in the ''Mass Effect'' series and the final installment of the original trilogy, it was released in March 2012 for ...
'', was written by senior writer John Dombrow, in collaboration with Patrick Weekes who wrote
Mordin Solus Mordin Solus is a fictional character in BioWare's ''Mass Effect'' franchise, who serves as a party member (or "squadmate") in '' Mass Effect 2''. A salarian (one of ''Mass Effect''s alien races) physician and life scientist who was once a membe ...
in ''
Mass Effect 2 ''Mass Effect 2'' is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Microsoft Game Studios and Electronic Arts. It was released for Windows and the Xbox 360 in January 2010, as well as the PlayStation 3 the following ye ...
''. The krogan concept as a tragic species waiting for redemption was heavily influenced by the 1992 space game ''
Star Control II ''Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters'' is a 1992 adventure shoot 'em up video game developed by Toys for Bob ( Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III) and originally published by Accolade in 1992 for MS-DOS. The game is a direct sequel to ''Star Contr ...
'' and referenced multiple races found in the game's plot. The krogan's troubled backstory resemble the brutish Thraddash, including their nuclear self-destruction and later weaponization against an arachnoid race''.'' Krogan biology is also influenced by the fast-breeding Shofixti, which informed their story arc of being uplifted into space following their self-destruction, depopulation in the aftermath of the Krogan Rebellions, and are ultimately repopulated as part of a potential story arc in ''Mass Effect 3''. The krogan land vehicle is repurposed from an unused early design of the Mako. Watts recalled that when the vehicle was driven around a level in the first ''Mass Effect'' during preliminary testing, the team found that the vehicle was too big and it was too so hard to spot the enemies or even try to shoot them. It proved to be a perfect fit in Tuchanka, where its oversized tires are a sensible asset for driving over rubble and war-torn terrain. One of the enemy types introduced in ''Mass Effect 3'' are brutes, designed as a repulsive synthesis of the body of a krogan and the head of a turian; the homeworlds of both species are closely linked in the invasion plan of the Reapers within the narrative. Brutes are large, tough enemies armed with oversized claws that can pick up enemies and mash them into the ground, though their abdomens and vital organs are protected by armor plating which can be blown off with sustained attacks.


Attributes


Biology

In terms of physical appearance, the krogan have been variously described as a horny toad crossed with a
stegosaurus ''Stegosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of herbivorous, four-legged, armored dinosaur from the Late Jurassic, characterized by the distinctive kite-shaped upright plates along their backs and spikes on their tails. Fossils of the genus have been fo ...
, or "
toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...
s with sharp teeth". Krogan are usually more than 7 feet tall; the large shoulder humps on a krogan individual store fluids and nutrients, which enables them to survive for extended periods without food or water. Krogan naturally reproduce and mature at an extremely high rate, and are also capable of living for centuries, sometimes well over a thousand years, before dying a natural death. Biotic individuals are rare, though those who do possess the talent are typically quite strong in their abilities. Battlemasters such as
Urdnot Wrex Urdnot Wrex is a fictional character in BioWare's ''Mass Effect'' franchise, who serves as a Party (role-playing games), party member (or "squadmate") in the Mass Effect (video game), first game of the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy. He is a krogan, an ...
are elite warriors who combine biotic abilities with advanced weaponry and tactics. Krogan possess a thick and nearly impervious hide, which is extremely hardy and very resistant to cuts, scrapes, and contusions. A mature krogan's skin is similar to a tortoise's in quality, whereas a younger krogan has finer skin, which looks softer and is scaly like a lizard. Similar to a newborn baby's skull with soft bones, a young krogan's crest consists of many smaller segments that have yet to form into a solid plate. Male krogan who reach an older developmental age has a full crown with large spikes. Krogan also possess multiple secondary and tertiary organs for all of their major bodily systems, which serve as backups should the primary organ be damaged. Krogan have four testicles which reside in distinct sacks. Krogan are also highly resistant to radiation, poisons, and extreme temperatures. Krogan can enter a “blood rage” in which they become impervious to pain, and are said to be virtually impossible to paralyze.


