Savoring Andromeda

I am thirty one hours into Mass Effect: Andromeda and have barely scratched the surface. Yet all 31 hours has been interesting and exciting for me. Discovery, unexpected encounters, learning about alien life forms – I am fully engaged in the universe. As far as game completion goes I have the first planet, Habitat 7 (Eos) at 98% viability (you completionists cringing at that?) and the second, Habitat 6 (Voeld) at 42(ish)%. Games like these I always start out slow and really pay attention to the little details. This game rewards that mindset in spades.

Besides the rewards of lore, and personalization, it really fleshes out the world. I was in a Kett base (above) and when I walked by the window one of my squadmates said “Check out that view”. And I did. Right next to here was a terminal that had notices and emails to the Kett from their home world and it was interesting reading them to better understand their society and how it works. Heck, when I scan a new mushroom or mineral in the wilderness I find myself reading the description of what the scan found out. There is just so much to see and do, and all of it makes me feel like I am doing it in the name of helping humanity find their place and expand their knowledge in this new galaxy.

A lot of the gems you have to actively seek. I have been talking to anyone who is interested in a conversation. Many of them have the option for you to ask why they made the trip and joined the initiataive.  Hainly here, on Podromos (our first settlement/camp on Eos) used to be Stephen and used the 600 year trip to get a true, fresh start on life. This is the first transgender character that I had  ever met in any video game and I felt it was done very nicely by Bioware. Hainly doesn’t even give a quest, there is no giant star over her head, she is just one of 20,000 humans who came on the Ark in start of a new life, and she has her own story. I wouldn’t have learned who she was if I didn’t stop and take the time.  Taking the time to talk to the colonists really humanizes the entire project. I am not just shooting hundreds of bad guys, I am helping people build a new home. Hooked, I tell you.

I mentioned the onboard message boards on the Tempest (your smaller away vessel) and thought it would be fun to show a small piece of that. Angaran’s are a new species you meet fairly early, and one joins you in your efforts. Here, Jaal is giving the Angaran word of the Day and the individual squad mates respond in a tone and way that fits what i have learned of them so far. On the left you see other posts and most of them are light-hearted and fairly mundane but these posts are the types of things that make the characters come alive. It is a very nice touch.

I am playing mostly as an Infiltrator (Sniper/Tech) and the customization is great.  I sometimes think I would have responded even more favorably to this game if I didn’t have the expectations of the prior Mass Effect games. Unfortunately I think that you need to spend at least 10 hours to really get into the world, there is so much going on and so much to sort out that it is overwhelming (and confusing) at the beginning. Sure, it’s not perfect – but I know if there is to be a sequel it is probably years away, so I am going to savor every conversation, every container, every datapad write up, every nook and cranny to explore. Mass Effect Andromeda has earned that attention.

I have been down this road before where a game grips me at first (Pillars of Eternity) only to find myself losing interest at some part and racing to the finish to get it done. I think I spent a total of 30 hours in PoE so already this has me at a different level. I loved the first zone of Dragon Age Inquisition only to lose all interest soon as I met the villain and when I kept ketting lost trying to find my squadmates to talk at the keep. This may not be a popular opinion but Andromeda really is a step up from the other Mass Effect games in terms of graphics, controls, world size, and exploration and even the story is starting to take shape. One small afear I have is that they will make this plot too big which does not leave much room for a sequel. The other trilogy was paced quite well escalating from stopping a villain, to discovering the true threat, to saving the galaxy. I hope we aren’t just jumping into saving the galaxy in the first installment.

I’ll find out, in my own sweet time.