Mass Effect 5 Wishlist: 10 Major Risks Bioware MUST Take

Andromeda at least tried to get this one right. Even without the controversial ending, the original trilogy had a sense of finality to it. Now though, anything in Shepard’s vicinity feels like scorched earth.

Whether Mass Effect 5 goes way into the future or heads into the past depends on how many of the key features it can get in there. The First Contact War has been touted before, but this lacks the sweeping scale of the games and again becomes Human centric. With a good story, it could work, but it’s far from the only option.

Going even further back changes the complexion of the galaxy, lowering the influence of Humans and raising the stakes of now minor races. It makes it harder to introduce new species, but remains a viable option.

Way into the future could dredge the ending fiasco back up.

Andromeda went to another galaxy to get away from that, but Mass Effect can’t really expect to pull off the same trick twice. A new setting or period way in the future means an entirely new piece of world building though, in exchange for making a fresh start.

Whatever they do, it provides quite a risk, but also a massive opportunity.