Not much is known about Mass Effect 4, as BioWare has been remarkably tight-lipped about it since it was first announced all the way back in late 2020. Based on what scant information is available about the highly anticipated title, many have assumed that it will pick up where Mass Effect 3 left off. This speculation is supported by the fact that Liara, a key player in the original Mass Effect trilogy, is prominently featured in the announcement teaser, as is a piece of N7 armor, suggesting a continuation of the Milky Way saga.
Assuming this is the case, there are a lot of issues that Mass Effect 4 will need to address. Of course, there are the big-ticket items, like which Mass Effect 3 ending the game will canonize and which characters will return, but there are also some more intricate details that BioWare will have to decide on. Among these smaller points is the status of the Normandy. Assuming that Mass Effect 3's Extended Cut is the canon version of the game, then the Normandy SR2 that players have come to love so much did indeed survive the events of ME3's finale, even if it is a bit worse for wear. But if ME4 is getting the old band back together, as it were, will it also opt to take players back to this iconic spacecraft, or try something new?
How Mass Effect 4 Can Benefit by Learning from an Unlikely Hideo Kojima Game
Though BioWare and Kojima Productions couldn't seem more different, Mass Effect 4 could learn some lessons from a recent Kojima-helmed title.
The Pros and Cons of Mass Effect 4 Reviving the Normandy
Mass Effect Fans Could See the Normandy In a New Light
There are actually two versions of the Normandy: there is the SR1 version, which is only featured in Mass Effect 1, and the SR2 version, which replaces SR1 after it's destroyed at the beginning of ME2. Considering Mass Effect 3's various endings, it's likely that players would see the SR2 version in Mass Effect 4, if they see the Normandy at all. This would be a treat for returning players, as ME4 could take a number of liberties with the ship's design, especially in light of technological advancements—the game could remove loading screens when traveling between different levels of the ship, for instance.
In some ME3 endings, the Normandy SR2 crash-lands on an unidentified planet, but the Extended Cut shows the ship getting repaired in this case. These repairs could be the canon explanation for small changes to the ship's design in ME4.
Other visual changes, like the addition of more view ports, would be nice, but greater structural alterations would be more impactful. For instance, perhaps the SR2 could have been renovated post-ME3 to include more rooms, like a rec center or gym. Perhaps players could even customize both new and old SR2 spaces, redefining the player-ship connection for this fresh chapter in the franchise.
Mass Effect 4 Could Be Restricted by Bringing Back the Normandy
Regardless of what one might think about Mass Effect Andromeda, it's fair to say that it benefits from being disconnected from the Shepard saga, at least in some ways. One manifestation of this blank-slate advantage is the Tempest, the Normandy's replacement: the Tempest is larger and more detailed than the Normandy, even though it may lack some of the latter's unmistakable charm and atmosphere.
Mass Effect 4 could leverage similar strengths. By replacing the Normandy with an all-new ship, BioWare would have far greater freedom to design an entirely new spacecraft concept. ME4 wouldn't need to be boxed-in by the limitations of the Normandy's eighth-console-generation construction: it could spread its wings with a larger, denser, or more outlandish ship, cutting the umbilical cord from the original saga, leaving the Normandy's legacy tied solely to the first three games.
Mass Effect: Andromeda
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 72 /100 Critics Rec: 40%
- Released
- March 1, 2017
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite 3
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Mass Effect
WHERE TO PLAY
Mass Effect: Andromeda travels deep into the Andromeda Galaxy, far beyond the Milky Way. There, you will lead our fight for a new home in hostile territory where we are the aliens. Take command as the Pathfinder, a leader of a squad of military-trained explorers, with deep progression and customization systems. This is the story of humanity’s next chapter, and your choices throughout the game will ultimately determine our survival in the Andromeda Galaxy. As you unfold the mysteries of the Andromeda Galaxy and the hope for humanity lies on your shoulders, you must ask yourself – how far will you go?
