Mass Effect 4is still shrouded in mystery, but the strong sales ofDragon Age: The Veilguardcertainly seem to paint a positive picture of its continued development. That said, it’s hard to predictwhat this fourth chapter in theMass Effectseries will look like, as not only has it been almost a decade since the last entry, but the BioWare of today has very little in common, staff-wise, with the BioWare of the late 2000s and early 2010s, whenMass Effectwas at its peak.
The nextMass Effectwould technically be the fifth entry in the series, but sinceMass Effect Andromedaisn’t numbered, it’s generally been assumed that BioWare is treating it more like a spin-off than a mainline release.
Dragon Age: The Veilguardis a significant departure from its predecessors in terms of visuals, tone, and gameplay, butMass Effect 4could be taking a different approach. The series pivoted away from many of its core gameplay and narrative pillars withAndromeda, which was not a foray that turned out very well for BioWare—many consider that game to be the studio’s first major stumble post-Inquisition. That is to say, BioWare may be interested in going back toMass Effect’s roots with this new entry, and while there are many significant ways it can do this, such as through strategy-laden combat design and mature storytelling, there’s one specific aspect of the franchise that ought to return as well.
Mass Effect 4 Should Revisit Mass Effect 1’s Approach to Armor
The First Mass Effect Has a Traditional Gear System
It’s no great secret that theMass Effectseries became progressively less concerned with classic RPGmechanics as it went on, withME3andAndromedaarguably having more in common with the action-adventure genre. But the firstMass Effectis extracted from the substance of traditional RPGs, with stat and gear systems that would be found in most by-the-numbers role-playing games, including those played with pen and paper.
Players can findarmor for Shepard and their companionsthroughout the various regions of the game, with different armor types fitting different alien races. These pieces of gear would have unique stats, making them an important part of the build-crafting and role-playing experience. In later games, this system, much like the leveling system, is streamlined, with far fewer collectible armor options, all with only a minor impact on gameplay. Moreover, armor can only be changed on the Normandy in these games, discouraging experimentation and on-the-fly gear-swapping. Putting it simply, armor became more about personalization than utility in these later releases.
How Mass Effect 4 Can Build Upon Mass Effect 1’s Armor System
While it’s true that thefirstMass Effecthas a more fleshed-out and dedicated armor systemcompared to its successors, that doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily good. It’s a fairly barebones, almost quaint feature, following basic tabletop RPG rules with respect to which classes can equip certain armor types. For example, players can only access heavy armor if they are playing as the Solider class. Aside from this somewhat outdated quirk, armor functions as one would expect, with heavy armor offering greater resistance against physical damage, and lighter armor offering protection against biotic and tech damage.In other words, it is very rudimentary.
Mass Effect 4could include a more modulated and robust armor system, allowing players to swap out gear at will like in the firstMass Effect, but also featuring different gear slots for chest pieces, gauntlets, helmets, et cetera. This sort of compartmentalization is only featured in laterMass Effectgames, though it is somewhat underwhelming for the aforementioned reasons. That said,ME2andME3armor will often have unique perks, like a 10% increase in headshot damage, rather than basic changes to core stats, so expanding upon this system, while combining it with the first game’s more traditional approach, could helpMass Effect 4’s RPG featuresquite a bit.
