Summary
BioWare is known for its choice-driven RPGs, particularly itsMass EffectandDragon Agefranchises. Many of these choices have revolved around the player character’s relationship with their companions, but others have been known to impact a game’s narrative, along with any side stories it may include. Now, with the next mainlineMass Effectinstallment,Mass Effect 4, on the horizon, BioWare’s longstanding tradition of allowing players the freedom to influence a game’s story will likely continue. The only real uncertainty is what these choices will be, who and what they will impact, and whether they will be tied in any way tothe originalMass Effecttrilogy.
Unfortunately, the choices in BioWare’s games have been known to not carry meaningful consequences, to be too binary in their design, or to not amount to anything until the end of the story. This is particularly true ofMass Effect 3, which saw the culmination of the player’s choices coming into play at its conclusion. After that,Mass Effect Andromedawas largely criticized on account of its choices being too binary, seemingly offering only two paths, neither of which generally inspired any sort of thought-provoking dilemma. This putsMass Effect 4up against a unique challenge in its player agency, as expectations will undoubtedly be high regarding its choices.
Mass Effect 4’s Choices Need to Matter Even More Than Those of Its Predecessors
The two most recent titles in theMass Effectfranchise,Mass Effect 3andMass Effect Andromeda, aren’t the best examples of the series' choice-driven narratives.The ending ofMass Effect 3, in particular, divided fans, with many saying they felt the choices they made up to that point had very little impact on the outcome. Despite having multiple paths for players to take at the end, those choices really only occurred then, rather than being the result of decisions made long before the conclusion of the story. Overall,Mass Effect 3’s narrative structure has been brought into question, as well as the degree of player agency allowed to be involved in shaping it. Thankfully, BioWare released an “Extended Cut” update soon after that with additional ending scenes, providing some much-needed closure to Commander Shepard’s story.
Mass Effect Andromedawas a bit of a different story, quite literally. Fans weren’t as concerned withAndromeda’s choicesas they were with the game’s technical issues and lackluster character development, but the choice system was nonetheless notMass Effect’s best. Most choices inAndromedawere binary and required very little thought from the player. Furthermore, many ofAndromeda’s choices lacked meaningful consequences of any kind — a strong departure from the original trilogy. Needless to say,Mass Effect 4needs to come out on top as the series' best sinceMass Effect 2, which is widely consideredMass Effectin its prime.
Mass Effect 4 Needs Big, Meaningful Choices With Relevant Consequences
Moving forward fromMass Effect 3andMass Effect Andromeda,Mass Effect 4needs big, meaningful choices that matter, and those choices need to have significant and relevant consequences. It would also be a shame to seechoices made inMass Effect 4not come to fruition until another game in the series is developed, so it would be best if any choices made in the next installment were resolved, either immediately or soon after they are made.Mass Effect 4also can’t afford to leave its biggest choices for the end of the game. Instead, perhaps going the route of having players make a major plot-altering choice during each act of the story would allow them to feel as though their decisions have a significant impact on the story. However, despite any choices it may or may not have, at the very least, a newMass Effectgame is on the way.
