Mass Effect 4 Andromeda: 8 Big Risks Bioware Must Take

7. Feed In Some Of That Old-School RPG Arcane-ness

Most people agree that streamlining the inventory from ME1 to ME2's version was good design, but there's no need to throw out the Grunt with the tank-fluid. Back in the days of Baldur's Gate, wizards could choose from a spell list going into the hundreds. This was one class out of about 12. Granted, this was a game based on Dungeons and Dragons, but surely there's a middle ground. Now of course, this kind of massive choice has its disadvantages. It can be more like working an excel sheet than actually fun (see ME1's inventory), and it's expensive in development time. But it does give a huge advantage: meaningful customisation. One of the problems with modern Bioware RPGs is the lack of choice in skill development. If you have two characters in Dragon Age: Inquisition of a similar class, you have to actively work to make them different because the skill trees are relatively limited. Conventional wisdom is that gamers don't like to have to work to have fun, especially those new fans they're trying so hard to attract. This makes going back to the old ways a risk. But being able to make unique characters with diverse skills not only increases re-playability, but gives the player a sense they're progressing more in their own direction, not the game's. Mass Effect 4 Andromeda needs to find a balance between streamlined and two-dimensional - be the RPG fans have wanted it to be since day one, and match that with gameplay that feels natural and not needlessly action-heavy.