‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ Flips Script With Humans As Invaders


The plot for Mass Effect: Andromeda has only been hinted at via teasers and leaks from BioWare. A new Electronic Arts survey just revealed more details about the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC role-playing game’s plot.

The leaked Mass Effect: Andromeda survey was shared via NeoGAF user anexanhume. Interestingly, it asked survey takers their buying intent without taking into account the original Mass Effect trilogy.

“Mass Effect: Andromeda takes players to the Andromeda galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way, where players will lead the fight for a new home in hostile territory – where WE are the aliens – opposed by a deadly indigenous race bent on stopping us.

“Experience the freedom to traverse and explore a planet-dense but seamless open-world galaxy, rich with discovery. Play as the leader of a squad of military-trained explorers in an intense third-person shooter, with deep progression and customization systems.

“This is the story of humanity’s next chapter, and player choices throughout the game will ultimately determine our survival in the Andromeda Galaxy.”

The survey continues with a follow-up question containing a description for a “possible future version of Mass Effect.”

“There is a major battle brewing, and it awaits you. It is unfolding across a galaxy of planets, with creatures and species entirely unknown. Draw your weapon, because the fighter is bigger than you thought. It’s not just for your own life, it’s for all of humanity – the ultimate battle for a place we can all call home.”

Previous teasers and leaks for Andromeda appear to give us a look at what to expect from BioWare’s follow-up to the original Mass Effect trilogy. The prevailing theory is that the ship shown in the game’s N7 Day trailer is an ark carrying humanity, possibly out of the galaxy, to escape the devastation of the genocidal Reaper War that concluded in Mass Effect 3.

Mass Effect Andromeda N7 Day Teaser Ryder Dog Tags (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Ryder? [Image via BioWare]

The trailer also left a pair of dog tags sitting in the cockpit of the ship with the name “Ryder” on them. At the same time, Johnny Cash’s “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” was used during the game’s E3 trailer. Two “Rider” references over the course of two trailers is likely not a coincidence and sets the stage for a male or female Ryder to be the main protagonist Mass Effect: Andromeda.

This effectively flips the script on the Mass Effect story so far by making humans out to be the invaders of a new galaxy, although without the intent to wipe out all life in the galaxy. The story will have a heavy emphasis on exploration as players explore and colonize the Andromeda galaxy. General Manager Aaryn Flynn previously explained the plot as “very much a human one” to ensure that it is relatable, which is why the main protagonist remains human.

Some in the community are already drawing parallels between the survey’s description of the Mass Effect: Andromeda plot and “Manifest Destiny,” the 19th-century belief that settlers from the United States were destined to expand the country across North America. Lines are also being drawn by some with the colonialism of various European empires that spread across the globe.

Mass Effect: Andromeda (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
[Image via BioWare]

Whether BioWare uses Mass Effect: Andromeda as a historical allegory to colonialism and Manifest Destiny remains to be seen. The concept of humans being the strangers in a strange land is not exactly new to the world of science fiction or games. It’s even been touched on in games such as Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth and more.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is currently targeting a first quarter 2017 release, as previously covered by the Inquisitr. This is a slight delay from the originally touted holiday 2016 release.

[Image via BioWare]

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