It pains me deeply to know that I let myself be swayed by negative press and the overwhelming criticism at launch. I considered myself a true Mass Effect fan, yet instead of giving this game a fair chance, I ignored it—depriving myself of an incredible experience.

Years later, with lowered expectations and for a fraction of the original price, I finally gave it a shot. And what I found was not a failed experiment but a breathtaking adventure that fits seamlessly into the Mass Effect universe. Exploring new worlds, engaging with deep storytelling, and connecting with vibrant characters had me captivated from start to finish.

I cannot undo the mistake of having ignored Andromeda for so long. But I can make sure others don’t repeat it. If you love Mass Effect, don’t let outdated prejudices mislead you—this game truly deserves a second chance.

This is a VERY tepid yes. I was going to give a no, but the ending & a couple of story points pushed it over to a yes for me. Ultimately, this feels like the reheated leftovers of Dragon Age: Inquisition & the Mass Effect trilogy, especially the structure of DA:I. Somehow, the endless, eventually mind-numbing exploration and fetch-questing felt a little more exciting in DA:I, perhaps because it was my first time encountering that particular frustration of TOO much in a game. Too much can be a bad thing and ME:A certainly sacrificed quality for quantity. Not to mention, the space colonization theme filled me with discomfort no matter how much BioWare attempted to temper it -- we still got a story with a human (White savior) who has a special power (even worse since it's AI LOL!!!) that just HAS to swoop in to save the indigenous people in the galaxy...I appreciate the attempts at complicating this narrative because BioWare is more thoughtful than that, but it is what it is!!

Some of the worlds were cool, such as Havarl (it's giving Pandora!) and Kadara, but we also got the classic snow (TM) and desert (TM) planets, which are absolutely bleak to spend hourS running/driving around lol... I don't even remember the 5th planet now????? Oh JK, there's two desert (TM) planets. We get the same archetypes in terms of characters/alien races -- Liam = Kaiden, Cora is like a more nerdy Miranda, Peebee (Manic Pixie Dream Asari) is like Sara from DA:I + Liara, Jaal reminded me of Thane Krios (romantic/earnest Shape of Water vibes) etc etc. I'd love to see BioWare (if they ever make another ME game) go beyond the rigid archetypes they've been trafficking in for their alien races. We see glimpses of it in the sensitive Krogan you meet on New Tuchanka or Vetra's sister, but I want a complete shake up, otherwise it feels like they've boxed in and simplified this infinitely expansive world. It also feels like such a miss to have another protagonist who needs to save the universe...I know they tried to make Ryder different by having them dropped into the role and figuring out their leadership style + growing confidence over the course of the game, but it would have been far more interesting to have the protagonist be in the role of say, the Charlatan -- someone more morally grey or off-the-beaten path. It feels like when Disney/other corporations don't trust us to care enough about the world that has been created to expand within it and instead re-tread the same characters/stories over and over (i.e. Fantastic Beasts films having to connect back to Dumbledore & Voldemort rather than letting them stand on their own merit).

ME:A has glimmers of a really cool game. The combat (jump jets FTW!!!) was a blast. The ending fight was very fun, as was the world (which we didn't really get to enjoy). Ryder's twin feels like a huge missed opportunity too -- why not introduce them as a playable character sooner in the game or develop the relationship between the twins earlier???? Would have been so cool to have both twins aboard the Tempest in the second half of the game. The movie night quest, which made me wanna pull my hair out with it's 15-part fetch quest felt worth it at the end since the cut scene was very endearing and lengthy enough to feel meaningful. Maybe I was Stockholm-syndromed into liking the game by the end of 98 hours...but I guess I also now feel that no (?) games should be this long at the end of the day. Unless it is majority meaningful story, but that feels kind of impossible. Like I don't think 100+ hours of DA:I (with all DLCs) was necessary either. Quality over quantity every day, baby!!!

Glad I played because the ME universe is deeply special to me, but I agree with those that felt this was a disappointment!

Hard skip, don't even think about playing it unless you wanted to experience every mass effect game.