Mass Effect Andromeda: 9 Burning Questions It Must Answer
Are there two timelines running in unison? Which rumours are true? Just WTF happened to Earth?
Hey, hey guys - it's alright. It's alright to be excited about Mass Effect again!
Rejoice, as after four long years of complaining, analysing, justifying to ourselves what was good and categorically bad, the dust has settled on Mass Effect 3's divisive finale, and Bioware are pushing ahead with Mass Effect: Andromeda.
In fairness, we've known it was coming for quite some time - the only thing was, until PlayStation Meeting, EA and Bioware have held off on showing any gameplay. Assumedly just for the sake of dipping their toes back in the global mediasphere and seeing what bites (or to avoid getting roasted by anyone yelling "TOO SOON!") it's been up to the fans to paint a solid picture on what's coming next for gaming's most popular sci-fi franchise.
With that in mind, there are quite the number of burning questions that fans and gamers in general have towards "another Mass Effect" after what's happened, starting with...
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9. Is The Andromeda Initiative Rumour True?
Firstly, we know the Andromeda Initiative is at least in the game in some form, as during the PlayStation Meeting footage the logo can be seen on the uniforms of new character Ryder and his/her crew.
That said, as Bioware are yet to confirm the plot other than "You're a human exploring a new galaxy", we're forced to fall back one of the most popular fan theories doing the rounds.
It goes that during the timeline of the original trilogy, a contingency plan was put in place in the event of global annihilation named the 'Andromeda Initiative'. This was to be a shuttle containing samples of various lifeforms and resources to start life anew should the Reapers succeed in their invasion, and it departed some time into Mass Effect 3.
For the most part, this seems to be spot on, as we've seen Ryder wake up from what appears to be cryo-sleep. In the PS Meeting footage, the male Ryder remarks on their location by stating "There... there we are", the assumption being that until he and the crew activate the map, they were in a completely unknown location.
All of this - the logos on their uniforms, awaking from cryo and seeking maps to chart a course through a new system - matches perfectly with the Andromeda Initiative's mission statement, and ostensibly means our crew have no idea what happened after they left Earth during that final battle, which is probably for the best.I