Mass Effect Andromeda

Mass Effect Andromeda is the start of something beautiful, even with its glitches as you explore the unknown.

73%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

stability, grinding

75% User Score Based on 16,040 reviews

Critic Score 68%Based on 59 reviews

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About

Mass Effect Andromeda is a single player and multiplayer role playing shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by BioWare and was released on June 11, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from both critics and players.

"Mass Effect: Andromeda" is a Sci-Fi Shooter game with both single-player and multiplayer/co-op modes, boasting phenomenal game mechanics, stellar visuals, but with some bugs. As a human Pathfinder, explore the new Andromeda galaxy, lead a team, and make decisions that determine humanity's survival in this vast, unexplored territory. Your choices will shape this next chapter of the Mass Effect saga.

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75%

Audience ScoreBased on 16,040 reviews

story3.5k positive mentions

stability928 negative mentions

story
12,994 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
64%
9%
The story of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it lacks the depth and emotional impact of the original trilogy. While some appreciate the new narrative focused on exploration and colonization, others criticize it for being filled with repetitive fetch quests and underdeveloped characters, leading to a sense of disconnection from the plot. Overall, the game offers an engaging experience for those willing to overlook its flaws, but it falls short of the high storytelling standards set by its predecessors.
- “The story is compelling and the graphics for the different worlds look gorgeous.”
- “The story is engaging and immersive, with a strong focus on characters and the politics and challenges of the frontier.”
- “The engaging story follows the pathfinder and their crew as they venture into the Andromeda galaxy in search of a new home for humanity, providing plenty of character-driven moments and interesting narrative twists.”
- “The story writing is very weak; they use cheap tricks that everyone hates, like pretending everything is fine and then suddenly something goes wrong just to advance the plotline.”
- “The story is nothing to write home about; it lacks the character and story depth of the original trilogy.”
- “The story is bland and forgettable, and the same can be said of essentially all of the characters, which once upon a time were the cornerstone of mass effect games.”
gameplay
3,196 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
52%
8%
The gameplay in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its combat mechanics and fluidity, particularly the introduction of jump jets and a more dynamic combat system. However, criticisms often focus on repetitive gameplay loops, lack of meaningful choices, and a less engaging story compared to the original trilogy. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable and a significant improvement over previous titles, others feel it suffers from bugs, poor character development, and tedious mechanics that detract from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fun and more diverse than the original ME games, allowing you to customize armor, weapons, and fighting style especially.”
- “The gameplay is the best in the series by far.”
- “The combat gameplay is super fun and dynamic, the upgrade system looks promising and there seems to be a decent amount of customization.”
- “You'll spend a lot of time in cutscenes that can't be skipped, dialogue that also can't be skipped, and dead gameplay where you can look around while waiting for several minutes at a time for something to happen.”
- “It feels overwhelming, repetitive, and bogged down by unnecessary mechanics, which results in gameplay that feels more like a chore, leaving players with a detached and underwhelming experience.”
- “Not recommended unless you want a version of Mass Effect which betrays many of the series' core themes with its story, lacks the same level of replay value the original trilogy had, the gameplay isn't as tight and many features, weapons and powers were removed to make room for jumping as the only new thing added and a crew who mostly feel like previous characters from the original trilogy but not as deep or memorable.”
graphics
2,104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
40%
4%
The graphics of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning environments and overall visual fidelity, particularly in terms of landscapes and atmospheric effects. However, criticisms are directed at the inconsistent quality of character models and animations, particularly facial expressions, which detract from the immersive experience. While the game has improved since its launch, with many graphical glitches being patched, some users still report issues that can disrupt gameplay. Overall, the graphics are considered a strong point, but not without notable flaws.
- “The graphics hold up to the stuff coming out these days, if not better!”
- “The graphics are gorgeous.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, and the worlds feel vast.”
- “Game is glitchy, even when you reduce the graphics to the lowest settings.”
- “While the shooting mechanics are solid and some graphical moments stand out, the overall visual quality is inconsistent.”
