Mass Effect Andromeda New Gameplay Trailer CES 2017
During the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, we got to see a new gameplay trailer for Mass Effect: Andromeda. The two-minute video showcases snippets of Profiles and Skills from the game, as well as some combat and environments. For all the hype this video got, honestly, it’s a little underwhelming.
The clip teases a lot but reveals little. So little, in fact, that it doesn’t do a very good job of presenting the game itself. You can check out the full video below.
The trailer begins with an elaborate shot of a ship flying through an asteroid belt and landing on a desert planet. It’s very reminiscent of Star Wars in a good way. The ship is called The Tempest, and it’s the hub of the game, much like the Normandy used to be.
The next thing we see is the Skills menu. It’s divided into several sections. On the left side, we have Ryder (which is you, of course). We can see the amount of Skill Points we have, as well as Combat, Biotics and Tech subsections. The other section is Squad, and it shows you your current squad members. On the right hand side, we have our name, current level, health, shield, and current loadout.
The video then shows us one of the squad members, Peebee. We get to see her Skill Points, level, loadout etc. The user interface seems very user-friendly and tidy, which is a huge plus for any RPG. Of course, there is an Auto Level Up system, in case you don’t feel like doing it yourself.
We then get to see a snippet of non-combat gameplay, showcasing an ominous-looking volcanic planet. The trailer goes into the Profiles menu of our Pathfinder. Pathfinders are basically scouts looking for inhabitable planets, and that’s our main role. The Profiles are pretty much like classes. There’s Soldier, Engineer, Infiltrator and Explorer. Selecting a Profile shows you which rank you’re at, which bonuses you get from said rank, and a short description.
We get a better glimpse of the Skills menu, specifically the Tech subsection. There’s a lot to choose from, so I won’t list them all here. Suffice to say, taking a closer look at the Flamethrower Tech Power got me slightly salivating.
The trailer concludes with some combat footage. There’s shooting and flame-throwing, dodging hostile robots, the works. Honestly, this part felt a little flat and the UI got a bit chaotic. I don’t want to make any definite conclusions from watching a trailer, though.
Overall, even though it shows us some interesting aspects of gameplay, the trailer isn’t anything special. I had hoped we would get to see much more than this. The fan reaction is lukewarm at best, which isn’t the best of signs. Many are complaining that it looks generic and criticism of the gameplay is abound. We’ll just have to wait for March and see for ourselves.
