Mass Effect: 8 Ways Developers Could Produce A New Entry Worthy Of The Fanbase

The Paragon/Renegade system in Mass Effect was a beloved feature. The system allowed players to choose whether Shepard was the rule-abiding, righteous and honourable hero, or a gruff, bad-cop with a chip on their shoulder who never played by the rules, but damn it, got results. The issue with this was that playing in between these two polar opposites offered no incentive.

In a new entry, Bioware should revamp their morality system to cater to morally grey characters, rather than limiting what they can do. Players should be free to make the “good” or “bad” decision at any point, regardless of where they currently stand on a scale. Previously, certain options were closed off if you hadn’t been enough of a saint or a downright bastard.

This could be managed by having decisions impact how the character is received by others, how certain story arcs play out and opening up new threats and opportunities accordingly. A character who rides the middle of the moral scale may be trusted with scepticism as opposed to being overwhelmingly accepted or feared. Bioware should look to the likes of the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077’s delivery of their choice-based system, where seemingly every decision creates a unique opportunity.