Mass Effect 4, if that’s even what it ends up being called, is most likely still quite a long way off. BioWare has been happy totease the newMass Effectwith posters, tweets, and concept art but still hasn’t shown any gameplay or much about the story beyond a few vague clues. Fans know that Liara plays a significant role in the game and that the plot has something to do with the robotic Geth, but BioWare’s teasers have been light on specific details.
Naturally, this has left fans with many more questions than answers, including who will beMass Effect 4’s protagonist. While Shepard was and still is incredibly popular, there is a big question over whether they will return.Mass Effect 4now finds itself in an awkward position regarding its protagonist, andBioWaremay not have any good options regarding the new main character.
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BioWare’s Tough Decision About Mass Effect 4’s Protagonist
BioWare has three basic choices regarding who should be theplayer character inMass Effect 4. Developers could bring back either commander Shepard from the original trilogy or Ryder fromMass Effect: Andromeda. Alternatively, developers may choose to have an entirely new main character unrelated to previous protagonists. However, while there are good reasons for developers to go down any one of these paths, each comes with its own set of obstacles.
Mass Effect’s Commander Shepardis one of the most beloved protagonists in gaming. This may be partly because players have a significant role in shaping Shepard’s personality throughout theMass Effecttrilogy. The binary Paragon versus Renegade moral choice system might seem a bit dated today, but it was a big part of what made Shepard interesting in 2007. Impressive performances from voice actors Mark Meer and Jennifer Hale also helped a great deal, and players have had a lot more time to get accustomed to Shepherd than Ryder or any new protagonist.
In that light, Shepard might seem like the ideal candidate to beMass Effect 4’s protagonist. However, Shepard’s story was always the story of the galaxy’s battle against the Reapers, which ended decisively inMass Effect 3. Even in the one ending where Shepard potentially survives, their story is pretty definitively over. It might feel strange to bring Shepard back after their story is over. It would also tieMass Effect 4too closely to the original trilogy when the game might be better served with a clean slate and a new protagonist.
That same criticism would also apply to Ryder, who does not even benefit from Shepard’s popularity. That’s not to say Ryder is a worse character than Shepard, though some fans felt so, and Ryder suffered fromMass Effect: Andromeda’s messy writing. Additionally, their status as Shepard’s replacement also put Ryder in the awkward position of being compared to one of the most popular characters from that era of gaming.
BioWare has an opportunity to flesh Ryder out inMass Effect 4, and it might be good to see them in a new game free fromAndromeda’s problems. There are even some fans who seem to genuinely want that. However, Ryder’s status as a replacement isn’t going to wash off easily. Many returning players would be disappointed if Ryder returns asMass Effect 4’s player character,but Shepard does not.
Given all this baggage, BioWare may be tempted to have players step into the shoes of a new protagonist inMass Effect 4. Doing so would help give the new game room to breathe and remove the temptation to rely too much on returning characters to fill out its cast. A fresh start would also free BioWare’s writers from the need to track character relationships across multiple games.
The downside is that the “replacement” problem doesn’t go away and is arguably worse sinceMass Effect 4’s protagonist would have to compete with bothRyder and Shepard. If BioWare plans to go down this road, it will need to find a way to distance its new character from the ones that fans are so attached to. While that may be possible, developers have no easy option for who should beMass Effect 4’s new protagonist.
Mass Effect 4is in development.
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