Skip to main content

‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ to have meaningful sidequests, akin to The Witcher

mass effect andromeda sidequsts large img cropped
Mass Effect
Prepare to frequently question life itself while playing Mass Effect: Andromeda, as the development team has stuffed the game with meaningful sidequests.

In an interview with PC Gamer Magazine, Bioware’s Fabrice Condominas said that they’re taking a different approach to sidequests in Andromeda, following The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

“We are approaching the completionist aspect very differently, because we’ve done and learned a lot from [Dragon Age:] Inquisition,” said Condominas. “But we’ve also observed what other games have been doing, like The Witcher.”

The Mass Effect series has been known for it’s rich world with varied and likable characters, but aspects of the game can feel like busywork. Its sidequests, especially when compared to The Witcher series by CD Projekt Red, did not compare. In The Witcher, every sidequest had a layer of moral ambiguity, and would make you sit and question your decisions. More often than not, the decision that you made based on either prejudices, or what you believed from other characters in-game, turned out to be wrong. What’s worse is that there are consequences to who you let live, and who you let die.

The sidequests in The Witcher were so gripping that they usurped the entire stories of other games. It’s also why many gamers would spend over a hundred hours hunting down every single quest to squeeze out every ounce of narrative.

Condominas also pointed out that sidequests themselves do not need to have a major tie-in to the overall narrative to be meaningful or impactful. It’s something that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt pulled off particularly well.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is set to launch March 21, 2017 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The full interview with Condominas can be found in the March issue of PC Gamer Magazine.

Editors' Recommendations

Imad Khan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Imad has been a gamer all his life. He started blogging about games in college and quickly started moving up to various…
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed them down to a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 because of its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read about how we review desktops.

Read more
Samsung’s crazy 57-inch curved 4K monitor is $700 off today
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 57-inch mini-LED gaming monitor placed on a desk.

Your investment in gaming PC deals will  go to waste if you don't upgrade your screen, and if you're willing to splurge for the best possible gaming experience, you'll want to go for the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor. It's pretty expensive at its original price of $2,500, so you're going to want to take advantage of any discounts that are available. Fortunately, Samsung has slashed its price by $700 so it's down to $1,800 -- it's still not cheap, but once you're playing your favorite games on this monitor, you'll quickly understand why it's worth every single penny.

Why you should buy the 57-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor
The Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 curved gaming monitor features a 57-inch screen with dual 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 1000R curvature, so it will fully immerse you in the worlds of the video games that you play with its lifelike details and vivid colors. It also supports HDR 1000 for better visual accuracy, and it uses Quantum Matrix technology for controlled brightness and improved contrast.

Read more
Nintendo Switch 2: release date rumors, features we want, and more
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we wouldn't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Read more