Kelly Chambers is one of the "secret" romances in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. She first appears in Mass Effect 2 as a crewmate aboard the Normandy, but between the two games, like many characters, her appearance changed with the updated graphics. Now, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition has altered her ME2 look to match her design in ME3, and some fans aren't excited about it.
Remastered character designs are one of the most expected changes in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Many characters' designs were changed to be streamlined across all three games. Gaming graphics made strides between 2007 and 2012, the years Mass Effect 1 and 3 released respectively, meaning some characters look a bit different. But Legendary Edition allowed the characters to have a more cohesive look across all three games. Additionally, the design for female Commander Shepard used when advertising the third game that is widely recognized as her canon look was adopted as the default female Shepard look for Mass Effect 1 in Legendary Edition.
But one design change fans are less happy about is Yeoman Kelly Chambers. While she was barely recognizable between Mass Effect 2 and 3, she now features her latter design in both games. However, it seems many would have preferred a remaster closer to her design in Mass Effect 2. While some fans take issue with Kelly's hairstyle, others feel that her jaw and cheek shape makes her look a bit awkward. Some even go so far as to ask if there are bees aboard the Normandy.
One commenter points out that much of the difference in Kelly Chambers's design could be due to the lighting. While the lighting is overall more balanced in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, there are some sections of the game that could be improved for better lighting, such as this shot of Kelly, which is rather dark. Another example can be seen when going to speak with Liara T'Soni in the Med Clinic onboard, Dr. Chakwas's face can barely be seen during conversations.
Other characters' designs are still different between games in Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, sometimes to note the passage of time. For example, Ashley Williams still looks similar to her original design in Mass Effect 1, while in Mass Effect 3, she lets her hair down and brandishes heavy eye makeup. Back in 2012, fans speculated that this was done to make her more attractive, though not all fans agreed with the decision. But her current design in Mass Effect 1 still has her hair up and features much less makeup.
While Kelly Chambers is officially considered a romance option for both male and female Shepard, she's sometimes called a "secret" romance as players won't get an achievement for doing so and it doesn't end the way most relationships in the series do.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.