BioWare has long been regarded for its romance storylines in its RPG games. One franchise that’s most notable for its storytelling and romance is Mass Effect, which has recently been remastered as the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Whether it’s players’ first or tenth time playing the Mass Effect trilogy, there are plenty of opportunities for different play styles each time. There are also plenty of opportunities for romance for male and female Commander Shepard.
June is Pride Month and right around the corner, so it’s time to recount every LGBT romance possible in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. During the initial development of Mass Effect 2, it was written that Jack would be pansexual and Jacob Taylor could be a same-sex romance option, but ultimately both of those were scrapped before release. The remnants of Jack’s pansexuality remain, but she’s still only a romance option for male Shepard. However, there are other same-sex romances in Mass Effect worth mentioning.
Same-Sex Romance for Female Shepard
Voiced by Jennifer Hale, Commander Shepard has quite a few different romance options across all three games. Each character has their own unique story and chemistry with Shepard, making for an immersive RPG experience.
Liara T’Soni Same-Sex Romance
Technically speaking, the asari are mono-gendered, meaning they can procreate with any alien species of any sex or gender. However, the language and body design of the asari is noticeably woman-oriented. Despite Liara T’Soni being a romance option for both male and female Shepard, she is still considered a same-sex romance in Mass Effect.
Liara is introduced in the first Mass Effect game when players must free her from a Prothean security device. She’s incredibly smart and just a bit awkward, which makes for an interesting story between her and Shepard. The same-sex romance between Liara and female Shepard made headlines on conservative network Fox News when it first released, but it’s probably one of the tamest Mass Effect romance scenes to date.
While Liara isn’t entirely absent from Mass Effect 2, she’s not a romance option as she was in the first game. However, Mass Effect 3 allowed players to resume their romance with the asari scientist. It’s a beautiful story arc from start to finish, with many players believing that Liara and female Shepard’s romance has the most chemistry of all.
Kelly Chambers Same-Sex Romance
Like Liara, Kelly Chambers is a romance option for both female and male Shepard. This romance can begin in Mass Effect 2 and continue into Mass Effect 3, but it cannot be initiated in the final game of the trilogy. There’s been some upset regarding Kelly’s redesign in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, but otherwise, her character has remained unchanged. She’s the only romance in the trilogy that will dance for Shepard to demonstrate their intimacy. Players can only continue to romance Kelly in Mass Effect 3 if they aren’t pursuing any others, which is difficult considering the romance options available.
Samantha Traynor Same-Sex Romance
Though she’s introduced in Mass Effect 3, Samantha Traynor arguably has one of the best romances with female Shepard. There’s a lot of chemistry between the two of them, and it’s also one of the first times a video game depicted two women having a desire to settle down with each other. The role was important to Alix Wilton Regan, the voice of Samantha, who grew up with two mothers. Samantha is spunky, fun, and a joy to romance during Mass Effect 3.
Diana Allers Same-Sex Romance
Diana Allers is a reporter in Mass Effect 3 and the romance between her and female Shepard isn’t highly regarded in the Mass Effect community. Diana can be romanced by female and male Shepard, but it’s a lackluster story at best. Romancing her doesn’t grant the Paramour Achievement either, so players may want to consider romancing a different same-sex partner on their first playthrough of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
Samara Same-Sex Romance
While this romance doesn’t have a lot of the elements of the other stories, it does show that patience pays off. Samara is an asari Justicar, adhering to a strict code that dictates how she is supposed to live her life. This essentially keeps romance off the table, and any advances toward her will be shot down during Mass Effect 2. However, in Mass Effect 3 during the Citadel DLC, if male or female Shepard hasn’t romanced anyone else, they can make a move on Samara. While it won’t lead to a full romance scene, there is a sweet kiss between the two characters.
Same-Sex Romance for Male Shepard
Comparatively speaking, male Shepard has far fewer same-sex romance options than female Shepard. In fact, players can only romance another male character as male Shepard in Mass Effect 3. This wasn’t always the plan, as there was a same-sex romance between male Shepard and Jacob Taylor, but it was inevitably scrapped during production. Despite the lack of variety, male Shepard does have some interesting same-sex romances.
Steve Cortez Same-Sex Romance
Steve Cortez is crew aboard the Normandy but is not a regular party member. Steve’s backstory is sad, having lost his husband during a Collector attack. Male Shepard helps Steve with his grief and the two can start a relationship together. While this isn’t one of the more highly-regarded romances, Steve is still a great character to get to know and romance as male Shepard.
Kaidan Alenko Same-Sex Romance
This romance can only happen if Kaidan survives the events of the first Mass Effect game. Though he isn’t an option for male Shepard in the first game, Kaidan becomes an option for both male and female Shepard come the final entry in the trilogy. Many players like to think this romance began in the first Mass Effect game with the two having crushes on each other and finally acting on it in Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition may not be completely rife with LGBT representation, but it was still miles ahead of other games from the same time. With the recent release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition and Pride Month right around the corner, it may be time to pursue some of these same-sex Mass Effect romances.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.