Destiny and Overwatch Influenced Mass Effect Andromeda
By Weston Albert 16 November 2016
Bioware says fans will notice how “fluid, dynamic, and fast-paced” the gameplay of Mass Effect Andromeda is, in part due to the influence of popular shooters.
Mass Effect Andromeda will be the end of a four-year drought since the last Mass Effect game. Since then, many other games have hit the market bringing new gameplay conventions but a common theme among many of them is fast paced action and fluidity, which is especially true of many of today’s popular shooters.
Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s developer Bioware says fans will immediately notice the change of pace in Andromeda compared to previous Mass Effect games. In an interview with Game Informer, producer Fabrice Condominas says the controls are much more responsive than ever before. He said while the multiplayer aspect of Mass Effect 3 had a big influence, the changing landscape of games over the past five years has played a part as well:
“Obviously, we all play games and we all get influenced by a number of games. […] Obviously it has been five years. The industry has changed. And I think the stop-and-go aspect of the third-person shooter, while it will remain for long, there are still games doing that, and that’s great. But then again responsiveness. I think you see it in Overwatch [and] Destiny. I think you see that idea of we want more responsiveness and fast paced things.”
That said, Condominas says Bioware is still focused on the franchise and what makes it unique, such as squad play. But with Mass Effect: Andromeda, Bioware is trying to combine the “sheer fun and action” of shooting with the depth of an RPG, with the goal for Andromeda‘s gameplay to combine the action-oriented nature of Mass Effect 3 with the RPG depth of Mass Effect 1. That could explain why Andromeda won’t have set classes, allowing for more freedom in playing.
According to Condominas, there was a conscious effort to take the fluidity and action that existed in Mass Effect 3‘s multiplayer and further infuse it into the single-player. That includes implementing a jump mechanic, which also adds an element of verticality and changes the way cover can work in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The gameplay is more focused on movement, which is further enforced with the existence of destructible cover.
The influence of multiplayer on Andromeda‘s single-player and vice versa was “only natural” says Condominas because the same team of people worked on both aspects of the game. The focus was on changing the combat system as a whole and keep it consistent no matter the mode.
Fans will be able to see how Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s controls feel for themselves with an upcoming multiplayer beta.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to launch in early 2017 on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Source: Game Informer
