Mass Effect 4 Should Look To the Original For One Feature

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The development of Mass Effect 4 remains a mystery, but the impressive sales of Dragon Age: Veilguard certainly give a hopeful outlook. However, it’s challenging to foresee what this fourth installment in the Mass Effect series might resemble, given that it has been nearly a decade since the last release and the current BioWare team differs significantly from the one that created the peak of Mass Effect in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

In essence, although the upcoming “Mass Effect” would be the fifth installment in the series, due to “Mass Effect Andromeda” not being numbered, it’s widely perceived that BioWare is viewing it as more of a standalone title or spin-off rather than a conventional sequel.

In a shift from its previous installments, Dragon Age: Veilguard boasts new visuals, mood, and mechanics, while Mass Effect 4 might be adopting a distinct strategy. The series deviated significantly from its fundamental gameplay and storyline foundations with Andromeda, an experiment that didn’t fare too well for BioWare, often seen as the studio’s first substantial misstep following Inquisition. This implies that BioWare may be keen on revisiting the roots of Mass Effect in this new release, and while there are numerous ways they could do this, such as by enhancing combat mechanics with strategic elements and delivering mature narratives, there is one specific aspect of the franchise that should definitely make a comeback.

Mass Effect 4 Should Revisit Mass Effect 1’s Approach to Armor

The First Mass Effect Has a Traditional Gear System

It’s well known that as the Mass Effect series progressed, it moved away from focusing heavily on traditional Role-Playing Game (RPG) mechanics. Games like Mass Effect 3 and Andromeda seem to align more with the action-adventure genre. However, the original Mass Effect is deeply rooted in classic RPG elements, featuring stat and gear systems that are common in many RPGs, even those played with pen and paper.

In the game, you can discover armors for Shepard and fellow characters across different game areas, each type suited to various alien species. These equipment items have unique stats that significantly influence your character-building and role-playing journey. However, in subsequent games, this system is simplified similar to leveling, offering fewer armor choices with minimal effect on game mechanics. Also, you can swap armors only on the Normandy, limiting experimentation and immediate gear adjustments. Essentially, later versions of the game focus more on personal customization than functional benefits.

How Mass Effect 4 Can Build Upon Mass Effect 1’s Armor System

The first “Mass Effect” game features a more detailed and specialized armor system compared to its sequels, but this doesn’t automatically make it superior. In fact, the armor system is quite basic, reminiscent of old-fashioned tabletop RPGs, where certain classes are limited in the type of armor they can wear. For instance, only Soldier class players can use heavy armor. Other than this vintage aspect, the armor functions as expected, with heavier armor providing more resistance to physical damage and lighter armor offering protection against biotic and tech damage. In essence, it’s quite fundamental in its design.

As a die-hard Mass Effect fan, I can envision an exciting upgrade for Mass Effect 4: A refined and versatile armor system that lets me swap out gear on the fly, much like in the original Mass Effect, but with additional slots for chest pieces, gauntlets, helmets, and more. This segmented design is a feature of later Mass Effect games, though it could use some enhancement due to its somewhat limited scope. However, let’s not forget that games like Mass Effect 2 and 3 have unique armor perks, such as a 10% boost in headshot damage, rather than just tweaking core stats. Building upon this system, while incorporating the traditional approach from the first game, could significantly bolster the RPG aspects of Mass Effect 4.

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2025-01-09 20:43