- “The graphics and core gameplay make me wish there was an open-world game like this one minus the messed up facial expressions and broken shadows, of course.”
stability
986 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
1%
94%
The stability of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" remains a contentious topic among players, with many noting that while significant improvements have been made since its initial buggy launch, the game still suffers from various glitches and technical issues. Users report a mix of minor visual bugs and occasional game-breaking glitches, with some stating that the game is now mostly playable but still not free from problems. Overall, while many players find the gameplay enjoyable, the persistent bugs detract from the experience, leading to a mixed reception regarding stability.
- “The game looks great, runs great, and feels great to play.”
- “During my playthrough, I came to no glitches at all in cut scenes or in battles (it may be different for others).”
- “Fun, modern design, enjoyable combat, heaps of quests, runs great at 1440p 120 fps.”
- “Very buggy to the point where it is no longer playable.”
- “The game is a failure from a technical standpoint as the game is very buggy and broken.”
- “The problem being despite it's virtues it is impossible to talk about the game without using the phrase 'buggy piece of crap' even years later it is quite frankly a complete dumpster fire with glitches, bugs, poor optimization, etc too numerous to list.”
grinding
518 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
3%
96%
The grinding aspect of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players describing the gameplay as tedious and repetitive. Many side missions involve excessive backtracking and fetch quests, compounded by long loading screens and unskippable travel animations, leading to a sense of frustration and boredom. While some players appreciate the depth of character interactions and the main storyline, the overall experience is marred by the grindy nature of the game, making it feel like a chore rather than an engaging adventure.
- “Not grindingly driving around scanning downed drones scattered around the planet for hours just to not miss some actually good missions.”
- “Terraforming each planet to 100% wasn't as tedious as I thought, and driving the Nomad was much better than the Mako, even if it doesn't have a gun.”
- “Not grindingly driving around scanning downed drones scattered around the planet for hours just to not miss some actually good missions.”
- “The fights are tedious, the quests are boring, the story is - wait, what story?”
- “It is as though someone at Bioware deliberately thought about ways to make everything take up as much time and be as tedious and difficult to keep track of as possible.”
- “Quests will span multiple planets, and to get to these planets, you'll have to sit through multiple loading screens, which becomes very time consuming and tedious.”
humor
466 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in "Mass Effect: Andromeda" is a mixed bag, with many players finding it both amusing and cringe-worthy. While some appreciate the witty banter and genuinely funny moments between characters, others criticize the reliance on juvenile jokes and awkward dialogue that often falls flat. Additionally, the game's infamous bugs and janky animations contribute to its comedic charm, making it a source of unintentional humor for many players.
- “I'm laughing at it, not groaning or cringing.”
- “Honestly, the main character is so funny to me, though.”
- “The writing has some genuinely hilarious moments.”
- “Although I did enjoy the characters, I will note that sometimes (especially in the first half of the game), they suffer from Marvel syndrome (i.e. unfunny, over-the-top, and inappropriately placed jokes/banter).”
- “By having Ryder and Liam making unfunny jokes to each other every 5 seconds that boil down to 'haha another alien thing trying to kill us :D', it is just so out of place I cannot wrap my mind around what in the hell the writers were thinking here.”
- “The cast, with the exception of Drack and Vetra, are the exclusive members of the juvenile club, who constantly throw unfunny jokes in your face and always try to make the dumbest decisions known to humankind.”
emotional
406 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
92%
8%
The emotional aspect of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of the deep emotional engagement found in the original trilogy. While some moments and character interactions are praised for their warmth and humor, the overall narrative is often described as lacking emotional weight, with many feeling disconnected from the characters and their stories. The new dialogue system, which allows for varied emotional responses, is seen as a positive change, but it doesn't fully compensate for the game's shortcomings in creating impactful emotional experiences.
- “Mass Effect: Andromeda's story is an emotional tale of survival and the struggle to establish a new home in Andromeda.”
- “The dynamic relationships with the diverse crew members add emotional depth to the narrative, allowing players to connect with the characters on a personal level.”
- “I enjoyed the story which, I admit, is a little cliched in places, but was still interesting and emotional and engaged me all the way through.”
- “My main issues stem from the atrocious dialogue that plagues the entire game, the lifeless voice acting, the half-baked animation, and the boring story.”
