History VideoGame / MassEffectAndromeda

''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' is the fourth game in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series. Developed by Creator/{{BioWare}} Montreal, it was released for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 4}}, UsefulNotes/XboxOne and PC on March 21, 2017 in North America and March 23, 2017 in Europe.

The game reintroduces vehicular gameplay to the series, after the all-terrain vehicle was dropped in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. It also returns to a WideOpenSandbox model, featuring a number of central planets that serve as mission hubs and dungeons all in one. A great deal else is unique to Andromeda, however. Ryder has access to every ability in the game at all times, and can customize their skill build to their heart's content; in conjunction, the classic six character classes are now "Profiles" that give corresponding bonuses, which can be swapped on the fly. The KarmaMeter is gone entirely, replaced by a more roleplaying-oriented system that lets the player choose between four moods ([[TheHeart emotional]], [[TheSpock logical]], [[TheGadfly flippant]], [[TheStoic professional]]) as they see fit. Finally, ItemCrafting and VendorTrash make their entries into the series, the former allowing for enhanced customization of weapons and armor.

Titan Books published [[http://titanbooks.com/blog/announcing-official-mass-effect-novels/ three semi-prequel]] novels, starting with ''Literature/MassEffectNexusUprising'' in March 2017 followed by ''Literature/MassEffectInitiation'' in November 2017 then ''Literature/MassEffectAnnihilation'' in November 6 2018 that flesh out the Andromeda Initiative and the events that led to the state of the project at the start of the game.

Titan Books published [[http://titanbooks.com/blog/announcing-official-mass-effect-novels/ three semi-prequel]] novels, starting with ''Literature/MassEffectNexusUprising'' in March 2017 followed by ''Literature/MassEffectInitiation'' in November 2017 then ''Literature/MassEffectAnnihilation'' in June 26 2018 that flesh out the Andromeda Initiative and the events that led to the state of the project at the start of the game.

[[http://titanbooks.com/blog/announcing-official-mass-effect-novels/ Three semi-prequel]] novels, starting with ''Literature/MassEffectNexusUprising'' in March 2017, will flesh out the Andromeda Initiative and the events that led to the state of the project at the start of the game.

Players can choose to play as either [[BrotherSisterTeam Scott or Sara]] Ryder, the twin children of Alec Ryder, [[TheAce Pathfinder]] for humanity's ark, the ''Hyperion''. After arriving in Andromeda, an incident forces the chosen Ryder sibling to take on the mantle of Pathfinder, and continue their mission to explore the Andromeda galaxy in search of new home worlds.

The game reintroduces vehicular gameplay to the series, after the all-terrain vehicle was dropped in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''; it also returns to a WideOpenSandbox model, featuring a number of central planets that serve as mission hubs and dungeons all in one. A great deal else is unique to Andromeda, however. Ryder has access to every ability in the game at all times, and can customize their skill build to their heart's content; relatedly, the classic six character classes are now "Profiles," which can be swapped on the fly. The KarmaMeter is gone entirely, replaced by a more roleplaying-oriented system that lets the player choose between four moods ([[TheHeart emotional]], [[TheSpock logical]], [[TheGadfly flippant]], [[TheStoic professional]]) as they see fit. Finally, ItemCrafting and VendorTrash make their entries into the series, the former allowing for enhanced customization of weapons and armor.

[[http://titanbooks.com/blog/announcing-official-mass-effect-novels/ Three semi-prequel]] novels, starting with ''Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising'' in March 2017, will flesh out the Andromeda Initiative and the events that led to the state of the project at the start of the game.

The game reintroduces vehicular gameplay to the series, after the all-terrain vehicle was dropped in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''; it also returns to a WideOpenSandbox model, featuring a number of central planets that serve as mission hubs and dungeons all in one. A great deal else is unique to Andromeda, however. Ryder has access to every ability in the game at all times, and can customize their skill build to their heart's content; relatedly, the classic six character classes are now "Profiles," which can be swapped on the fly. The KarmaMeter is gone entirely, replaced by a more roleplaying-oriented system that lets the player choose between four moods ([[TheHeart emotional]], [[TheSpock logical]], [[TheGadfly flippant]], [[TheStoic professional]]) as they see fit. Finally, ItemCrafting and VendorTrash make their entries into the series, the latter allowing for enhanced customization of weapons and armor.

The game reintroduces vehicular gameplay to the series, after the all terrain vehicle was dropped in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' and ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.