Speaking with BioWare’s Michael Gamble, Producer on Mass Effect: Andromeda, we discussed the move from strict classes to a more fluid approach in the upcoming RPG.
The change means characters aren’t locked into long-established franchise classes Soldier, Vanguard, Adept, Sentinel, Engineer and Infiltrator. Instead, players are able to pick and choose abilities across the entire mix.
“It’s about inclusivity, and allowing players to kind of play the game that they want — how they want to play it,” Gamble said. “We found that locking players into a class is doing exactly that, which was locking them, and limiting their ability to do things.
“We tried to eliminate it a little bit in the trilogy where originally an Infiltrator could only use sniper rifles kind of thing. We wanted to erode things like that, because why would you make all these amazing weapons when only a subset of people can use them? Then we said, ‘Well, you know what? We should apply that to the powers, as well.’ Although Vanguard Charge is a super cool power for a Vanguard, if I’m an Infiltrator, and I want to take the risk to use Vanguard Charge, I should be able to do so.”
The change benefits the player, Gamble summarised.
“This is your game; this is your RPG,” he said. “You are playing the role of a character, and we don’t want you to be limited by that.”
Mass Effect: Andromeda heads to Windows PC, Xbox One and PS4 on 23 March.
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