Commander Shepard's significance in Mass Effect is twofold, interconnecting the franchise's gameplay and narrative together. Shepard is a beacon of hope for the human race and a leader in the face of an oncoming threat to the universe, but their personality, loyalties, and actions are exclusively determined by the player's choices in-game. Shepard is then primarily a vessel through which the player is given a lens into the universe of Mass Effect.
Character customizations in Mass Effect provide players with unique personalization of the character. Players are able to select a male or female Shepard before experimenting with different hairstyle and facial feature alterations. Of course, default face models for the male and female Shepard are available for players who want the simple immersion of Shepard being a separate character as opposed to being an extension of themselves. Recently, a Mass Effect fan has shared their stunning one-to-one cosplay of the character.
Cecilosaurus shared a phenomenal cosplay iteration of a female Shepard, which fans call Fem Shep, wearing Mass Effect's iconic N7 armor. Cecilosaurus states that they used EVA foam for their production of the armor suit, while they outsourced the helmet from Archonos Cosplay. The suit includes the chestplate, shoulder guards, gauntlets, and greaves, and the helmet takes after the N7 Breather helmet design. Mass Effect's default Fem Shep has short, red hair, and Cecilosaurus has even gone as far as to represent this hairstyle in their cosplay.
Mass Effect supplies players with a multitude of armor sets that commonly attribute a boost to certain stats. Rather, Cecilosaurus has instead decided to stick to the game's traditional armor set in their cosplay of a female Commander Shepard. Interestingly, players may have completely different playthroughs than others based on their character customizations. Selecting a male or female Shepard has predetermined implications in each of the franchise's original installments, such as the potential pool of romantic interests in Mass Effect that players are capable of courting.
Because the player's choices create a chain reaction throughout the three original Mass Effect games, it is optimal and recommended to experience the entirety of Mass Effect's trilogy as a single character to see how each game is affected. Fans celebrating Commander Shepard are also celebrating the genuine RPG freedom in Mass Effect that players receive while making either Paragon or Renegade choices, let alone simply tweaking their character to look how they would prefer. Fem Shep is adored by fans, with Cecilosaurus sharing their admiration through this impeccable cosplay.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.