Despite being announced over 3 years ago, not much is publicly known about the mysterious release and gameplay details ofMass Effect 5. Given that BioWare’s recent and somewhat controversialDragon Age: The Veilguard wasonly just released,the rumors of a 2029 release date forMass Effect 5might not be too hard to believe. Regardless of when the nextMass Effectgame makes its way into the hands of eager fans,Mass Effect 5might already show promise of being better than its predecessor,Mass Effect: Andromeda.
Even with its age, theMass Effecttrilogy is well-loved to this day, being praised for itsunique characters and unforgettable momentsthat pushed story-telling standards in gaming to a new level.One of the waysMass Effectachieved such high critical acclaim is by encouraging meaningful in-game choices, letting players mold Shepherd into a fully realized character with a distinct personality. While it’s too early to say ifMass Effect 5will succeed in returning to the standards of the original trilogy, one feature rumored to make a reappearance is a fantastic start.
Mass Effect’s Renegade And Paragon Choices Are Rumored To Make A Return
Reviving The Biggest Feature Missing From The Mass Effect Trilogy
While it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, some eagle-eyed fans likekalaelizabethon X might have cracked the secret that theMass Effect’s iconic morality system could return in its latest installment. Analyzing some of the promotional material released forMass Effect 5,the silhouette of the protagonist bears a striking resemblance to the Paragon symbol that’s hard to unsee after having it pointed out.
One of the biggest complaints aboutMass Effect:Andromedawas itsremoval of Renegade and Paragon options. A return to form with these features andfan-favorite characterscould be a fantastic way to revitalize the franchise.
Despite the popularity ofMass Effect’s morality system, the binary options weren’t without their share of criticism, mostly targeted towards its binary choices that resulted in an overwhelming majority of players opting for a traditionally moral Paragon playthrough. Even if most fans make Paragon decisions most of the time,players can make Renegade options depending on each situation, providing a much higher level of player autonomy.
No matter what someone’s preference is forMass Effect’s morality system, it’s hard to refute that itsfun renegade optionsoffer a fantastic way to liven up any playthrough, even without fully committing to its route.
Fixing The Flaws In Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Disappointing Experience
A Potential Return To Form For The Series
Looking back onMass Effect: Andromeda, it’s not a terrible game for its reduced price by any means, butitfailed to live up to the gameplay hallmarks and standard of quality thatMass Effectfans had come to expect from the series. WhileAndromeda’s combat and gameplay mechanicsare still praised as promising improvements for the series to this day,itstill suffers from being a forgettable experience without much of a lasting impact.
Due to the lasting negative sentimentAndromedastill carries and the overall lack of memorable story moments or characters, it’s not much of a stretch to believe that BioWare might be switching back to the proven formula of the original trilogy’s Paragon and Renegade systems.
How Mass Effect 5 Can Be Better Than Andromeda
With Mass Effect 5 supposedly in development, the series needs to learn from its past mistakes and move beyond its original trilogy to succeed.
Andromedaisn’t the only game BioWare needs to learn from either, asthe developers are also faced with some of the larger complaints aboutDragon Age: The Veilguard’s overalllack of player choicewhen it comes to making darker or even remotely controversial character choices. Given that BioWare has acknowledged theMass Effectseries deserves a more serious and grounded tone than the fantastic world ofDragon Age,there’s still hope for the newest entry in the franchise to take a similar direction to the original series.
With the release date forMass Effect 5not likely to be announced anytime soon, BioWare will likely have years to learn from and improve upon the failures ofMass Effect: AndromedaandDragon Age: The Veilguard;itcould prove to be a valuable experience in delivering the next-generation experience forMass Effect 5that fans deserve.
