The most profound point made during EA's press conference in regards to the Mass Effect: Andromeda story is that you will be the alien. This is made even more intriguing since we already know that Andromeda's story is supposed to be separate from previous games, and there's still not a lot that has been revealed as to why humans have sought out other planets to populate. At the end of Mass Effect 3, many questions were left unanswered. The extended cut provided some closure but the ultimate ending with a postcard like image of a grandparent speaking to a child about how "The Shepard" saved everyone doesn't quite explain why humans would be traveling deep into uncharted territory.
Is it possible that the mission to Andromeda started before or maybe after the Reaper Invasion? None of that has been confirmed yet, but what is clear is that we certainly are not in areas of the Mass Effect Universe that we have seen before. The one thing we can hope for is that perhaps we have a surprise run in with a familiar Mass Effect character at some point. I just refuse to believe that Andromeda won't have any throwbacks to the original games when it comes to characters. Many of the alien species introduced in previous games are capable of living for centuries, especially the Asari (looking at you, Aria).
Separation from original storyline's aside, the game looks amazing, If the behind the scenes video that EA showcased during their press conference is anything to go by, we are in for something truly spectacular. It reminds me of the space exploration in Mass Effect 2, which is one amongst other things that made that game my favorite in the franchise . The new approach to how humankind will be interacting with universe is what has become one of the primary focuses of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The premise of Mass Effect so far has dealt with how humans have become a part of an already existing network of alien colonies on different planets. In Andromeda, humans will be venturing to new worlds completely separated from their home for reasons that for now are unclear. The goal being to find a world where humans can colonize. Hopefully there will be some explanation as to what happened to the characters of this new story after/during the Reaper attack.
I believe that what little we have been shown does have potential to revitalize the Mass Effect Universe and quiet possibly give us even more to enjoy than we might imagine. We already know that Krogans and Asari will be present in the game, so while we may not be getting familiar faces, not every species you encounter will be unfamiliar. Though I am looking forward to see what surprises BioWare has in store for us as far as the supporting cast is concerned.
The most thrilling part of watching the newest behind the scenes trailer for me was the ending when a mysterious women awakes from stasis, proclaiming "We made it". Where did they make it to? Who are they? Was this mission a planned mission or a last ditch escape from something? There's so much more I want to know about this new story, but we are still far away from truly knowing the motivations of the writers. I feel as if we've been following a trail of breadcrumbs since last year's E3 press conference, stepped up to the front door of the house it led us to, and have been denied entry upon knocking on the door.
When you're ready to give us more than breadcrumbs, BioWare, we'll be waiting.
