All eyes are on BioWare as it inches closer to the release of the next Mass Effect game, especially after the mixed reception to Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Mass Effect 4 (or Mass Effect 5, depending on who is asked), will be tasked with carrying the series’ legacy of hard-hitting storytelling, balancing high-concept science-fiction elements with intimate, character-driven drama, so writing is perhaps the most important thing for it to get right.
But it’s not the only plane BioWare needs to land. It can sometimes be overlooked due to the series’ long-running emphasis on cinematic storytelling and RPG systems, but Mass Effect‘s moment-to-moment gameplay has always been great. Though it’s a bit rudimentary in the first Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 and Mass Effect 3 are prized for their intuitive and unique cover-based shooting, which synergizes with squad-based tactics for a smooth blend of split-second reaction time, precision, and short-term planning. The games’ nuanced integration of strategic RPG concepts is what made them stand out amidst the other cover-shooters of their era, and while Mass Effect Andromeda would lean into a more mobile combat framework, it still retains these core elements. It will be up to the next Mass Effect to further develop this combat sandbox.
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Doom’s Glory Kill System Would Be a Natural Fit for Mass Effect 5
Glory Kills Help Modern Doom Combat’s Momentum
Id Software’s modern Doom games are perhaps as far from the cover-shooter formula as possible: constant movement and aggression are not only encouraged, but required for success. This fits the games’ themes and stories, of course—the Doom Slayer is the last person who would need to hide from his enemies—but this emphasis on forward momentum is also central to their gameplay identity. Players have to learn to be unafraid of danger, rushing into hordes of enemies with abandon.
The Glory Kill system is invaluable to this broader gameplay philosophy. When a Doom enemy is stunned, usually at low health, the player can rush in and perform one of these Glory Kills which, in addition to furthering the brutal fantasy of the violent Doom Slayer, yields healing items. This is perhaps the lynchpin of the combat system as a whole, as these healing resources encourage and reward players for their aggressiveness, lending battles a sense of ever-increasing intensity. Come Mass Effect 5, a similar risk-and-reward melee system could be a good fit.
A Glory Kill-Esque Mechanic Could Help Mass Effect’s Combat Evolve
It’s likely that BioWare is looking to rethink combat for this new Mass Effect game—cover shooters went out of vogue a while ago, after all. But it would be a shame if the game were to simply adopt the framework of other modern third-person shooters, as this would rob the series of its key mechanical staples, potentially making for a more derivative experience. Rather, BioWare should strive to modernize the combat of the original games, augmenting them with clever and revolutionary mechanics rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Something like Doom‘s Glory Kills could help tremendously in this regard. Introducing an incentive for rushing into enemy forces would meaningfully expand the tactical nature of the classic ME formula, encouraging more aggressive play instead of just sticking to cover. Older Mass Effect games don’t really have this sort of incentive, as even classes with a close-combat emphasis, like Vanguard, don’t offer material rewards for an aggressive playstyle. Rather, being aggressive is just a matter of personal preference; it lacks strategic weight.
On top of all this, melee finishers in the style of Doom‘s Glory Kills would simply make the next Mass Effect more visually dynamic. Mass Effect 3 introduced a number of flashy melee options, and the series has always taken a cinematic approach both inside and outside of combat encounters, so this would be a natural progression.
8/10
- Released
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March 1, 2017
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts
- Engine
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Frostbite 3