Let’s have a peek at some of the visual and gameplay tricks Mass Effect: Andromeda has up its sleeve.
We are still a year out from the release of BioWare’s upcoming Mass Effect: Andromeda, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t clamoring for information about…well, anything they can learn about it. Yesterday, a video was leaked onto the Internet and posted by Reddit user ThyGrimOfDeath. It appears to be a kind of sizzle reel; showing off gameplay footage as well as tech demonstrations within the game world.
Clocking in at less than a minute, the video begins by showing off visual features such as ambient fog and rain effects (which is by now a staple when showing off new video game technology). Following that, it transitions to a cutscene in which a human is holding up a Krogan, who in turn opens up a gas grenade that disables the human. This is intriguing, as grenades have generally been clumsily handled as a mechanic in the Mass Effect universe. It’s unclear exactly how they will be applied in actual gameplay, but one hopes that their showing it off in this video means they have some new ideas.
The video ends with some cool explosion models, but the best part of the whole thing is when an armored human character is shown using a jetpack to jump on top of a one-story building. Now this has the potential to be a truly game-changing addition to the Mass Effect series in a couple of ways. First, it introduces verticality to level design, which can lead to more complex and layered environments. Second, it introduces an entirely new combat mechanic to multiplayer and ideally could create an experience closer to Tribes: Ascend than a more traditional cover shooter.
While seeing anything from Mass Effect: Andromeda is exciting, it is of course just a quick video showing off bits of footage, none of which may necessarily be part of the finished product. Also, the characters shown may very well just be familiar-looking placeholders, since Mass Effect: Andromeda takes place in an entirely different galaxy from the original series. With that in mind, it is still exciting to see the groundwork for what BioWare is creating with this new entry in the series.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is scheduled for release in 2017. Check out the video below to see this footage for yourself.