Culture

The krogan are depicted as having evolved a range of extraordinary abilities and traits in the evolutionary crucible of their homeworld Tuchanka's intensely hostile environment, which in antiquity kept their population at sustainable equilibrium until krogan culture reached its industrial age. The instincts that helped the krogan to conquer Tuchanka and led to their self-destruction are just as strong following the deployment of the genophage, but are no longer supported by their prodigious rate of reproduction, as the salarians had underestimated the krogan's cultural drive to prove oneself in life by facing deadly challenges. In modern krogan society, isolated male krogan roam the galaxy and are usually employed in mercenary work for and with other species. They are highly territorial and do not share living space, even within a starship's necessarily cramped confines. Female krogan are rarely seen outside of the few krogan-dominated worlds, where they primarily live in powerful, fiercely defended all-female clans that focus on the breeding of each meager new generation. The krogan's slow decline due to genetically engineered impotence with the possibility of an inevitable extinction, lead to many individuals hardening their personalities and becoming self-centered. Much of their culture is characterized by resentful attitudes and existential fatalism, though some individuals remain optimistic that their species will still somehow survive.


Homeworld

Tuchanka first appears in ''Mass Effect 2'', where it is established as a bomb-blasted planet. Tuchanka's surface was not always covered in bombardment craters, radioactive rubble, choking ash, salt flats, and alkaline seas, as it was teeming with life thousands of years before the events of the trilogy, where thick jungles of tree-analogues and highly competitive fauna grew in fierce abundance under the searing heat of its sun Aralakh. As krogan society remained fundamentally oriented around perseverance over deadly adversity, the krogan turned on each other after taming their environment. Global thermonuclear war irradiated Tuchanka into a wasteland, with a nuclear winter that followed its aftermath killed off much of the remaining plant life while the surviving krogan retreated into massive underground bunkers from the nuclear fallout. Krogan society would revert to a tribal Stone Age over thousands of years, where they live among the ruins of their once glorious civilization. Among the advanced technology offered to the krogan by the salarians included the means to stabilize Tuchanka's ruined atmosphere via terraforming technology. A high tech atmospheric device known as The Shroud is built by the salarians to block the harsh heat from Aralakh. Notable wildlife native to Tuchanka include the dog-like varren, crab-like klixen and giant carnivorous subterranean sandworms known as thresher maws. One notable creature is Kalros, "the mother of all thresher maws" who plays a significant role in the spiritual beliefs of krogan society as well as repelling the Reaper invasion of Tuchanka. In ''Mass Effect 3'', the ruins of a lost krogan city encountered by
Commander Shepard Commander Shepard is the player character in the ''Mass Effect'' video game series by BioWare (''Mass Effect'', '' Mass Effect 2'', and ''Mass Effect 3''). A veteran soldier of the Systems Alliance Navy, an N7 graduate of the Interplanetary Co ...
's party is meant to evoke a notion that the krogan civilization may be worth saving, and they once created works of beauty before the collapse of their society as well as their own near-extinction. The architectural style of the ancient ruins are based on the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, over which a veneer of krogan aesthetics is placed to project a more brutal nature. Minor battle damage and sparse foliage dot seen all over the ruins imply that even in the face of mass destruction, life has a dim and fragile hope of persisting.


Appearances


''Mass Effect''

