Summary
There’s no shortage of popular Sci-Fi franchises out there in the entertainment industry. Whether it’sStar Trek,Stargate, orStar Wars, Sci-Fi fans have more than their fair share of great content to dive into, with the genre having existed for at least 200 years now in various forms and various mediums. While the medium of video games is still relatively new compared to novels, comic books, TV, and movies, Sci-Fi has still managed to claim a large stake in the gaming market, with franchises likeMass Effectbeing some of the most beloved gaming series around.
Mass Effectleans more into the military Science-Fiction sub-genre, with most of its plot beats and character arcs revolving around some kind of galactic conflict that’s thrown countless worlds into chaos. ThoughMass Effectisn’t afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve, it’s done an excellent job of carving out its own unique identity over the years, but that might not stop the upcomingMass Effect 4from being compared to theStar Warssequel trilogy.
Mass Effect 4 Might Not Want to Follow in Star Wars' Footsteps
Star Wars' Sequel Trilogy Relied Too Heavily on Character Returns
It was always going to bean uphill battle forStar Wars: The Force Awakens.The Force Awakenshad to simultaneously be similar enough to the previous movies to keep fans happy, but also be different enough to avoid being labeled as a re-hash, and it had to introduce a whole new cast of characters and make them compelling while also needing to bring classic characters back to appease fans. It was an impossible task, and thoughForce Awakensdefinitely stumbled in a few places, it struck a pretty good balance overall.
The same can’t really be said for the rest of the trilogy. ThoughStar Wars: The Last Jediattempted to tell an original story and subvert expectations, it still relied heavily on Luke Skywalker to drive Rey’s arc forward, and Leia to give Poe an arc of his own. ThenThe Rise of Skywalkerdropped the ball entirely. In an attempt to appease all crowds,The Rise of Skywalkerdelivered more fan service than ever before, bringing the Emperor back from the dead along withForce Ghosts of Luke and Han, and cramming Lando and Wedge cameos in for no good reason.
Unfortunately,The Rise of Skywalkerwas only the start of this disappointing recentStar Warstrend. Thoughthe first season ofThe Mandalorianwas praised heavily for its originality and compelling new characters, Season 2 doubled down on cameos, delivering another familiar face every other episode.
The Book of Boba Fett,Ahsoka, and evenThe Bad Batchhave all continued this trend, and though many of these do focus primarily on their own set of main characters, cameos are still a staple, and often a distracting one that gets in the way.
Mass Effect 4 Should Try Not to Repeat the Same Mistake
Though it’s way too early to make a final judgment, it seems as thoughMass Effect4could be in danger of repeating the same mistake as theStar Warssequel trilogy. Currently, the only real piece of information BioWare has given aboutMass Effect 4is thatLiara T’Soniwill be in the game in some capacity, with her playing a major role in the game’s reveal trailer. With her species living until they’re 1000 years old, it makes sense that Liara would show up again in aMass Effectsequel, but this is shaky territory.
IfMass Effect 4is willing to bring Liara back to the fore, then it seems possible that other past crew members could make a return. But while a big reunion of everyone’s favorite surviving characters sounds good on paper, it could quickly turn sour forMass Effect 4. So much ofMass Effect’s praise in story and mechanicsin the past has come from its ability to introduce compelling characters and make fans grow to love them over the course of an entry, and that shouldn’t be undercut inMass Effect 4by simply having the same characters return once again.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
WHERE TO PLAY
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors and packs — remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD. Experience an amazingly rich and detailed universe where your decisions have profound consequences on the action and the outcome.
