Mass Effect Andromeda

''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The fourth major entry in the ''Mass Effect'' series, it was released in March 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One. The game is set within the Andromeda Galaxy during the 29th century, where humanity is planning to populate new home worlds as part of a strategy called the Andromeda Initiative. The player assumes the role of either Scott or Sara Ryder, an inexperienced military recruit who joins the Initiative and wakes up in Andromeda following a 634-year sleeper ship journey. Events transpire that result in Ryder becoming humanity's Pathfinder, who is tasked with finding a new home world for humanity while also dealing with an antagonistic alien species known as the Kett, and uncovering the secrets of a mysterious synthetic intelligence species known as the Remnant.

For ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'', BioWare incorporated a lighter tone than previous installments in the series, utilized open world elements, and placed an emphasis on exploration. Many of the series' traditional gameplay elements remain, while others are modified, such as combat, which is less cover-based and more mobile. The game is the largest in the series, and offers the player the freedom to focus on either the main quest or side quests. Its score was composed by John Paesano and aims to match the game's mood by capturing the adventure of space exploration.

In contrast to the original ''Mass Effect'' trilogy, which was spearheaded by BioWare's Edmonton studio, ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' was handled by a new team out of Montreal. The game experienced a troubled production cycle that saw many members of its leadership team depart mid-project and numerous changes in creative vision. It was built using the Frostbite 3 engine, which required that BioWare construct all systems, tools, and assets from scratch as the previous entries of the series were built using Unreal Engine 3. Following the game's release, BioWare released several patches in response to critical feedback, but decided not to release further single-player downloadable content additions.

''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' was announced in June 2015. Upon release, it received generally mixed reviews from critics, who praised the game's improved combat, atmosphere and visuals, while criticizing its story, character animations and technical issues.

Gameplay

''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' is an action role-playing game in which the player takes control of either Sara or Scott Ryder from a third-person perspective. Both Ryders' appearances and first names can be determined by the player. The appearance of their father, Alec, is automatically adjusted based on the appearance of the Ryder twins. Upon beating the game, a New Game+ is unlocked, which allows the player to restart the game with certain bonuses and switch to playing as the other Ryder, if desired. Players can also choose to continue playing with their existing character and complete unfinished missions.

Unlike previous installments in the ''Mass Effect'' series, where players begin each new game by choosing from six different character classes that each have their own unique set of skills, players instead have free rein to assign any skills that they want and build towards a specialty over the course of the game. For example, if the player chooses to invest solely in biotic skills, Ryder will unlock the Adept profile, which results in bonuses related to that play style. Experience points are earned by completing missions, and there is no cap on the number of points that can be earned. Once enough points are gained, Ryder levels up, which allows for the unlocking and upgrading of skills along a tree. Points assigned to each skill can be constantly reallocated so that players can experiment with multiple gameplay approaches without having to restart their games and build up their skills from scratch again.

Similar to its predecessors, the player can interact with characters in ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' using a radial command menu where the player's dialogue options depend on wheel direction. Around the wheel are four types of responses that shape each conversation: emotional, logical, professional, and casual. In general, conversations are based on agreeing or disagreeing with participants. During some conversations, the player is prompted with an "Impulse Action" that offers an additional choice to what is available on the dialogue wheel. For example, an on-screen prompt to "shoot" might appear and be momentarily selectable. By conversing with non-player characters, Ryder can develop friendships and, in some cases, romantic relationships with them over time. During both dialogue and quest sequences, the player is sometimes tasked with making moral decisions that do not have a clear good/bad distinction but are intended to be more nuanced, marking a departure from the Paragon/Renegade morality system of prior titles in the series.

Navigation and exploration

In ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'', the player explores the Heleus cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy by selecting destinations from the inside of a ship called ''Tempest''. By having Ryder stand on the ship's bridge, the player is able to overlook the stars using a galaxy map and choose a navigation point. The game features five primary planets and over a dozen hub worlds that connect the player to various quests that can be completed, such as taking out hostile enemy bases or hideouts, scanning for objects with useful data, or completing loyalty missions for Ryder's squadmates. As quests are completed, the player earns "Andromeda Viability Points", which allow for the waking of colonists from hibernation, and planets increase their "Viability Levels", which allow for the building of outposts. Each planet has a boss that the player may not be able to defeat at first and may need to revisit later once Ryder has sufficiently leveled up.

