Mass Effect Andromeda

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 30 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Mass Effect Andromeda Game Cover
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Mass Effect: Andromeda is a Sci-Fi shooter game with single-player, co-op, and multi-player modes, set in a distant galaxy. The game features excellent mechanics, visuals, and customization options, including additional armor, weapons, and a space-monkey pet with the Deluxe Edition. However, it also includes extensive grinding and bugs that may impact gameplay.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Cloud
  • Ea Origin
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
  • Xbox Game Pass
  • x_box_cloud_gaming
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 30 reviews
story11 positive mentions
stability17 negative mentions
  • Mass Effect Andromeda features vastly improved combat mechanics and fluid gameplay, making battles more engaging and enjoyable.
  • The game offers a large, diverse universe with stunning visuals and a variety of planets to explore, providing a sense of scale and adventure.
  • Despite some initial bugs and animation issues, the game has received updates that have improved performance and fixed many early problems.
  • The facial animations and character models are often criticized for being subpar, leading to a lack of immersion in the story.
  • Many players feel that the main story and side quests are not as compelling as those in the original trilogy, with some quests feeling repetitive or poorly designed.
  • The game suffers from technical issues, including glitches and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in the early hours.
  • story122 mentions

    The story in the game is expansive, with a significant amount of content found in side quests and loyalty missions, which are essential for a fuller narrative experience. However, many players feel that the main storyline lacks depth and originality, often relying on rehashed concepts from the original trilogy, leading to a sense of repetitiveness and a lack of impactful choices. While some missions and character developments are engaging, the overall execution is marred by bugs and a feeling of incompleteness, leaving players wanting more from the narrative.

    • “The richness and depth of the story, the character development, and the sense of 'this is important...' contributed to a deep and satisfying emotional experience as well as a fun 'bang-bang-shoot-em-up' thrill ride.”
    • “The story becomes bigger and bigger, and especially once you start terraforming your first planet by 'rebooting' it, you will get a feeling of where this story is heading.”
    • “The story regarding some of the challenges faced in the early days of the totally-not-the-Citadel space station was well placed and well executed.”
    • “The story is simple: they attacked us, they the enemy, we attack the enemy; nevertheless, there is no real resolution at the end.”
    • “Way too many quests play out like 'talk to character A' -> 'visit planet site 1' -> return to ship to check email -> 'talk to character B' -> visit planet site 2 -> return to ship to check email -> 'return to talk to character A', etc., which gets extremely repetitive and tedious and with zero discernible impact on the story.”
    • “The problem is that there's just so much filler; it's hard to follow the already very lackluster main story.”
  • graphics26 mentions

    The graphics in the game are generally praised for their stunning environments and beautiful visuals, particularly in space, showcasing the hard work of the design team. However, there are notable criticisms regarding character creation and facial animations, which many find outdated and lacking compared to previous titles. Overall, while the game can deliver impressive graphics on high-end systems, optimization issues and some graphical artifacts detract from the experience for players with lower-end rigs.

    • “One of the highlights of the game is not only the excellent graphics, but the gameplay itself.”
    • “The graphic designers, world designers, texture artists, and effects artists put an incredible amount of work into bringing these worlds to life, and it has paid off in ways anyone would be hard-pressed to beat.”
    • “At times, you're taken aback at how beautiful the game is.”
    • “The character creation felt really old, very limited and graphically very dated.”
    • “My laptop (4700mq, gt750m, 16gb ram) is barely able to run this at the lowest quality and resolution settings (720p), at which this looks far worse than ME1, which tells me this is not a well-optimized game graphically.”
    • “Graphics - oy.”
  • gameplay26 mentions

    Overall, the gameplay is praised for its fluid mechanics, exciting combat, and strategic elements like jetpacks, contributing to a thrilling experience. However, some players noted issues such as bugs, slow pacing in the early hours, and a lack of depth in the storyline, which detracted from the overall enjoyment. While many found the gameplay improvements over previous titles to be significant, others felt that certain changes were merely lateral and not true enhancements.

    • “One of the highlights of the game is not only the excellent graphics, but the gameplay itself.”
    • “The gameplay mechanics are nearly spot-on, with the combat and movement feeling fluid and precise.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, fast, and exciting.”
    • “A week after installing the game, it is still stalling and timing out during gameplay.”
    • “Just play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided if you want to endure terrible combat and movement mechanics.”
    • “The gameplay is... eh.”
  • stability17 mentions

    The stability of the game has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting numerous bugs and glitches at launch, particularly related to animations and gameplay mechanics. While some issues have been addressed in patches, players still encounter various technical problems, especially during the early stages of the game. Overall, the game is deemed playable after initial updates, but many recommend waiting for further improvements or discounts before purchasing.

    • “I wanted to give this game at least a 2, but the buggy download and install was simply unacceptable.”
    • “Update 21 April 2017 on my second playthrough, and this game is buggy beyond belief.”
    • “Mass Effect Andromeda is clearly unfinished and remains riddled with countless bugs and glitches.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric qualities, with the loading screen soundtrack creating a sense of mystery and adventure. While ambient music enhances exploration and combat tracks aim to match the intensity of battles, some players feel it lacks the emotional depth found in previous installments of the series. Overall, the soundtrack is enjoyable but considered a slight step down from earlier games.

