Beyond the Relays: The Future of Mass Effect

What’s next for the iconic franchise? 

The Electronic Entertainment Expo is right around the corner, and Bioware has not been holding back trailers and screenshots of the next installment of their Dragon Age series, Dragon Age: Inquisition. It has been confirmed for current-gen PS4, X1, and PC, as well as last gens PS3 and 360. With an October 7^th release date this year, it is obvious that more gameplay footage will be shown next week. But this isn’t what I’m excited to see from Bioware, it’s the imminent return of the Mass Effect series. For those unfamiliar with the series, Mass Effect is an interactive space opera, although not as popular as televised space operas (Star Trek, Doctor Who). The world of Mass Effect is both familiar and strange, as the focus is on human Commander Shepard uniting the various alien species of the Milky Way galaxy. Each species carries it’s own history and lore, giving players loads of content to dive into. But the true show stealers are the crewmembers that accompany Shepard. With rich backstories, and unique personalities, it’s these characters that make the series worth playing. Even though the ending of the series was a little rocky, Bioware’s fan base is constantly growing. Fans want more Mass Effect, and a little over a year ago, Bioware confirmed that production on the unofficially titled Mass Effect 4 had begun. Not much has been shown since then, except for a few photos of the team working on game. Concept art, and what looks like in-game footage can be seen in the background of these photos. With over a year of production, it isn’t unlikely that a teaser trailer for the next game will surface at this year’s E3.  But what will it show, and what direction will the series go in? Here are few ideas, both original as well as from the internet, on what may be the future of Mass Effect.

******SPOILER ALERT******

The Long Shots

Directly After Shepard Saga: This is the most unlikely thing to happen for the Mass Effect series. As nice as it would be for Bioware to further emphasize how different each ending is (yes, in the long run they are very different endings), it just won’t happen. Bioware already stated that they were done with these characters, so it’s safe to say, as upsetting as it may be, that we will never again revisit the cast of the original trilogy. At least not in a full game, DLC can bring them back. Maybe a non-canon revisit to the Normandy where the original cast replaces the new one, or something causes both story universes to collide. It wouldn’t be the first time Bioware released non-canon DLC, as they already released the “what if?” DLC Dragon Age: Origins’ Darkspawn Chronicles.

An Entirely Different Universe: What better way to start fresh than wiping the slate clean and create a new world for players to save. Chances of this happening are unlikely, but not impossible. The concept art in the background of the photos released by Bioware show a turian. Unless that image gets scrapped, turians are confirmed for the next game, hinting that the next game will take place in the same universe as the original trilogy.  But a new galaxy could still be in the works. What if the turians sent out a group of explorers who ended up outside the Milky Way galaxy? Maybe upon their arrival, this new galaxy seeks to connect with the Milky Way, leading to some conflict. It’s grand, it’s possible, but super unlikely.

Who is this turian?

The Somewhat Possible

Mass Effect Online: Before Mass Effect, Bioware developed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a then Microsoft exclusive game published by Lucas Arts. It was an instant classic that spawned both a lukewarm sequel, and later an MMO. With the success of Mass Effect being greater than that of the KOTOR as a whole, it would be of no surprise is decided to cash in on a Mass Effect MMO. Like Star Wars, there is an excessive amount of lore to draw from to further the Mass Effect Universe. Players could choose a race, as well as a back-story, and from there develop their character through choices that affect how different factions react to them. You could join a mercenary group like the Blue Suns, or maybe enlist in the Alliance Military. Take down mercenary groups with other Alliance friends. As for when the game would take place, it could be in the past, or farther in the future after Shepard. But the reason this idea is only somewhat possible is because of the reception to Star Wars: The Old Republic. It didn’t have the best launch, nor did it gain the support EA thought it would.  It has a hard time standing up to more popular MMO’s like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. It doesn’t seem likely that EA will produce another MMO, especially with The Old Republic hanging around. But this does not mean that it cannot ever happen. Maybe in ten years, a Mass Effect MMO will be in such high demand that EA will have no choice but to produce it. But as of being announced next week, I wouldn’t put money on it.