The game's primary planets have open world environments and can be traversed using the "Nomad", a six-wheeled, all-terrain vehicle. While driving the Nomad, the player has the ability to scan the planet's terrain for resources and then deploy mining drones to collect them. As new areas are explored, the player can find drop zones that serve as fast-travel points and allow for a loadout change. To aid the player in managing quests, the game automatically logs available missions in a journal where the player can select a single quest to make active, which is then marked on the game's user interface. Some planets have environmental hazards that must be accounted for, such as the planet Elaaden, where Ryder must avoid the heat to prevent taking damage. Over the course of the game, the player can find blueprints and resources that are used for crafting weapons and armor. All crafted items can be given customized names.

Combat

Combat in ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' takes place in real-time, and unlike previous installments in the series, pausing the game to aim or use skills from a menu is no longer a feature. During action sequences, the player has direct control of Ryder from an over-the-shoulder perspective, who can move around the battlefield in a variety of ways, including a side-to-side dash or vertical leap into the air using a jetpack. When the player approaches an object, Ryder will automatically take cover, providing the player with protection in battle. The game encourages players to keep moving during combat with large, open battlefields and enemies that attack from all angles, but also allows for both aggressive and defensive strategies.

Damage is dealt to enemies using gunfire, melee attacks, or specialized skills such as a flamethrower. At all times, three skills are available for use, along with a profile that provides play style bonuses. The player can rotate between up to four combinations of skills and profiles by setting up "favorite slots", which can be accessed during battle. For example, one slot might have three biotic skills and the Adept profile while another has three combat skills and the Soldier profile. A single skill cannot be deployed continuously; rather, after a skill is used, there is a cool down period during which the skill is disabled but other skills can be used. Some weapons in the game have a finite magazine and require players to replenish ammunition after a certain number of shots, whereas other weapons operate on an overheating system where the player must wait for the weapon to cool down after a certain number of shots.

Multiplayer

In addition to its single-player content, ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' also contains a multiplayer mode. The mode revolves around horde-style cooperative matches in which the player must survive escalating waves of enemies and complete a series of objectives. Before heading into battle, the player can select a character, allocate skill points, and manage weapons. Unlike in the single-player mode, where the player is limited to playing as a human, the multiplayer mode offers a wider variety of species to choose from. At the conclusion of a match, all players earn experience points and credits; the former is used for further character upgrades and the latter is used to buy unlockables. The plot of the single-player campaign is not affected by the multiplayer mode.

Synopsis

Setting and characters

''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' begins in 2185, between the events of ''Mass Effect 2'' and ''Mass Effect 3''. The four Citadel Council races and the quarians are planning to populate new home worlds in the Andromeda Galaxy as part of a strategy called the Andromeda Initiative. Each race sends 20,000 citizens on a one-way, 600-year journey to Heleus Cluster located in Andromeda aboard their own sleeper ship, called an Ark, and selects a leader, known as a Pathfinder. Once the races arrive at their destination in 2819, they help build the Nexus, a space station that serves as a center of government and diplomacy, a living area, and a base of operations for the Pathfinders. Characters and player decisions from the original ''Mass Effect'' trilogy are not carried over into ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'', and there is no canon ending which is referenced.

The protagonist of ''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' is, depending on player choice, either Sara or Scott Ryder (voiced by Fryda Wolff or Tom Taylorson, respectively). Their father, Alec Ryder (voiced by Clancy Brown), is humanity's Pathfinder, tasked with finding a new home for the species. Squadmates in the game include Alec's second-in-command, Cora Harper (Jules de Jongh), a biotic specialist with intensive commando training; Liam Kosta ( Gary Carr), a security expert who specializes in crisis response; Pelessaria "Peebee" B'Sayle (Christine Lakin), an asari gunslinger capable of biotic destabilization; Nakmor Drack (Stanley Townsend), a veteran krogan warrior of the Nakmor clan specializing in close combat; Vetra Nyx (Danielle Rayne), a female turian mercenary who excels in shielding and protection; and Jaal Ama Darav (Nyasha Hatendi), a resistance fighter of the newly introduced angara race. Ryder's crewmates include Kallo Jath (Garett Ross), a salarian pilot; Lexi T'Perro (Natalie Dormer

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