- “Apart from the boring story, I was sad to see just how cringy, unappealing, and without depth the companions and the protagonist were.”
- “As a Mass Effect fan, I really wanted to like this game, but in the end, the cluster of bugs, the boring story, the lame characters with their cheesy humor, and the repetitive gameplay wouldn't let me enjoy it.”
music
370 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
51%
8%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that it lacks the epic quality and memorability of the original trilogy's soundtrack. While some tracks are appreciated for their atmospheric fit, overall, the music is often described as subdued, forgettable, or underutilized, failing to enhance key moments in the gameplay. Despite this, there are occasional highlights, and some players found the soundtrack enjoyable, though it generally does not reach the heights of its predecessors.
- “The music and the universe look and sound as fantastic as the remastered trilogy.”
- “The environments are gorgeous, the music sends me straight into the Mass Effect universe, and the squadmates' banter and character depths are amazing.”
- “The soundtrack was beautiful and perfectly executed with the exploration, high action, low action, etc. Above all, the graphics are so beautiful and an apple to my eye!”
- “The 'epicness' I expected from the game, it being a Mass Effect game, was often not felt and it really had a lot to do with the way the music was utilized in the game.”
- “Music was lacking: the soundtrack didn’t quite capture the epic feel of previous games.”
- “Everything about the game feels mediocre from the gameplay, to the music, to the dialogue, etc. all the way down.”
optimization
262 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
41%
37%
The optimization of "Mass Effect: Andromeda" has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, frame rate drops, and bugs, even on high-end systems. While some users have noted improvements and smoother gameplay after patches, others continue to experience poor optimization, particularly during cutscenes and with heavy particle effects. Overall, the game's performance remains inconsistent, with many players expressing frustration over its technical shortcomings despite its engaging content.
- “I'm also pleasantly surprised by how optimized the game is; I played it on a laptop with only an i5-1135g7 processor and Linux as the OS.”
- “Game is well optimized; you can have very good and smooth graphics while still having decent FPS for the shooting part.”
- “Although MEA was problematic on launch, the game is now fully playable, optimized, and thoroughly enjoyable.”
- “It's 2024 ... I start the game for the first time, press the spacebar and the main menu is already stuttering ... not a good sign performance-wise ... start the game and the cutscene stutters like hell ... my machine beats the recommended specs 4-fold.”
- “The game is very poorly optimized, particularly with heavy particle effects, as is customary with modern Frostbite games.”
- “The problem being despite its virtues it is impossible to talk about the game without using the phrase 'buggy piece of crap' even years later it is quite frankly a complete dumpster fire with glitches, bugs, poor optimization, etc. too numerous to list.”
character development
202 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
50%
22%
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant drop in quality compared to previous titles in the series. While some characters, particularly the non-human companions, exhibit depth and engaging backstories, others feel underdeveloped and lack meaningful progression throughout the game. Overall, the writing and dialogue have been criticized for being mediocre, leading to a less impactful character development experience.
- “A large interactable world with varied planets and species, combat allies with impactful relationships, and diverse playstyle options through satisfying character development.”
- “From the charming and enigmatic Ryder twins to the varied crew members of the Tempest, the depth of character development is unparalleled.”
- “The expansive skill tree system provides a sense of progression, rewarding players for their choices and allowing for meaningful character development.”
- “Buggy, bad dialogue, no real character development.”
- “This would be fine if he had any sort of character development where he starts as a fish out of water in over his head but then develops into this badass elite commander but by the end of the game he is the exact same character as the start of the game.”
- “The writing and character development is mediocre at best and vastly worse than its predecessors.”
atmosphere
170 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
46%
2%
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with many players praising its immersive sci-fi environments and stunning visuals that evoke a sense of exploration akin to the original Mass Effect trilogy. However, some critiques highlight a lack of engaging narrative and character depth, leading to a feeling of emptiness in certain locations. Overall, while the atmosphere can be captivating, it often falls short of the high standards set by its predecessors, leaving players divided on their experience.
- “The game's art direction creates an immersive sci-fi atmosphere that truly feels like you're exploring a new galaxy.”
- “The atmosphere and visuals are incredible, and the game really does have the same wonder and scale as the originals.”