Reaper War Side Story:  Although Bioware did state that the Shepard Saga was over, that doesn’t necessarily mean that entire story was over. The Shepard Saga could possibly pertain to only playing as Shepard and his crew. Bioware already stated that they don’t plan on calling the next installment “Mass Effect 4” because it would indicate a direct sequel.  Maybe this means that it’s not a sequel, but a parallel game. Similar to Halo 3: ODST, players would take on the role of a lesser known/unknown soldier who fights the battles that were mentioned in Mass Effect 3. The turian screenshot mentioned could be a turian soldier who is fighting the losing battle on Palaven. Players could also take on the role of other species like krogan, quarian, geth, or human. Imagine seeing the war for Earth from an expendable soldier’s perspective, it would really flesh out the devastation the Reapers caused while Shepard was uniting the galaxy. Multiplayer could be used to show the battle taking place around the player, but not directly influencing their game. Think Titanfall, but without having to engage in the multiplayer match around you. You still play out your single player missions, just with a show on the outside. Bioware has also stated the need for players to keep their Mass Effect 3 save files. Maybe this will influence the narrative of the game, opening up some levels while closing off others based on decisions made in the previous game. Some levels end with victory because of the needed Krogan support, while others end in a blaze of glory a la Halo Reach. Some run ins with Commander Shepard and crew could happen, but it wouldn’t be the focus. There is a lot that can be done with a parallel game, and it would be an interesting side story for fans to eat up. But the reason it probably won’t happen is because this isn’t the game fans have been waiting for. There wouldn’t be this much mystery surrounding a parallel story, this is the type of secrecy that comes from something larger like a sequel or prequel. Halo 3: ODST would have benefited from being released as an expansion rather than its own game, but times were different then. If this is the next game in the franchise, expect a mixed response from fans.

The Most Likely

First Contact War: This is one of Bioware’s safer picks for a new Mass Effect game. For those that don’t know, the First Contact War is the war fought between humans and turians right after the humans first used faster than light travel. Being humans, they saw turians as hostile, shooting first without question. This would eventually lead to the humans surrendering and finding their place within council space (think the United Nations of aliens). Fans have requested that they would like to see the First Contact War brought to life in a game. The turian concept art could mean a focus on turians as a whole. It could work; there is a lot of content that could be expanded on. Bioware could also nod to previous games by showing the backstory of characters like the Illusive Man and Saren Arterius, both of which have participated in the First Contact War.  The radical pro-human parties in the Mass Effect series could be shown in a new light, giving meaning to their xenophobic actions. Although, this isn’t the path I hope Bioware chooses for the next game. While it does expand on the established lore, releasing a prequel means fleshing out things that have already happened. One of the best elements of the Mass Effect series is feeling that every choice you make has an effect on the world around you, even if it’s just changed dialogue. The First Contact War has already happened, and these events cannot change. How you get there may be different than someone else’s journey, but if you’ve played Mass Effect, you already know that it ends in Ashley’s grandfather surrendering to the turians on Shanxi. For those that read comics, the Dark Horse published Mass Effect comics have already covered the Illusive Man’s involvement in the war, featuring Saren in an issue as well (note that the comic series’ are considered canon).

Not so Illusive anymore.

Unless Bioware puts a spin on the prequel that allows you to rewrite history, this isn’t a true Mass Effect experience. It might take place in the same universe, but it lacks the decision-making that makes the game personal. I’m sure casual and non-Mass Effect fans would get a kick out of it, but that’s it. I wouldn’t mind seeing this as future DLC for the next game, but as a standalone game, I wouldn’t see too much appeal for the fans.