Krogan characters are featured prominently in several ''Mass Effect'' media including novels, comics and an animated film where they are usually depicted as mercenaries and often assume antagonistic roles. The first krogan character in the media franchise, a battlemaster named Skarr, appears in '' Mass Effect: Revelation'' as a secondary antagonist. In the novel, Skarr is hired by the batarian nobleman Edan Had'dah to kill Kahlee Sanders, and is later defeated and killed by David Anderson. In the ''Mass Effect'' video game series, krogan characters are encountered either as non-player characters or enemy units in innumerable missions and scenarios. Several krogan character variants are playable in the multiplayer modes of ''Mass Effect 3'' and ''Mass Effect: Andromeda''. The first ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the galaxy using technology left behind by Elder race, a ...
'' game provides a comprehensive background for the krogan genophage storyline within in-game dialogue and codex entries, and introduces
Urdnot Wrex Urdnot Wrex is a fictional character in BioWare's ''Mass Effect'' franchise, who serves as a Party (role-playing games), party member (or "squadmate") in the Mass Effect (video game), first game of the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy. He is a krogan, an ...
, an agent of the Shadow Broker who joins the crew of the '' SSV Normandy'' to pursue the rogue turian Spectre
Saren Arterius The ''Mass Effect'' series, a military science fiction media franchise developed by Canadian video game developer BioWare and owned by American publisher Electronic Arts, features an extensive cast of characters. It is primarily based on a seri ...
. Upon discovering Saren's base of operations on the planet Virmire and that his scientists has successfully developed a cure for the krogan genophage there, Wrex insists that the cure must be preserved at all costs and turns on Commander Shepard. If Shepard successfully convinces him to stand down and cooperate with the team's mission to destroy Saren's base, he will return in later sequels and eventually become a leader of the krogan people. ''Mass Effect 2'' introduces
Grunt Grunt, grunts or grunting may refer to: Sound and music * Grunting (tennis), in tennis refers to the loud noise, sometimes described as "shrieking" or "screaming", made by some players during their strokes * Death grunt, the death metal singi ...
as an optional party member who is obtained after Shepard attempts to recruit Okeer, a krogan warlord and scientist who has been developing genetically engineered krogan in an attempt to counter the genophage. Shepard may visit the krogan homeworld Tuchanka as part of Grunt's subplot, where either Urdnot Wrex or his half-brother Urdnot Wreav is encountered as the leader of Clan Urdnot. The krogan genophage also plays a central role in the overarching subplot of the salarian scientist
Mordin Solus Mordin Solus is a fictional character in BioWare's ''Mass Effect'' franchise, who serves as a party member (or "squadmate") in '' Mass Effect 2''. A salarian (one of ''Mass Effect''s alien races) physician and life scientist who was once a membe ...
, whose protégé Maelon has resorted to experimenting on krogan females in order to find a cure. ''Mass Effect 3'' deals with the resolution of the krogan genophage storyline. After meeting with Primarch Victus, leader of the Turian Hierarchy, he pledges support to Shepard on the condition that the krogan help defend their homeworld, Palaven. The leader of Clan Urdnot, by now effectively the head of state of the krogan people, refuses unless and until the genophage is cured. A cure is being developed by Mordin, or Padok Wiks if Mordin did not survive the events of ''Mass Effect 2'', with the help of a fertile female krogan nicknamed "Eve", and is to be dispersed through the Shroud structure on Tuchanka once successfully completed. On the other hand, Dalatrass Linron, the leader of the Salarian Union government, reveals that the Shroud had already been compromised and offers Shepard her government's support for the war effort against the Reapers. Ultimately, Shepard must either allow the salarian scientist to undo the sabotage and complete the cure, or stop them from deploying the cure. A successful sabotage will deceive Wreav but Shepard will be forced to kill Wrex on a later occasion, losing krogan support in the process. In ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'', the krogan are one of the Milky Way species participating in the Andromeda Initiative, a civilian project which sends settlers on board "ark ships" on a one-way trip to the
Andromeda Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It was originally named the Andromeda Nebula and is cataloged as Messier 31, M31, and NGC 224. Andromeda has a Galaxy#Isophotal diameter, D25 isop ...
prior to the events of ''Mass Effect 3''. Nakmor Drack, a member of Clan Nakmor, joins the crew of the Andromeda Initiative Survey Ship ''Tempest'' as a companion of the human Pathfinder. Taking a cue from Mordin's prior work on the genophage, the krogan that have participated in the Andromeda Initiative have undergone gene therapy while in cryosleep and managed to improve the viability of their offspring by a small, but significant, percentage. The success of this procedure is proven when Drack's granddaughter, Kesh, gives birth to a healthy clutch of krogan infants after the defeat of the Kett.


In other media

The krogan are referenced as an
easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian holiday of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are commonly used during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The ...
in '' Dragon Age: Inquisition'', a video game also developed by BioWare. The krogan are featured as a themed
skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...
for ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...
'' player characters, released on November 7, 2019 in commemoration of "N7 Day", an informal celebration of the ''Mass Effect'' franchise observed annually.


