7 years ago
Mass Effect Andromeda 2: Narrative Ideas
Figured this could be a great hub for a potential MEA2 idea pool. I am in the camp that believes we stay in Andromeda. I didn't love MEA, but found small joys in what it was. With the latest news that Casey Hudson is hoping to get ME off the back burner(N7 day video and Kotaku article), maybe we can begin some wild internet speculation! My thoughts:
- Many in the community feel we need a clean slate... I'm sure the development team feels the same way in certain aspects. Perhaps starting MEA2 with Ryder and his/her crew finding and boarding the located Quarian Ark. While going about the rescue mission, a new enemy presents itself(either the new Kett threat Primus or some other threat) and destroys the Ark. In a valiant attempt to get some Quarians off the Ark, the Ryder we all played in the first game dies. This sets up an intriguing curve right off the bat and we as players now need to take control of the sibling Ryder. There's some narrative depth here where the sibling-Ryder not only takes on a new leadership role in their brother/sisters absence but also must deal with losing another loved one. It also gives us a symbolic fresh perspective on the universe.
- Going off of my last sentence from the previous bullet... let's make sure native Milky Way/Helius folks are having appropriate reactions to new things. Once we became familiar with the universe, it was assumed everyone became familiar with it. Why did no one who woke up from cryo for the first time in the middle of the narrative not react to Angarans/Kett/Remnant when they encountered them? In particular, I'm thinking of the Salarian Ark when I had Jaal in my party and the Salarian Pathfinder had no reaction to him. This sucked me out of the experience a couple of times and seemed like a very un-BioWare thing to not catch.
- Like ME2 did before it, scratch most of the old crew and include them in only a narrative form. What MEA did do well is set up a decent group of supporting-supporting cast. Sid Nyx(Vetra's sister) as a Turian squad-mate and Saelen Varn(the operative from the Salarian Ally Loyalty mission) as a Salarian squad-mate just to name a couple.
- Planet development/viability was engaging to a point... but did become repetitive. It will be fun to return to the settled worlds, but perhaps a focus on developing one planet(Meridian) as a livable planet would be interesting for this game. Perhaps installing local government figures or deciding on planet development could be fun? Deciding between a harsh-yet-experienced ruler against an optimistic-yet-green ruler could pose a cool game feature and have a narrative impact.
- Let's be honest... we all loved Reyes. A story thread with Reyes looking to expand his power would be great. Make it a storyline off of Kadara, this way either Reyes-related choice from MEA works.
- Have a dedicated original-Ryder love interest story where sibling-Ryder will have to help with the fallout of a depressed/angry former love interest.
Any other thoughts? I don't have many thoughts in regards to the mysterious benefactor, the Jardaan, or the Kett. But I would love to hear some thoughts/theories!