A Gritty Slice of Life Through the Eyes of a Mercenary The Shepard Saga was grand in scale, having Shepard save the galaxy through uniting it. The character was a living legend, the enemy was a mysterious, ancient race of genocidal space squids; everything about the Shepard Saga was big. Bioware tends to tell epic stories that focus on a champion saving the world, what if they decided to do the opposite? Focusing on a smaller aspect of the Mass Effect universe, Bioware could tell the self-destructive tale of a mercenary who attempts to take galaxy by the quad. Starting on a planet dependent on the player’s character bio, players would somehow make their way to Omega, only to have a run in with the local mercenary groups. From there, they can decide to join a group, and depending on the group chosen, the story unfolds in a unique way. Players can take on missions to increase their standing within the mercenary group, eventually gaining control of their own unit. They can then make decisions on what contracts to take on, and how to go about it. Of course there would be a dramatic story that drives the game forward. Other gangs, as well as various bounty hunters, would hunt players. The decisions made in the game would be very grey, unlike the black and white decisions of the Mass Effect Trilogy. Your character is out for themselves, who they ally with and whom they cross is up to them. A game like this is similar to Lucas Arts’ Star Wars Bounty Hunter, as well as the cancelled Star Wars 1313. It brings out the parts of the world that are glanced over because they pale in comparison to the main story. Bioware’s claims that this isn’t a true sequel to Mass Effect 3 would back up the mercenary side story. The turian concept art could be that of a turian mercenary, or maybe a C-Sec officer, playable or NPC. My only concern with this being teased at E3 is that the Mass Effect universe is too young to have a spin off game that based on the main story. It’s one thing to have a spin off comic series, but it’s another to have a full-fledged game act as a spin off story. It does the universe injustice by not expanding on it. A larger universe would make room for more spin off stories to exist. But if this is the next Mass Effect installment, I wouldn’t mind too much.

A Millennium After the Shepard Saga (Dark Energy Revisited) Ideally, Bioware wants to keep their word on not touching the Shepard Saga ever again. But they also do not want to destroy the universe built that fans have grown to love. To achieve both is to look to the future, far away from Shepard and friends. The reapers have been dealt with, and the universe is whole again (for the most part at least). After facing a common threat, each species finds themselves united with each other more than ever. But what if the galaxy wasn’t as well off as they thought they were? A new enemy can appear to throw things off course, forcing the galaxy to band together to defeat the threat. Later it would be revealed that they came on a one-way trip from the future to stop the creation of a device that would speed up the production of dark energy. Dark energy build up has been seen as a threat in prior games, and it was the initial reason the Reapers were created. They would harvest civilizations to collect a race’s knowledge in hopes that they had a solution to stop dark energy from destroying all life in the galaxy. Although, this storyline was scrapped due to creative differences amongst the team, as well as EA’s input weighing in on the third game. For Bioware to revisit this storyline would be to connect all the games. But I’m no scriptwriter. Bioware can put whatever story they want into the next game, I just thought it would be really cool to bring back an old storyline that got cut. As long as it takes place long after Shepard, they can tell a new tale with a familiar environment. That works for a wide audience. People who haven’t played the game can start here, learning about the universe as they play with no need to play the originals. Fans would be able to dive right back in because this is familiar territory, and if they kept their old Mass Effect 3 save files, the universe may look very different based on their outcome. The only problem I can see with this is Bioware retelling the same tale again. Both Dragon Age and Mass Effect already have similar tales of fighting off mass extinction. Bioware may try to re-coat the space epic with a new, yet similar larger than life enemy that calls for the unison of the galaxy again. This is a fine storyline, but some people may not want to do the same things again. With that said, I do have faith in Bioware’s ability to tell a new compelling story; one where the player is in control of their actions and the direction of the narrative. Whatever they do with the series. it should be good, but we’ll only know after the trailer runs (if the trailer runs) at E3. Additionally, if you disagree, or have any comments about the article, please post them below.

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