The nextMass Effectgame already has one thing going for it. While we know nothing aboutthe nextMass Effectgameat this early stage, we do know that it’s coming. Whether it’s a direct sequel to the original trilogy, a spinoff akin toAndromeda, or something completely different remains to be seen, as does its release date.
Fans have speculated about every aspect of the upcoming sequel, but perhaps no subject has been more closely examined than that ofthe nextMass Effectgame’s story. While teasers haven’t given us much to go on, except a potential glimpse at Liara T’Soni potentially appearing in the sequel, I’d argue that the plot ofME5already has the perfect setup- it just has to choose to seize the opportunity.
Mass Effect Has A Familiar Setting That Benefits From Shorthand
Exposition Can Be Simplified
Most high-concept science-fiction games require some measure of expositionnear the very beginning. Depending on its setting, the game may need to justify the existence of faster-than-light travel, alien life, new forms of government, and futuristic forms of technology.
Mass Effecthas all of the above, and, in the first game, it spends a fair amount of time easing us into it. Exposition is a necessary evil, butthere’s a limit to how much the player can endurebefore it begins to get boring, and earlyMass Effecttoes that line.
Now, however, theMass Effectfranchise has four games under its belt. As a result,Mass Effect 5doesn’t need to spend nearly as much time on the setup. If you’ve already played the other games, you already know what the Federation is, where the Citadel is, who the Protheans are.
As a result,a sequel can get right into the meat of the story, introducing its characters, immediate setting, and stakes without getting bogged down in exposition. This could mean some pretty exciting opening chapters, a breakneck pace that ushers you into the story and hooks you before settling down for more exposition.
Of course, it’ll have to at least touch on these things in order to get new players up to speed, butit needn’t feel pressure to explain every aspect of its settingbefore we grasp the baser, more human elements of the plot. Some of these things can even be relegated to Codex entries if they’re not immediately relevant to the main story, or explored in sidequests down the line.
There’s A Chance To Tell A Completely New Story
Boldly Going Where No Mass Effect Has Gone Before
Exposition aside, I have high hopes forMass Effect 5’s story. As negative as the reception was towardsME3’s ending andAndromeda’s setting as a whole,it’s effectively untetheredME5from any need to pay homage to past entries. It can veer off in an entirely new direction, and it may be better for it.
While it’ll still take place in the same universe, and will probably intersect with the original trilogy in some way, I thinkthe best thing forMass Effect 5is to leave the rest of the series behindin all aspects but one.
We should barely see Shepard(if at all), but the original lore should carry on in the background. The next game can even explore underrepresented elements of the lore - there must be some obscure planet that only gets a brief mention, which the sequel can expand into a full-blown saga worthy of the original trilogy.
But we’re not entering an unfamiliar universe - we’re already well-acquainted with the setting, and the sequel should reflect that. This will allow the nextMass Effectgame to get a speedy, exciting start, without getting bogged down by exposition.
