3. The Reapers Were Never Interesting
Villains or antagonists are a major cornerstone and litmus test of a story. If theyre interesting and three dimensional characters, theyre a major benefit to the story. If theyre not, then they sap out a lot of the energy and tension, forcing everything else to carry the story. And sadly, the villains of the Shepard Saga are the least interesting part of the entire Mass Effect trilogy. Why? The Reapers are basically mecha space Cthulhus that want to kill/harvest all life in the galaxy for reasons. Everything about them is generic and taken from some other work of fiction. Their appearance? H.P. Lovecraft. Their harvest all life in the galaxy schtick? Taken from Revelation Space. Their booming voices? Generic villain trait. Theres nothing really interesting about them as characters or antagonists especially not after the conversation with Sovereign on Virimire. After spilling the entire Reaper plan to Shepard, Sovereign doesnt answer the one question that can make or break a villain: why? In that moment, the Reapers were revealed as the plot devices they were. The Reapers dont exist as characters, just as backstory for the galaxy at large and motivation for the events of the games. Thats why Mass Effect 2, the least Reaper focused game in the trilogy, is the best game: the Reapers are barely in it and serve their function. They cause the story to happen, but its the characters and their adventures that are the focus and what people actually care about.