Mass Effect Andromeda has long been known as a Black Sheep in the legendary (and rightly so) Mass Effect series of games--centered around a design philosophy that's far removed from most of what made the original trilogy so memorable and endearing, with a lot more focus on exploration and combat than story and characters, Andromeda literally took the series in a direction that no one had expected or even wanted to. And the result is the game being almost unequivocally touted as a massive disappointment among gamers and critics alike, even accused as the sole reason for the series to be put "on ice" by EA.
But after having my fair share of time with Andromeda, I realized that the game is a lot more misunderstood than otherwise, and part of the reason is that it's viewed almost exclusively through the tenets of the original trilogy. Sure it doesn't really have the memorable beats and the emotional hooks of the past 3 titles and all of their hallmarks, but beyond that, Mass Effect Andromeda does bring about an evolution in several of it's major gameplay aspects which shouldn't be overlooked. And that's what this article is all about--explaining why Andromeda isn't just worth playing (and buying) but more importantly, why it should be for any and all fans of the trilogy.
To start off, Mass Effect has had two distinct pillars of gameplay----Exploration and Combat. The first Mass Effect tried to create a delicate balance of the two but despite it's best efforts, came off rather uninspired, especially when it came to the third person combat. It was clunky, loose and pretty much awful in places, to the point that makes me not want to fire up the game ever again.
Mass Effect 2 had brought about a massive overhaul in it's combat but ditched the exploration completely, making the game almost entirely about the third-person-cover-shooter experience, which made the gameplay a lot more satisfying and re-playable. And Mass Effect 3 took it all to another level of polish and sheen----perfecting the cover based combat and making it feel even more engaging and immersive.
But what Mass Effect Andromeda does is something pretty remarkable----it returns the series to it's roots by bringing back the Planetary exploration and making it significantly better than it has ever been in every way while at the same time, elevating the third-person-shooter gameplay to a whole another stratosphere, almost to the point of revolutionizing it.
Despite ramping up the cover-shooter mechanics, both Mass Effect 2 and 3 did feel somewhat limited when it came to the character movement system in moment-to-moment gameplay. It felt rigid, stiff and at times, severely limiting to the point of coming off as borderline silly. And this is exactly where Andromeda's combat feels like a true evolution----thanks to it's clever jump jets, now the player has complete and unrestricted movement that looks and feels both fluid and satisfying all across ground and air, which opens up whole new levels of mobility and freedom during combat and feels like a much needed breath of fresh air for the series.
After 3 full installments, it's only Andromeda that feels like a fully fleshed out third person shooter experience with an uncompromised range of snappy, stylized and satisfactory maneuverability that makes sure you can move in and out of any situation however way you feel like. It's hard to describe how much the revamped movement system adds to the combat and consistently livens up the gameplay all in words but honestly, I find it hard to go back to the previous games after experiencing the intuitive and energetic movement system in Andromeda. For the next inevitable entry in the franchise, Andromeda's movement system is simply a must have, it just feels like a natural evolution for the series.
While I'm not too big on the mix-n-match aspect of the 6 different classes that Andromeda offers, it's pretty okay and has it's own novelty. Personally I'd lean on the earlier model a bit more cause of the depth it offers but I think the one in Andromeda is perfect for the effect it's going for.
And like the same way, the Planetary Exploration in Andromeda is in every way a much evolved and perfected version of what we had experienced back in the first Mass Effect. The Nomad feels like a completely overhauled version of the Mako that makes long distance travel and maneuvering a breeze, which makes exploration in general a lot more welcome and inviting aspect in Andromeda. And though the Planets themselves are mostly barren (and that's completely understandable due to Story purposes), the Nomad makes journeying through them fairly satisfying and engaging.
As you can see, despite having myriads of technical and other major game-related issues that can't possibly be fixed, Mass Effect Andromeda still manages to bring significant advancements to two of it's most important gameplay pillars. And that's what makes the game more than worthwhile for being experienced by anyone who's a fan of the original trilogy. But that's just one viewpoint anyway, so let me know yours in the comments section.
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