Mass Effect: 8 Ways Developers Could Produce A New Entry Worthy Of The Fanbase
3. Flashback, Prequel-Styled Missions
Another way that a new Mass Effect could mix the old with the new would be to introduce side quests that are set in the past. This way, fan service could be delivered throughout the campaign without having too much impact on the new story.
There are a number of ways these could be accessed. They could be given by crew members reminiscing on tales of their ancestry, they could be written in ancient texts, or perhaps they could be accessed through visions in the same vein as Shepard experienced with the Reapers in the original trilogy.
The opportunities would be endless. We could have a covert mission where we play as Salarians attempting to initiate the original Genophage. We could have a large-scale battle sequence as the Turians face off against humanity in the First Contact War. Maybe we could even have a story set from the Geth’s point of view, taking up arms in an uprising against their Quarian creators and spiralling into darkness afterwards.
There's so much lore within the Mass Effect universe and we’ve barely scratched the surface of it. It shouldn’t be tossed aside as flippantly as it was in Andromeda. It’s worthy of far more exploration.