Mass Effect: Andromeda is here at PAX East, and I had the opportunity to get my hands on a multiplayer session. While my time with the game was brief, everything I played pointed towards a similar Mass Effect experience from Mass Effect 3.
Unfortunately, I had to play as a pre-made character, and the most boring one at that, a human soldier. Despite the somewhat generic choice, gameplay was still tight and responsive. Like Mass Effect 3, our demo was a co-op mode where we fought against waves of incoming enemies. Every few rounds, another objective would show up, like transmitting data at certain points or capturing objects.
One interesting twist is how players gain back ammo and health. There were two dispensers on the map that gave out both, but they are shared across the four squadmates. This means if someone comes and refills his or her ammo, you will need to wait or run over to the other dispenser to refill your supply.
The one major change is player movement. The addition of a jetpack allows players to quickly boost away from enemies and jump up to higher ledges. Additionally, the jetpack can be used to boost on the ground for diving strikes or sliding down into cover while under fire. Movement felt fluid and natural, and makes me excited to see how it will be incorporated into the main campaign.
Player powers also don’t have a recharge delay. Instead, you are given a number of uses per level. For example, my character had five concussive shots that could be shot out at any time. At the end of the round, the shots would get replenished.
Players can get killed in rounds, but are revived if the squad makes it to the end of the round. Each player also has the ability to totally heal him or herself twice in a game, but these don’t refill like the powers do.
My major impression walking away from Mass Effect: Andromeda’s multiplayer is that it feels just like Mass Effect. That’s not a bad thing in the slightest, and fans of previous games should be excited that the boat hasn’t been rocked too much. There seems to be a large number of customization options I didn’t have access to that would also greatly increase the fun, allowing me to play whatever race and class I want.
Mass Effect: Andromeda comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC on March 21.
So what do you think? Are you excited to play the multiplayer in Mass Effect: Andromeda? Are you more excited about the campaign and new cast of characters? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
