Mass Effect Andromeda: a minor effect
The first of my replays, Mass Effect Andromeda. Is this a bad experience, no.
When you look back, you ask yourself, what drove you here, what speaks to you, and does it still work as a game?
The complex political landscape, big stakes decision-making, continuous character relationship development, and just flat out fun third-person combat makes Mass Effect a compelling gaming brand. A product of developer BioWare, who forged their own space cannon outside of Stars Wars (see Knights of the Old Republic). You feel your impact but don't get too lost in the size of a space opera.
When it came out in 2017, I was excited to jump back in it. Channeling the explorer mindset and vibe from the first Mass Effect.
As time has passed, distanced from my nascent playthrough, I was curious to revisit Andromeda.
Some of my assumptions stayed the same. It has the mechanics of a Mass Effect game, but some of the depth is lacking. You get some traces of character development, almost common stakes for Mass Effect, i.e., companion loyalty missions, where you aid a character in solving a personal problem, gaining your companions' trust and rewarded with beneficial and stronger gameplay abilities.
The relationship building feels like a shell of prior installments; more mechanical than organic. I wouldn't qualify it as lackluster, but if you played this and went to the original trilogy of games, you'd see higher-level character growth and discovery that makes Mass Effect an immerse experience. Caveat here, the original trilogy experience and decisions carry over amongst three games and is allowed more time to live in the world of your playthrough. One can wish something would carry over into the next entry into the series.
Graphics are acceptable. The hair on characters is pasty, there seems to be a drab shading here or something that takes you out of it. There were incidences of terrible glitching and horrible facial animation at time of launch. Years out, it never occurred in my playthrough, but compared to Mass Effect 3, you'd be surprised that Andromeda is the most recent entry in the series.
Combat is fun. I was pleasantly surprised to see folks playing the PVE multiplayer experience in 2025. The EA server is sluggish loading up in spots. I question how long multiplayer lasts, until discontinued. 
Developers unlocked one class-only gameplay for your preference in game. I wish there was a quick-change feature in gameplay versus pausing and going to the menu and changing. There is an inkling of it, but it breaks the action and leaves more to be desired. It's nice to mix and match abilities that would be locked in a certain playthrough; Incinerate and Charge combo with a splash of melee build for me! The class benefits lose its appeal as your character gets more powerful and you can pick your abilities a la carte.
Lastly, the story. Do you feel like you have an impact on big world implications, yeah you do. I'm less emphatic than say Mass Effect 2's brilliant ending and how its decisions impact the results of the ending. Candidly, I was bored by the end and was pushing through to finish the playthrough.
Answering my original questions...
What drove me before playing?
- Decision-making impact and strong narrative gameplay
- Character development
- Fun third person combat
- Combat, unlocking all abilities for you to try and test out
- Some character relationship growth
Does it still work as a game?
- Decisions don't really seem to matter, unless for small moments or combat-related parts
- Customization is decent, yet not akin to other RPGs
- Lacks deep character relationship development than past titles
