It’s a fairly sizable and robust station full of multiple alien races and the rotation of supplies in the shops makes it worth checking out periodically. You return to the Nexus on a regular basis to either progress the main storyline, pick up side quests, check in with the higher-ups, or spend credits on new gear and items. As someone who always tries to see and do everything in a video game, it took me 120 hours to reach 100% completion.Īside from the planets, there’s also a massive space station called the Nexus that serves as a spaceport, community center, habitation area, and command center for the Andromeda Initiative. You can scan for minerals and crafting materials, uncover secret areas that house powerful weapons and armor, solve addicting sudoku-like puzzles, assault Kett bases and take on countless side quests. Your main objective on these planets is to activate powerful technology that can terraform the surface, but it’s easy to get distracted with the plethora of side content. However, the few planets available for exploration are massive and packed with an absurd of amount of content. There are over 100 planets featured in this game, but only a handful of them can actually be explored. While your mileage may vary depending on how much of it you decide to engage with, Andromeda is easily the most content-packed game in the series. Being able to explore the logistics of first contact with a new species is immensely captivating and exactly the kind of focus science fiction fans will latch on to. They’re willing to share their tips for survival, but only if you’re willing to help them protect their home from the Kett.
The Angara have figured out how to flourish despite the challenges of their galaxy and the majority of the game is spent on forging an alliance with them.
The Kett seek to wipe out all life in Andromeda and the Initiative finds themselves caught in the middle. A native species known as the Angara have been locked in a deadly war with a force of invaders called the Kett for decades. To make matters worse, it turns out the Andromeda Initiative isn’t the only group trying to survive in this galaxy. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan and several of the worlds with living potential have been hit by a mysterious phenomenon called the Scourge, diminishing hope for a new life in this galaxy. Playing as either Scott or Sara Ryder (a brother and sister duo) you wake up in the Andromeda galaxy and take on the role of Pathfinder, a leader with the responsibility of finding and settling new colonies on Andromeda’s worlds. This journey is estimated to take 600 years, so the entire crew is put into cryogenic sleep until their arrival. Taking place after the events of the trilogy, a large organization of various species have formed the Andromeda Initiative, a task force designed to transport thousands of individuals from the Milky Way galaxy to the Andromeda galaxy in search of a new home. While the original trilogy focused on a grand sweeping narrative of prophecy, invasion and all-out war, Andromeda’s story is predominately centered around exploration. However, it appears that time has actually been quite good to this game and that a string of patches have sorted out the vast majority of problems, resulting in a much more stable experience that I can confidently say is now worth the investment. From wonky facial features, stiff character animations, and inconsistent stability in gameplay, Andromeda quickly became the Mass Effect game fans refused to speak about. Largely due to the unfinished and buggy nature of its 2017 launch, Andromeda promptly gained a poor reputation that made the notoriously divisive ending of Mass Effect 3 seem tame in comparison. Reviewed: PlayStation 4 version on PlayStation 5Īlthough the Mass Effect trilogy is often heralded as one of gaming’s greatest accomplishments, the same hasn’t been said for the follow-up game, Mass Effect: Andromeda. Available On: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One