Mass Effect: Andromeda tried to help the series move on from the original trilogy. Players left the Milky Way behind to travel to another galaxy, while the events of the game took place around 600 years after Mass Effect 3. The title's reception, however, was disappointing, and now Mass Effect 4 appears to be turning back to the first three games, taking fans back to the Milky Way for part of the game's setting and seeing the return of original trilogy characters like Liara T'Soni and perhaps even Shepard themself.
Mass Effect 4 can't just rely on the past, however. Almost a decade since the release of Mass Effect 3, the next game needs to make the series' setting feel fresh again, not just providing new areas to explore, but new roleplaying opportunities. To do so, Mass Effect 4 should take some inspiration from one canceled Mass Effect spin-off. The concept may have never made it to fruition, but its key conceit could be a great way to put a new spin on an aging franchise.
The Spin-Off
Earlier this year BioWare's former development director Dorian Kieken spoke to the TheGamer about a planned Mass Effect spin-off that was canceled before it ever entered pre-production. The original Mass Effect trilogy always focused on characters with high status and immense power in the Mass Effect universe.
Main players in the story included the Citadel Council, Admiral Hackett, and Captain Anderson—all characters with governmental backing that spanned huge parts of the galaxy. Shepard themself was a SPECTRE, a Council agent with permission to act outside of the law in the interests of the galaxy's citizens. It was a totally top-down perspective, and there were only rare opportunities to interact with major characters who didn't have some part to play in the fates of millions of people.
The spin-off would have taken inspiration from Star Wars' Han Solo. "It's a bit like exploring the Star Wars universe without being a Jedi," said Kieken. "Think of the story freedom you have in a TV series like The Mandalorian or Firefly thanks to mercenaries or smuggler character archetypes."
Returning To The Milky Way
Mass Effect fans got a taste of the galaxy's underworld in Omega, but while Mass Effect's very own wretched hive of scum and villainy provided a refreshing change of pace in a series filled with Apple Store-style squeaky-clean interiors, the player's relationship with Omega was still very much top-down. Shepard immediately speaks to Omega's leader, Aria T'Loak, and in Mass Effect 3's Omega DLC partakes in a raid that determines the future leadership of the station and its population of over seven million people.
A location like Omega gave Mass Effect's writers the chance to expose the player to another side of the setting, but Shepard's perspective remained the same. Their role as a SPECTRE made them feel far more like a tourist-turned-cop than someone actually living on the peripheral of the galaxy's society.
Mass Effect's canceled Han Solo-inspired spin-off could have flipped the setting on its head. As Omega shows, it's not just about changing the places the player goes, but the player character's relationship with the world around them. The spin-off would have opened up the possibility of roleplaying a character who was truly immersed in that underworld.
While Commander Shepard dealt with galactic-level stakes throughout the original trilogy, this change could have ironically made the spin-off's stakes feel even higher. Unlike Shepard, a player character born and bred in Mass Effect's underworld could feel far more vulnerable, with more personal stakes and more to lose from less. In Shepard's case, it took the prospect of civilizational annihilation to make the stakes match Commander Shepard's power.
Mass Effect 4 doesn't necessarily have to deal with a character from a place like Omega, but it should deal with characters who have far less institutional backing than those in the original trilogy, and who feel more like people who live in Mass Effect's galaxy rather than forces presiding over it. This, perhaps, was part of Mass Effect: Andromeda's mistake.
By making Ryder the Pathfinder, Andromeda struggled to distinguish Ryder's archetype from Shepard. In both cases, they were clear leaders in positions of great power. If Ryder had been a random frozen citizen forced to become the Pathfinder after a malfunction left them one of few survivors of the 600-year journey to Andromeda, they might have provided fresh roleplaying opportunities. The game, however, failed to provide that change and the similarities made it nearly impossible for Ryder to live up to Shepard's legacy.
Shepard's Perspective
It seems unlikely that Mass Effect 4 will introduce a totally new character, however. The trailer shows Liara T'Soni recovering a piece of what appears to be Shepard's iconic N7 armor from the snow. If Shepard doesn't return or the plot doesn't at least focus on the search for Shepard, this detail could leave many fans disappointed. Fortunately, this change in perspective can still work even if Shepard isn't the player character.
There have been a few hints that Mass Effect 4 will take place centuries after Mass Effect 3. The Mass Relays appear to have been rebuilt, while the silhouette of an Angara and a shot of both the Milky Way and Andromeda implies that the two galaxies are now connected—perhaps by a Mass Relay—which would place Mass Effect 4 at least 600 years after Mass Effect 3. As a young Asari in the original trilogy, Liara could easily be alive, while Shepard's penchant for surviving against seemingly impossible odds is well-established, especially if they, like their armor, are found frozen in the ice.
This could see Shepard emerge into a galaxy where they no longer have the power they once did. They might be a celebrated hero, but the Citadel Council and the SPECTRE program may be seen as relics of a long-distance past. This could allow Shepard's new story to provide fresh roleplaying opportunities with an old character, and give players a new perspective as they return to the Milky Way seen in the first three games. Even if the studio takes inspiration from elsewhere, BioWare will need to figure out some way to make Mass Effect 4's story feel like a fresh take on its material if the next game is going to feel like more than an attempt to recreate the successes of the past.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.