A recent timeline image has put Mass Effect: Andromeda alongside the Mass Effect trilogy, detailing what events in Shepard's timeline are affecting Mass Effect 4. Fans have been extremely vocal in their support for the timeline and how it carefully connects the dots. However, its also sparked a conversation around the separation between the trilogy and Mass Effect: Andromeda.
If Bioware go ahead with a similar timeline, the trilogy will become a thing of the past for Mass Effect fans. Some gamers are in full support of the idea, saying that they want Mass Effect: Andromeda to feel like a completely separate entity. While others want to see their dedication to the ME trilogy respected with references and even appearances from characters on the release date of Mass Effect 4. Where do you stand and what can we expect?
Mass Effect 4: Andromeda - How Will the ME Trilogy Be Referenced?
Taking a look at the ending of Mass Effect 3 could give us an indication into how Bioware will reference the trilogy in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The two stargazers - father and son - at the very end of the game talk about the heroic adventures of Shepard on an unknown planet. Could they be in the Andromeda galaxy?
Perhaps the events of the trilogy's conclusion will eventually be heard of in this separated section of space - they'll be passed on through grandiose tales of heroism and become legend. But is this a satisfying way to connect the two? Should there be even deeper links between the Mass Effect trilogy and Mass Effect 4? Could we actually see characters from the previous instalments?
Could Liara & Garrus Return in Mass Effect: Andromeda?
Can it wait for a bit? I'm in the middle of some calibrations!
Obviously, the most extreme manner that Bioware could connect the events of Mass Effect 4 with those of the ME trilogy would be to have characters from the previous games appear in this new instalment. However, with the mass relays destroyed, there's really no way for members of Shepard's team to make their way out of the Milky Way to the Andromeda galaxy.
Unless of course, the conclusion of Mass Effect 3 was actually setting up that eventuality. Think about it. No matter who you romanced or who you cared for the most in Mass Effect, the trilogy concluded with the same individuals stepping out of the Normandy onto an unknown planet after escaping the explosion. What if this has been made canon so that these characters have the chance to appear in Mass Effect: Andromeda? Could the explosion have malfunctioned the relays and sent them outside of the Milky Way?
What Do You Want From Mass Effect: Andromeda on its Release Date?
Personally, after having invested so much time into the Mass Effect trilogy, I really want there to be something for hardcore fans of the franchise to lose their shit over in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The arrival of characters from the previous games may be entirely unlikely, but I feel like I want a lot more then passing references to the events in the Milky Way.
We have a long time to wait for the release date of Andromeda on the PC, XBOX One and PS4, but hopefully we'll learn of the connections between the two as soon as possible. Don't let us down Bioware. Stick a comment below to let us know what you think of the trilogy connecting with Mass Effect: Andromeda.