Mass Effect 4: 10 Ways It Can Revolutionise The Franchise
9. No Galaxy-Threatening Bad Guys
After saving all existence in the Mass Effect trilogy, its safe to say that most fans just want to explore that world more without having to worry about it all ending. The series doesnt need Reaper equivalents again. What makes the Mass Effect series so good is just being in that galaxy, exploring new planets, and interacting with cool alien characters. Those are the aspects that players remember most fondly, not the Reapers, and so the next game shouldnt even bother coming up with another major villain. In fact, the next game could be about nothing but exploring and discovering and that would be enough. Being the captain of a starship and hanging out with aliens while having adventures across the galaxy is an awesome premise in its own right. It fulfils the Star Trek fantasies in all of us. As long as the game nailed this premise, it could be plotless and still be amazing. Let the player immerse themselves in this world and experience smaller scale stories that give the galaxy character. This would also give Bioware the opportunity to continue to deliver new content via DLC done right. Support could continue long after the release of the core game with new planets and stories created consistently to give the player a sense that the galaxy is a huge place with unlimited things to discover. The premise of Mass Effect is so epic in scale that it doesnt need a large conflict to remain compelling; it is on its own. Mass Effect 2 proved that without the Reapers the series is actually at its best. The next game should take a cue from that and craft a smaller, more intimate tale told on the grandest of canvases.