Fans are eagerly awaiting new details on the next Mass Effect game from Bioware, but so far the developers have kept quiet about what to expect. We know the Mako ground transport will be returning and that players won't be playing as Commander Sheperd.
And now we might know a whole lot more. A Reddit user by the name Bejamin_stone claims to have taken a survey that revealed a huge amount of new details about the game, ranging from the story to new gameplay elements.
It should be noted that the Reddit post has now been removed. Make of that what you will. In the meantime, we've still got the details of the post via Bleeding Cool.
Possible Mass Effect 4 Spoilers Below. Read On At Your Own Risk
The story is said to take place in a section of the Andromeda Galaxy called the Helius Cluster. Players will take on the role of a Pathfinder, an explorer who is set to lead an expedition into the Helius Cluster to pave the way for human colonization. That's not going to be easy, however, because the Cluster is filled with warring alien races. Players will have to make hard choices and form uneasy alliances with these various races in order to achieve their goals. Along the way players will uncover the ruins of an ancient civilization left by the Remnant, whose technology will be the key to controlling this section of the galaxy.
It all sounds...familiar, to say the least. The game is far removed from the original Mass Effect trilogy and the exploits of Commander Shepard, but seems to keep many of the key elements of the franchise intact. A new protagonist, similar to the Spectres. Uncharted worlds, where players must make alliances to uncover the mystery of an ancient civilization. Companion characters.
And it's not just story details that Benjamin_stone reveals either. There are plenty of tidbits about various gameplay elements said to be in Mass Effect 4. For starters, the game is said to be four times the size of Mass Effect 3, and players can go from flying in their spaceship, the Tempest, to exploring the surface of a planet in the Mako without load screens. Companion characters and loyalty missions will be returning as well. Benjamin_stone shares details on two of the game's companions: a Krogan by the name of Drack, and a biotic user named Cora.
There are also numerous elements that seem to be taken from Bioware's recent Dragon Age: Inquisition, including a "War Table" where players can send their team on missions that take between 20-30 minutes of real world time to complete. Players will also set up settlements to increase influence in a region and acquire resources, just like in Dragon Age.
The similarities to Dragon Age: Inquisition are interesting, mostly because Bioware general manager Aaryn Flynn has already said Mass Effect 4 won't be taking inspiration from Bioware's latest game.
"We're very proud of what DAI has achieved, but that does not set a 'template' for what every other game we make needs to be," Flynn says.
So there you have it: possible Mass Effect 4 details. No doubt the game will make a large splash at this year's E3, complete with a trailer and new details. In the meantime, best take this information with a whole cup of salt.
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