We know so precious, painful little about Mass Effect: Andromeda, the next chapter in the acclaimed BioWare series. Most facts about the game’s story and even protagonist still elude us, but Creative Director Mac Walters assures it will be visually stunning.
“We’re pushing the boundaries of what Frostbite can do and what Mass Effect can do,” Walters told OXM (via Daily Star). “The quality of the character animations is at an all-time high for us, and that’s great because it means expressiveness, emotion and a connection with the player.”
It’s that personal connection that shines most in the Mass Effect series, alongside the franchise’s carefully crafted worlds. Walters commented on the team’s world building inspirations, noting that much of Mass Effect is grounded in reality.
“It would be easy – probably too easy – for us just to go off and do things that are really wacky, that just don’t fit in,” he said. Sometimes the team looks to features of our own planet – glowing caves, for example – and tweak them just enough to create something unique.
“Sometimes its just a color-shift, or we might look at some of the plants hidden in the Amazon that were discovered in the last year, or something like that. We use all that inspiration, because you need to balance the relatable with the original.”
We did recently get a few seconds to meet Andromeda’s female protagonist. BioWare’s Aaryn Flynn later explained that presenting her first was meant to balance out the trilogy’s male-focused marketing.
Bridging the original Mass Effect trio and Andromeda will be a series of books, which will introduce us to a new corner of space and a new threat altogether. This new world will also be missing the Paragon/Renegade system, instead favoring one with more shades of grey.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to release March 2017 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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