Whether it’sMass Effect 4or another spin-off akin toMass Effect: Andromeda, the next iteration of BioWare’s acclaimed space RPG likely won’t see the light of day for quite some time. BioWare is currently focused on development ofDragon Age: Dreadwolfand fans can expect to hear little about the nextMass Effecttitle until after its release. The long wait for a new game in the series aside, the nextMass Effecthas a great template to draw from for one of its core mechanics, and it doesn’t come from BioWare’s ownDragon Agebut instead fromFinal Fantasy 16.
Final Fantasy 16’s approach to explorationacross its semi open-world provides players with essentially one of two possible map types. During the main missions, players navigate from one combat arena to the next, taking down foes and progressing the story by following a predetermined critical path. During the semi open-world sections and side missions, Clive is given access to large “zones” that contain plenty of opportunity for exploration and action without being too overwhelming or large to navigate effectively without getting lost. These “zones” inFinal Fantasy 16are the perfect model for BioWare to use inMass Effect 4’s space exploration and planet-hopping.
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How FF16’s Zones Could Work in Mass Effect 4
Each of the games in the coreMass Effecttrilogy presented their own unique approach to the act of space exploration and surface excursions. Surprisingly, it was the firstMass Effectthat featured the most-involved and robust planet scanning and exploration mechanic, with future entries scaling things back to provide more meaningful experiences for players who touched-down planet-side. In terms of howMass Effect 4could approach its space exploration, providing players with appropriately-scaled maps similar toFinal Fantasy 16’s Zonesseems like a great middle ground between the original trilogy and making the next game in the series fully open-world.
The nextMass Effectcould see players still scanning planets while surveying a galaxy map, but also limit the number of explorable planets to touch down on and pursue side quests. With fewer planets available for exploration, each one could be roughly the size of one ofFinal Fantasy 16’s Zones and be spaces where players return time and again to complete a variety of side quests. The end result would be that players have fewer semi open-world spaces to explore, but those spaces are incredibly dense and encourage repeated visits.
A Semi-Open World Could Help Focus Mass Effect 4
The intervening years betweenthe release ofMass Effect: Andromedaand titles such asNo Man’s Skyand the upcomingStarfieldhave seen a massive leap in terms of technology and video game representations of open space exploration. EvenThe Outer Wilds, an incredible indie title with a shoestring budget compared toMass Effect, has pushed the envelope in terms of what space exploration in video games can and should look like. When considering how the next title in theMass Effectseries could imitate any of these titles, the simple answer is that it shouldn’t.
Mass Effecthas always been, at its core, a heavily narrative-driven experience. With some exceptions, narrative-driven single-player RPGs sometimes stumble under the weight of their size, failing to provide players with engaging story content throughout the entire experience. EvenFinal Fantasy 16, whose main story questline ranks among one of the most engaging of the series sinceFinal Fantasy 10, doesn’t quite provide engaging story-driven content throughout all of its runtime. BothStarfieldandNo Man’s Skyembrace more of the player-created story that is derived from the moment-to-moment emergent gameplay, but the nextMass Effectcan make its story the focusby scaling back the space exploration aspect in order to focus on quality over quantity.
Mass Effect 4is in development.
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