Mass Effect 4 is still shrouded in mystery, but the strong sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard certainly seem to paint a positive picture of its continued development. That said, it’s hard to predict what this fourth chapter in the Mass Effect series will look like, as not only has it been almost a decade since the last entry, but the BioWare of today has very little in common, staff-wise, with the BioWare of the late 2000s and early 2010s, when Mass Effect was at its peak.
The next Mass Effect would technically be the fifth entry in the series, but since Mass Effect Andromeda isn’t numbered, it’s generally been assumed that BioWare is treating it more like a spin-off than a mainline release.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a significant departure from its predecessors in terms of visuals, tone, and gameplay, but Mass Effect 4 could be taking a different approach. The series pivoted away from many of its core gameplay and narrative pillars with Andromeda, which was not a foray that turned out very well for BioWare—many consider that game to be the studio’s first major stumble post-Inquisition. That is to say, BioWare may be interested in going back to Mass Effect‘s roots with this new entry, and while there are many significant ways it can do this, such as through strategy-laden combat design and mature storytelling, there’s one specific aspect of the franchise that ought to return as well.
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Mass Effect 4 Should Revisit Mass Effect 1’s Approach to Armor
The First Mass Effect Has a Traditional Gear System
It’s no great secret that the Mass Effect series became progressively less concerned with classic RPG mechanics as it went on, with ME3 and Andromeda arguably having more in common with the action-adventure genre. But the first Mass Effect is extracted from the substance of traditional RPGs, with stat and gear systems that would be found in most by-the-numbers role-playing games, including those played with pen and paper.
Players can find armor for Shepard and their companions throughout the various regions of the game, with different armor types fitting different alien races. These pieces of gear would have unique stats, making them an important part of the build-crafting and role-playing experience. In later games, this system, much like the leveling system, is streamlined, with far fewer collectible armor options, all with only a minor impact on gameplay. Moreover, armor can only be changed on the Normandy in these games, discouraging experimentation and on-the-fly gear-swapping. Putting it simply, armor became more about personalization than utility in these later releases.
How Mass Effect 4 Can Build Upon Mass Effect 1’s Armor System
While it’s true that the first Mass Effect has a more fleshed-out and dedicated armor system compared to its successors, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily good. It’s a fairly barebones, almost quaint feature, following basic tabletop RPG rules with respect to which classes can equip certain armor types. For example, players can only access heavy armor if they are playing as the Solider class. Aside from this somewhat outdated quirk, armor functions as one would expect, with heavy armor offering greater resistance against physical damage, and lighter armor offering protection against biotic and tech damage. In other words, it is very rudimentary.
Mass Effect 4 could include a more modulated and robust armor system, allowing players to swap out gear at will like in the first Mass Effect, but also featuring different gear slots for chest pieces, gauntlets, helmets, et cetera. This sort of compartmentalization is only featured in later Mass Effect games, though it is somewhat underwhelming for the aforementioned reasons. That said, ME2 and ME3 armor will often have unique perks, like a 10% increase in headshot damage, rather than basic changes to core stats, so expanding upon this system, while combining it with the first game’s more traditional approach, could help Mass Effect 4‘s RPG features quite a bit.
Mass Effect
- Created by
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Casey Hudson
- Creation Year
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2007
- Developer(s)
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BioWare
, Edge of Reality
, Demiurge Studios
, Straight Right