Mass Effect 4 remains an enigma, but the impressive sales of Dragon Age: The Veilguard suggest that development is moving forward positively. However, it’s challenging to envision what this next installment will entail, especially since nearly ten years have passed since the last game. Additionally, the current BioWare team is quite different from the one that brought us the beloved series during its heyday in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard marks a notable shift from earlier titles in terms of visuals, atmosphere, and gameplay mechanics, while Mass Effect 4 might be exploring a different direction. The series moved away from its foundational gameplay and storytelling elements with Andromeda, which many fans view as a misstep for BioWare—often seen as the studio’s first major setback after Inquisition. This suggests that BioWare might be keen on revisiting the original essence of Mass Effect with this upcoming installment. There are numerous ways to achieve this, including a focus on strategic combat and deeper narratives, but one particular element of the franchise should definitely make a comeback.
Mass Effect 4 Should Revisit Mass Effect 1’s Approach to Armor
The First Mass Effect Has a Traditional Gear System
It’s well-known that the Mass Effect series gradually shifted away from traditional RPG elements as it progressed, with ME3 and Andromeda leaning more towards action-adventure gameplay. However, the original Mass Effect is deeply rooted in classic RPG mechanics, featuring stat and gear systems typical of many standard role-playing games, including those played with pen and paper.
Throughout the game, players can discover armor for Shepard and their allies in various regions, with different types designed for specific alien races. Each piece of armor comes with its own unique stats, making it a crucial element in crafting builds and enhancing the role-playing experience. However, in the later installments, this system, similar to the leveling mechanics, has been simplified, offering fewer collectible armor options that have only a slight effect on gameplay. Additionally, players can only change their armor aboard the Normandy in these later games, which limits experimentation and spontaneous gear changes. Essentially, armor in these later titles shifted focus from functionality to personalization.
How Mass Effect 4 Can Build Upon Mass Effect 1’s Armor System
It’s true that the original Mass Effect has a more developed armor system than the later games, but that doesn’t automatically make it a great feature. In fact, it feels quite simplistic and almost charming, adhering to basic tabletop RPG mechanics regarding class-specific armor types. For instance, only the Soldier class can wear heavy armor. Despite this somewhat old-fashioned aspect, the armor behaves as you’d expect: heavy armor provides better protection against physical attacks, while lighter armor is more effective against biotic and tech damage. Overall, it’s quite basic.