Review – Mass Effect: Andromeda

The reason I held off on reviewing Mass Effect: Andromeda was due to Bioware announcing a patch to fix most of the issues I had a problem with. In doing so my opinion was changed to be much more positive.

Getting back in the saddle was fairly daunting at first. Mass Effect: Andromeda has a lot to live up to considering previous titles. I loaded it up and jumped in to create my new Pathfinder. After spending almost an hour messing around with character customisation I went with the default build.

No matter what I created it just wouldn’t look right. Visually Andromeda is little hit and miss. That’s not to say it’s bad, it just really hasn’t made much improvement. Especially before the patch — when talking to NPCs — it could make me cringe a little.

Fight For Your Right to Party

The best part of the Andromeda experience is combat. With the introduction of the jump pack combined with Tech and Biotic abilities, you can be a wrecking ball. No, not Miley Cyrus.

The combat is fast and fluid and makes playing a joy. As you progress you can get some really awesome abilities. and Once you’ve increased your skill range you can start mixing up your strategies.

Another way to increase combat ability is upgrading and crafting gear. You have three different technology types to chose from. Each of them contain a full loadout of weapons and armor. I had a lot of fun with these in my endeavor to become the ultimate weapon.

Definitely Not in Kansas Anymore

The Andromeda galaxy is full of wonder and beauty. The planetary design is satisfying to a sci-fi buff like myself and the flora and fauna can be both pretty and dangerous at the same time. The introduction of new species also keeps things fresh. All of the main races from the Milky Way return and there are lots of character in some of the beings you come across. Some made me laugh and some made think about my life choices. Like, my actual life choices, outside of Mass Effect. Kudos BioWare.

The story itself I found to be exhilarating. I mean who doesn’t love a story that has it all. In true Mass Effect fashion there’s action, drama, romance, sci-fi, thrills, chills and a whole lotta kills. Not many spills though.

The only worry I had was to see how BioWare handled the ending. Especially after the blunder of Mass effect 3’s close. Being the first in a new story helped ease that pain. Thanks to it being choice related you can somewhat tell the story yourself. It was so relieving to get to the end and know my choices had weight.

Do Kirk Proud

A lot of fans of the series have by now already purchased this game. For them and myself included it’s hard not to love it. Looking at the game as a whole is why I waited for the major patch. I wanted to be confident in recommending this game to newcomers. Thankfully I can confidently say this game is worth trying out.

If you have been tempted and was holding off, just go get it. It’s not for everyone as it can be rather involved. But if you love your RPG/shooters and want something to commit time to, it’s worth it. Mass Effect: Andromeda is a joyful experience. Be a part of the discovery in the Andromeda system and tell your own story.

Mass Effect: Andromeda was reviewed on PS4 using a promotional copy provided to PowerUp! by EA.