- “The atmosphere is superb, with the nexus (your new citadel equivalent) feeling warm and familiar, while the alien planets feel suitably weird, wild, and dangerous.”
- “The atmosphere is stale, the objectives are boring, and there's zero incentive to explore.”
- “There's no incentive to care about anything that happens or form attachments to anybody when it all feels rolled off a production line, which certainly isn't helped by flat dialogue and a lack of atmosphere throughout.”
- “The atmosphere (locations feel empty or lifeless due to static NPC placements and lack of environmental interactions).”
replayability
110 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
58%
15%
Overall, the game's replayability is considered limited compared to the original trilogy, primarily due to the absence of the paragon/renegade system, which significantly reduced the impact of player choices. While some players appreciate the different builds and side quests that offer a degree of replay value, many feel that the core narrative remains largely unchanged, leading to a lack of incentive for multiple playthroughs. Despite this, a few players still find enjoyment in revisiting the game, particularly for its multiplayer aspects and character interactions.
- “Choices made throughout the game impact the narrative, creating a sense of agency and consequence that adds replay value.”
- “The replayability is so much greater when you suddenly have new powers, new romances, new weapons and armor and so on.”
- “There are so many different playstyles one could have in combat, which is a great source of replayability.”
- “The game itself has pretty much no replay value beyond just wanting to see what the different outcomes are for various choices since the main plot stays the same or if you're speed running the game. I myself got about 80-90 hours of play time playing on the hardest difficulty and doing most of the side quests, but it still lacks significant replayability.”
- “- The absence of the paragon-renegade system makes choices in this game kind of pointless, thus resulting in no replay value, especially with only one ending.”
- “I'm sad to say Andromeda doesn't have much replay value. The design decisions have left me feeling that the replayability is awful.”
monetization
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
26%
67%
The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, heavily relying on microtransactions, in-game ads, and a grindy gameplay experience reminiscent of previous EA titles. Many reviewers express frustration over the game's unfinished feel and the presence of real-time timers designed to encourage additional spending, while some note that despite the microtransactions, gameplay credits can be earned relatively quickly. Overall, the consensus is that the game prioritizes profit over quality, leaving fans of the original series disappointed.
- “Yes, this is an EA game, so there's microtransactions galore in the multiplayer, but you earn multiplayer credits so quickly that it doesn't take a whole lot unless you really want a specific character.”
- “It's a very clean EA game with no microtransactions and no time wasters aside from traveling on the galaxy map. It took me about 55 hours to achieve around 90% completion, but you can get away with less if you don't care to planet hop 50 times for one small side quest that doesn't matter.”
- “Anyway, the rest of the game is fun, has a decent story, and for a game made by EA, I'm shocked that they put in a tiny bit of effort without microtransactions.”
- “The only thing you will fund by buying this is more EA goop - grindy repetitive missions, a bucketload of microtransactions, in-game ads, and the magic of Denuvo DRM.”
- “Everything about this game screams unfinished, thoughtless, and unapologetic cash grab made in the management boardrooms rather than actual writers or game designers… which is a damn shame.”
- “The amount of glitches this game launched with and still carries even now (acknowledging that EA halted all updates and support for the game) is all the proof that is needed for us to know neither the devs nor the publisher cared about the fans of Mass Effect, but solely wanted a cash grab while gaining some good old 'woke capitalism' points and ignored everything about what made Mass Effect such a great series.”

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68%Critics’ scoreBased on 61 critic reviews

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52h Median play time

64h Average play time

18h Main story

94h Completionist

14-100h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 200 analyzed playthroughs

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Mass Effect Andromeda is a role playing shooter game with science fiction theme.

Mass Effect Andromeda is available on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox Series X|S and others.

The main story can be completed in around 18 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 94 hours to finish. On average players spend around 64 hours playing Mass Effect Andromeda.

Mass Effect Andromeda was released on June 11, 2020.

Mass Effect Andromeda was developed by BioWare.

Mass Effect Andromeda has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Mass Effect Andromeda is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age™ Inquisition, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Dragon Age 2 and others.

Mass Effect Andromeda

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