Mass Effect: Andromeda review: Combat excites, narrative not so much

In the Mass Effect universe, the Andromeda Initiative is a bold and ambitious program. Looking for a future in uncharted territory, its volunteers leave the past behind and search for a new home in a faraway galaxy. In Mass Effect: Andromeda, players control Ryder, a young explorer who inherits the role of Pathfinder — the one charged with finding humanity a home in the Heleus Cluster.

You and Ryder have a lot of work to do. All of the potential settlement worlds have catastrophic problems, the arks carrying the Milky Way’s other races have gone missing and the conquering kett race is waging war on the natives. These looming mysteries and threats provide a fantastic foundation for the game’s story; the opening 10 hours set the stage and build anticipation. By the 40-hour mark, the big questions such as “Does Andromeda have habitable planets?” and “What do the kett want?” reach predictable conclusions.

The primary foe in Andromeda is surprisingly boilerplate. He barely gets any screen time, and his goals are exactly what you would expect from an evil alien overlord. Your confrontation culminates in a confusing final mission in which everyone’s lives are at stake.

Andromeda compares most favorably to previous entries when the bullets and biotics start flying. This is the best combat has ever felt in the series. The controls are responsive, the action is fluid and the focus on mobility leads to more dynamic encounters.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is fun, and the important parts work. The narrative isn’t astounding, but keeps you invested and drives you forward. The combat is entertaining whether you’re in single-player or multiplayer. At the same time, you may feel like you’re looking through a haze of inconveniences and dreaming about the game it could have been.