This is another one of those posts that I can’t share too much information without entering into spoiler territory. But I can share with you how a certain mission made me feel and that it elicited true emotions – happiness and sadness – and at the same time cemented my feelings that this is the best game I have played in recent memory.
There is a quest chain that starts early from Liam that he wants to start a movie night so the crew can unwind a bit. This is an ongoing mission full of small tasks including finding the right movies, snacks, drinks, (etc. etc.) - it spans several planets and several hours of the game is spread out between other missions where new options keep popping up as different squad mates learn of the plan and want to add their twist to it. Each has preferences and needs.
As I near the ending of the game this event starts building in my mind. With each quest I know it is leading to a “buddy” moment – of course what a great time to hang out with all of the characters I have spent sixty plus hours getting to know and enjoy their company. Like most BioWare games there’s some that you connect with right away (Peebee) and some that take more time (Liam). Some of this is due to certain companion missions not opening up until later in the game where I really built an affinity with them. I wish they came earlier so the naysayers of this game might have enjoyed it more. I also think that reviewers and people rushed through the main missions to complete the game so they can do a “proper” review would and missed out on so much of the non-essential missions (such as the movie night) which is where the characters are more fully fleshed out. The point is if you weren’t engaged in the universe to begin with they probably wouldn’t have had as much meaning anyway.
The culmination of the movie night was everything I had hoped it would be. It felt like I was watching a movie with my roommates in University and/or family members, and/or friends from the neighborhood. It had clever, character appropriate and fun banter between characters and ending with a tongue in cheek scene that made me laugh out loud.
When it was over I felt sad. Sad because I knew that my time in Andromeda was coming to an end. Sad because I felt very close to these characters in game. At the end of it all the best way to describe the feeling was when it was my last year of University and knowing many of my classmates would be moving back home, or going to work in a different city after graduation and I would not see them for a long time as I too head back to my real life. As such I am eagerly awaiting a sequel and some quality interim DLC – while the crew and people of the Andromeda galaxy continue to lead their digital lives without me.
Mass Effect Andromeda has not been a perfect experience. The culmination of this mission came pretty close.
