![]() It makes you feel as though Clancy only exists as a functionary to get you from one point in the mission to the next a node to be switched on so that you can continue your journey. A single line of questionably written Socratic irony sways a guy who was seconds ago adamant that the best course of action was to stay locked up in isolation, with the power off. Shame the NPC is such a pushover.And that’s it. He’s incredibly afraid of turning on the power and attracting aggressive aliens to his position. There’s an exchange that occurs within the first few hours on the planet Eos, in which you come across a small settlement that is deserted save for a single guy, Clancy Arquist, holed up in a building for his own protection. The writing team seems unable to marry a believable conversation with the gameplay needed to give the player the chance to achieve a certain outcome. The dialogue, and your position within it, is at its worst when you need something specific from someone. NPCs are just dumb nodes that advance your journey This approach to character presentation isn’t a way to foster expansive, open-minded thinking about the future of humanity. Here we are in a previously unexplored galaxy and yet we’re still surrounded by the same character tropes, presented in the same way that big, dumb blockbusters have relied on since Commando made it hip to enjoy trash. There's the aggressive one who kills first and asks questions later, the suave one with a knack for using her quick wit to get her way, and the cold, logical one with no time for sentiment or subjectivity. Important alien characters that you meet early on, for instance, are so direct in their initial interactions with you that it’s impossible to come to anything but the most clichéd understanding of their existence. Without ambiguity there’s little space for personal interpretation of events, and that makes this supposedly infinite universe feel very small indeed.Įven the dialogue quoted above, for instance, represents a case of you being told how you should be thinking about your position as opposed to setting a scene that you can interpret for yourself. As protagonist Sara/Scott Ryder, the dialogue, your available conversation options, and the topics and questions you’re asked to respond to leave almost no room for ambiguity. The root cause of this glib grandeur is the way in which you interact with non-player characters (NPCs). We dream of exploring the unknown, of finding the edge of the map-then discovering what lies beyond.” “I chose each of you for the Pathfinder team, not just because you’re talented and passionate. It is no surprise, then, that any opportunity to penetrate a new frontier, fictitious or otherwise, is deeply alluring.Ī certain character, one who is important for setting Andromeda’s early tone, sums up the idea: ![]() Thanks to the exploration efforts of our ancestors, the low price of jet travel, and the speed and ubiquity of Internet access, our Earth has given up most of its secrets. ![]() The promise of moving through the universe as a "Pathfinder," akin to intrepid explorers like Sir Francis Drake or Lewis and Clarke, is one that conjures up just the right blend of excitement, fear, and responsibility. The game's opening is as inspirational as it is aspirational, full of excitement and promoting the embrace of bold-spirited open-mindedness. In a vein similar to everything from Star Trek to Contact, Forbidden Planet to Eve Online, Mass Effect: Andromedabegins with the grand conceit that there exists opportunity and possibility as far beyond the horizon that we care to dream. "DAD! STOP! We're in a cutscene in the tutorial level, you're super-overpowered, and I'm the main character! This can only possibly end in something terrible happening to you!" ![]()
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