Mass Effect Andromeda (EA)

About the Game

The premise of the game is that a mission was sent out into deep space. Alex Ryder has gone along and has taken his two twin children with him, a man, Scott, or a woman, Sara. You play as Scot or Sara, customising your appearance to suit yourself, and watching as your sibling and father change slightly to maintain the family resemblance.

Alex Ryder is the Pathfinder for the spaceship he and his children are on, and when they awaken after six hundred years, it quickly becomes clear that something has gone very wrong. There are hostile aliens (Kett) and immense machines that are both ancient and intensely powerful, called the Remnant.

The opening of the game plays out with little input from yourself, and once the action dies away, you find yourself a Pathfinder in your own right, in charge of a small ship and a crew of aliens heading off to solve mysteries, complete quests and find some answers about what is going on, precisely.

Once you have played through the whole game, a new game+ tab appears which allows you to play through all over again, with additional power-ups and extras, and opting to play as the other gender for this second play-through.

Gorgeous graphics, Seamless Gameplay

The worlds that you explore are beautifully depicted, with immense spaces making you feel as though you are actually in space as you explore dusty moons, sunlit landscapes and immense, seemingly endless rooms, all without any lagging or the need for new screens to load in between movements.

You must colonise planets by gathering resources, terraforming and building, managing the resources carefully so there is no waste and enough space, air and food for everyone.

As well as enemy aliens to defeat, each world has a boss – World Bosses – that are gigantic robots, shaped like immense metal snakes, that must be beaten and defeated before you can count any planet as having been ‘tamed’, so to speak.

Weapons and skills have been improved from previous Mass Effect games, so do take the time to learn the differences between all the new skills, and try out your character once he or she has ‘upgraded’ themselves. There are bionic options, combat skills, stealth modes (like short distance teleportation amongst other things). Give Ryder his best chance of winning by picking up useful skills.

Communicate with the Dialogue Wheel

Communication takes place with the help of the radial command menu. Your choice around the wheel dictates how your speech patterns and conversation will be conveyed:

• Emotional – anger, laughter, intense feelings burst out, heightening your engagement with the game and the person with whom you are speaking
• Logical – a good way to diffuse a tense situation, logical explanations are good for taking the heat out of an exchange
• Professional – business-like and to the point, show your fellow players who’s the boss with clipped, clear communications
• Casual – a bit more laid back and fun to be around, a casual conversational style can win your friends and disarm your enemies

Be on the lookout for occasional impulse prompts suggesting lines of action that can be taken. Do not expect all advice given to be good advice: there is an element of morality play at work here, and sometimes you must decide if you want to be the good guy, or give in to your nastiest urges!

Mass Effect Andromeda for PC is available for purchase on Instant Gaming for a fraction of its retail price. You will receive an official key and be able to play the game in seconds. Play smart. Pay less.