Despite being announced over 3 years ago, not much is publicly known about the mysterious release and gameplay details of Mass Effect 5. Given that BioWare's recent and somewhat controversial Dragon Age: The Veilguard was only just released, the rumors of a 2029 release date for Mass Effect 5 might not be too hard to believe. Regardless of when the next Mass Effect game makes its way into the hands of eager fans, Mass Effect 5 might already show promise of being better than its predecessor, Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Even with its age, the Mass Effect trilogy is well-loved to this day, being praised for its unique characters and unforgettable moments that pushed story-telling standards in gaming to a new level. One of the ways Mass Effect achieved such high critical acclaim is by encouraging meaningful in-game choices, letting players mold Shepherd into a fully realized character with a distinct personality. While it's too early to say if Mass Effect 5 will succeed in returning to the standards of the original trilogy, one feature rumored to make a reappearance is a fantastic start.

Mass Effect's Renegade And Paragon Choices Are Rumored To Make A Return

Reviving The Biggest Feature Missing From The Mass Effect Trilogy

While it hasn't been officially confirmed yet, some eagle-eyed fans like kalaelizabeth on X might have cracked the secret that the Mass Effect's iconic morality system could return in its latest installment. Analyzing some of the promotional material released for Mass Effect 5, the silhouette of the protagonist bears a striking resemblance to the Paragon symbol that's hard to unsee after having it pointed out.

One of the biggest complaints about Mass Effect: Andromeda was its removal of Renegade and Paragon options. A return to form with these features and fan-favorite characters could be a fantastic way to revitalize the franchise.

Despite the popularity of Mass Effect's morality system, the binary options weren't without their share of criticism, mostly targeted towards its binary choices that resulted in an overwhelming majority of players opting for a traditionally moral Paragon playthrough. Even if most fans make Paragon decisions most of the time, players can make Renegade options depending on each situation, providing a much higher level of player autonomy.

No matter what someone's preference is for Mass Effect's morality system, it's hard to refute that its fun renegade options offer a fantastic way to liven up any playthrough, even without fully committing to its route.

Fixing The Flaws In Mass Effect: Andromeda's Disappointing Experience

A Potential Return To Form For The Series

Looking back on Mass Effect: Andromeda, it's not a terrible game for its reduced price by any means, but it failed to live up to the gameplay hallmarks and standard of quality that Mass Effect fans had come to expect from the series. While Andromeda's combat and gameplay mechanics are still praised as promising improvements for the series to this day, it still suffers from being a forgettable experience without much of a lasting impact.

Due to the lasting negative sentiment Andromeda still carries and the overall lack of memorable story moments or characters, it's not much of a stretch to believe that BioWare might be switching back to the proven formula of the original trilogy's Paragon and Renegade systems.

Andromeda isn't the only game BioWare needs to learn from either, as the developers are also faced with some of the larger complaints about Dragon Age: The Veilguard's overall lack of player choice when it comes to making darker or even remotely controversial character choices. Given that BioWare has acknowledged the Mass Effect series deserves a more serious and grounded tone than the fantastic world of Dragon Age, there's still hope for the newest entry in the franchise to take a similar direction to the original series.

With the release date for Mass Effect 5 not likely to be announced anytime soon, BioWare will likely have years to learn from and improve upon the failures of Mass Effect: Andromeda and Dragon Age: The Veilguard; it could prove to be a valuable experience in delivering the next-generation experience for Mass Effect 5 that fans deserve.

Source: kalaelizabeth/X