Some would argue that Mass Effect: Andromeda faced a similar hurdle and didn’t quite make it; however, Ryder had their strong points. So, let’s go over what makes Shepard and company so memorable, and what an Andromeda sequel (or new Mass Effect title) could do to measure up.
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Living Up to Shepard
Commander Shepard is the figurehead of the Mass Effect trilogy, a soldier in the Alliance Navy-turned Spectre whose exploits across the galaxy come with some huge consequences. Regardless of Shepard’s personality, they’re a war hero in their own right, though Shepard’s background, appearance, and first name are all the choice of the player. And despite the customizability of Shepard, living up to their overall standard isn’t going to be easy for the next Mass Effect entry.
There’s the sheer amount of time players spent with Shepard to consider; it’s impossible not to become attached after a trilogy of stellar games exploring the galaxy through Shepard’s eyes. By the time Mass Effect 3 came to a close, there were fan-favorite catch-phrases, inside jokes, and while Shepard’s personality was a bit one-note in the first game, three games gave them time to grow. That’s the other thing–Shepard did have time to grow. Mass Effect 2 was the game that marked the series really hitting its stride. So it’s possible that Andromeda, or whatever comes next, will also need some time for growth.
But of course, it is more than just time spent: Shepard is an incredibly well-written character no matter which route players take, and the paragon/renegade system offers dynamic directions to take Shepard’s personality in. Piloting Shepard, players understand that who Shepard is as a person is a major component to the game. Feeling like Shepard, personally, is integral to the story of the game elevates their importance in players’ eyes; by the end of the game, we understand why saving the galaxy couldn’t have been left to anyone else.
Shepard vs. Ryder
So, why don’t people love Ryder as much? Well, as mentioned above, Ryder might just need some more time to grow. Shepard from Mass Effect isn’t nearly as beloved as the Shepard from Mass Effect 3, and there’s a reason for that. Another difference between the two is their dialogue systems, and how they were defined as people throughout the game. Namely, Andromeda did away with the paragon/renegade system. It’s easy to understand why: BioWare wanted players to have more freedom. Ryder had the time of a day to make wise-cracks, something Shepard rarely did as a consummate professional. Ryder could do whatever they wanted without their options on the dialogue wheel being limited by their morality.
But there’s a pitfall to this: doing and saying whatever they wanted meant that Ryder could come off as inconsistent and all over the place, where for Shepard that was impossible. Even paragades still had a backbone to their writing that made them consistent enough despite their varying morals. Shepard was who they were, and there was no changing that regardless of dialogue, whereas Ryder could be anybody and nobody based on their dialogue choices. That’s not to say that a character as customizable as Ryder can’t be fun and lovable, but there’s no definition to them beyond those dialogues, and no systems–whether friendship systems between companions or morality systems within the gameplay–to keep them honest.
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Ideally, BioWare will give players the best of both worlds with their next game. If Shepard had one flaw, it’d be the extent of the rigidity within their personality. They weren’t given much time for joking around, and players really only saw cracks in their tight, confident “soldier” facade in Mass Effect 3 rather than throughout the trilogy of games. Ryder was designed to seem more like a real person, but BioWare took things in the wrong direction. In the next game, players will hopefully have a protagonist with a strong consistency to their fundamental personality (like Shepard) but with freedom while making critical choices in-game (like Ryder).
A strong example that comes to mind is the personality system in Dragon Age 2. Say what you like about the game, but it’s underrated on several fronts, and one of those is the writing of Hawke. Benevolent, charming, and aggressive Hawkes all had the same choices to make, but carried vastly different attitudes with them at all times, and it made things both fun and consistent. Utilizing something similar for Mass Effect 5 could very well do the trick in taking everything great about Shepard and everything good about Ryder and mixing them together.
The Companions
Of course, we can’t emphasize the lovability of Mass Effect trilogy characters without referencing its many companions, particularly those fan-favorites like Garrus Vakarian, Liara T’Soni, Tali’Zorah vas Normandy, and Urdnot Wrex. Many of them had a presence throughout all three games, even if it wasn’t as a squadmate (kudos to Garrus and Tali for being the only two who stuck by Shepard for the whole ride) and it made them even easier to love. Still, players were already falling in love with those characters in the first Mass Effect game, because their writing and unique design made them feel delightfully real and insteresting.
Those Mass Effect companions were always going to be difficult to replace no matter what, to the point that the next Mass Effect game really shouldn’t try to. Rather than replacing the beloved characters of the original trilogy, BioWare should focus on making characters who are lovable in their own right. Perhaps the result will be a new cast of fan-favorites.
Mass Effect 5 is reportedly in development.
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