    • “The loading screen soundtrack is mesmerizing, evoking a sense of mystery and wonder that promises adventures to come.”
    • “Ambient music can be nice while exploring.”
    • “Combat music attempts to match the intensity of fighting.”
    • “The music seems like a small step down, but there are some tracks that I've enjoyed.”
  • grinding5 mentions

    Players have mixed feelings about the grinding aspect of the game, with some finding filler missions less tedious than others, while many criticize the repetitive quest structure and lack of meaningful impact on the story. The mining and crafting systems are seen as convoluted and tedious, and although the visuals are praised, side quests are generally considered lackluster compared to those from other developers. Overall, while the grinding elements can be frustrating, some players still enjoy the game despite its shortcomings.

    • “Way too many quests play out like 'talk to character A' -> 'visit planet site 1' -> return to ship to check email -> 'talk to character B' -> visit planet site 2 -> return to ship to check email -> 'return to talk to character A', etc... which gets extremely repetitive and tedious and with zero discernible impact on the story.”
    • “Then again, they managed to somehow make mining worse than ME2. Zipping between planets is beautiful but tedious due to the animations. If you hate Sudoku, you're going to have a tough time terraforming, and I've yet to come across an armor that wasn't ugly.”
    • “Side quests and world activities are really meh, much like ME1's tedious and boring ones but still better due to combat and visuals (no one does compelling side quests like Bethesda and CD Projekt Red, as well as what used to be BioWare apparently).”
  • character development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its emotional depth and engaging storytelling, providing a satisfying experience alongside action elements. While the character design options are somewhat limited, the main characters and their interactions show significant improvement over previous installments, enhancing the overall narrative experience.

    • “The richness and depth of the story, the character development, and the sense of 'this is important...' contributed to a deep and satisfying emotional experience as well as a fun 'bang-bang-shoot-em-up' thrill ride.”
    • “The main characters are surprisingly amazing, not nearly at Mass Effect 2 level (but then again, what is?), but a not insignificant step above Mass Effect 1's character development in my opinion; squad interactions are great.”
    • “The first of these is the simplified character design.”
    • “Yes, there are limited options, but having logged hundreds of hours with the trilogy (playing every character class multiple times), the character design can end up being a little too much of a good thing.”
    • “The main characters are surprisingly amazing, not nearly ME2 level (but then again, what is?), but a not so insignificant step above Mass Effect 1's character development in my opinion (squad interactions are great).”
  • humor4 mentions

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding amusement in quirky interactions and unexpected scenarios, such as confused NPC dialogues and game-breaking antics shared in online videos. However, certain elements, like the reliance on audio cues for invisible threats, can be more frustrating than funny. Overall, while there are moments of levity, the humor may not resonate with everyone.

    • “One thing that would be funny if it weren’t such a pain is that Drak tells you to listen for growls because an invisible animal is sneaking up on you.”
    • “I had one funny chat with a confused man; he couldn't seem to make up his mind if I had destroyed the base near his little house yet or not.”
    • “Some of those videos are spoofs from people who purposely break the game by running it on old hardware; it's meant to be funny, and they want to cash in on YouTube views.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    While the game has a solid replay value rating of 8.5 to 9, many players feel that the lack of significant impact from their decisions on the ending limits its overall replayability. However, PC users can enhance their experience through mods, which can add new gameplay elements and increase replay potential.

    • “Overall, I would give this game an 8.5, maybe a 9 for its replay value.”
    • “If playing on PC, there are mods that add more replay value, such as infinite jet pack mode and multi-power slots.”
    • “I think the biggest problem I have with the game is that whatever decision I make doesn’t seem to have any major impact on the ending, so there isn’t much replay value.”
    • “If playing on PC, there are mods that make it have a bit more replay value - infinite jet pack mode and multi-power slots. The game was restarted in development only 18 months before release - no RPG can be made in that span - it is not an FPS.”
  • optimization3 mentions

    The game's optimization is inconsistent, with some users experiencing texture pop-ins and performance dips during cutscenes, particularly on lower-end hardware. While one player reported no significant issues on PC, another found it barely playable at the lowest settings, indicating that the game's graphical performance may not be well-optimized across all systems.

    • “I myself have had no performance issues on PC, and one crash so far.”
    • “There is noticeable texture pop-in and performance dips during cutscenes.”
    • “I have experienced some performance issues on PC, including one crash so far.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game delivers a profound emotional experience through its rich storytelling and character development, balancing intense action with a sense of significance that resonates with players.

    • “The richness and depth of the story, the character development, and the sense of 'this is important...' contributed to a deep and satisfying emotional experience, as well as a fun 'bang-bang-shoot-em-up' thrill ride.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    Reviews highlight concerns regarding the transparency of monetization practices, with users questioning the alignment between advertising claims and actual game content.

    • “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it prioritizes profit over player experience.”
    • “I can't believe how many microtransactions are crammed into this game; it feels like a cash grab.”
    • “The game is designed in a way that makes it nearly impossible to progress without spending real money.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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