Analysis

The genophage has been compared to real world population control methods employed against mosquitoes. An example cited is a controversial gene therapy technique that targets mosquito larvae, wiping out populations of mosquitoes carrying deadly diseases by creating a new breed of mosquitoes that have defective genes, which sparked ethical concerns for its unforeseen impacts to the wider biosphere. In an article published by ''Kotaku'' in 2013, Sebastian Alvarado from
Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
analyzed whether the genophage is scientifically possible in the real world. The relationship and history between the salarians and the krogan have been analyzed at length by a number of sources. Marino Carvalho noted that the game's lore "demonstrates that there are specific levels of development within which technological advancement is safe", and cautioned against the proliferation of technology without heed of morality or consequences. Amy M. Green observed that the salarians, as colonizers, decry responsibility and blame the krogan for creating their own misery when the consequences of their own unethical actions continue to destabilize the krogan long after the Krogan Rebellions have ended.
Evan Narcisse Evan Narcisse is an American comic book writer, journalist, and video game narrative designer. Narcisse began his working career as a journalist who has reported on video games for several media outlets, such as ''The Atlantic'', ''The New Yor ...
drew parallels between the exploitation of the krogan and real world history, such as the Buffalo Soldiers, the Tuskegee experiments, as well as
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
and
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
strategies of propping up despotic proxy regimes during the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
.


Reception

The moral complexity of the krogan genophage and the player's opportunity to decide on the future of the krogan race, one of the major plot points in the original trilogy, has received a very positive reception. Critics, such as ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' staff, consider the krogan genophage to be one of the most compelling and profound stories in the ''Mass Effect'' universe. Tom Phillips from ''
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 alongside parent company Gamer Network. In 2008, it started in the formerly eponymous trade fair EGX (Eurogamer Expo until 2013) organised by its parent company. Fr ...
'' picked Priority: Tuchanka in ''Mass Effect 3'', where Shepard gets to decide on the fate of a species and whether to cure the genophage, as the finest moment of the ''Mass Effect'' trilogy. He noted that "its choices run deeper, the consequences greater, and the writing is some of the finest throughout the trilogy". To him, the mission's best aspect is that there is no clear ideal outcome, and called it "a masterpiece full of character moments" and the culmination of storylines involving the krogan genophage which had been building since the first game. Sebastian Alvarado from ''Kotaku'' said the storyline challenges players with necessary moral dilemmas and to be accountable for their actions, and serves an "ugly reminder of human history in the early 20th century where several countries practiced forced sterilization, often as part of a eugenics program." Timothy J. Seppala from ''
Engadget Engadget ( ) is a technology news, reviews and analysis website offering daily coverage of gadgets, consumer electronics, video games, gaming hardware, apps, social media, streaming, AI, space, robotics, electric vehicles and other potentially ...
'' praised the complicated krogan and salarian relationship, which underpinned the krogan genophage storyline and is continued into ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'', as a prime example of the developers' "absurdly detailed world building". Narcisse noted that Wrex's dialogue about his people's situation in the original ''Mass Effect'' reminded him of the plight of Native Americans, and he pointed to the land struggles faced by the "remnants of the
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...
, Coeur d'Alene and
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...
nations" as an example. As a result, Narcisse sympathized with the krogan and felt an "odd kind of kinship" with the character as a black man. Matt Bradford from ''
GamesRadar+ ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and '' Compute ...
'' opined that it is understandable for the krogan to come across as bitter since they were deliberately infected with a biological weapon that is slowly rendering them extinct. According to player statistics released by BioWare for ''Mass Effect 3'', an overwhelming majority of players chose to cure the genophage and save the krogan from extinction in their playthroughs. Andy Kelly from ''PC Gamer'' consider the krogan to be one of the best enemies in PC gaming, noting that they do not hesitate about charging into gunfire unlike most other enemies, and that a single shotgun-wielding krogan can decimate a player's entire squad if they are not careful. Krogan characters have been cosplayed and depicted in fan art, among other forms of fan labor.


References


External links

* * {{Mass Effect Extraterrestrial characters in video games Fictional reptilians Fictional warrior races Mass Effect characters Video game characters introduced in 2007 Video game species and races