Summary
It may be a while until players can get their hands onMass Effect 4or the nextAnimal Crossinggame, and what BioWare and Nintendo have planned for these popular franchises is mostly a mystery. While bothMass EffectandAnimal Crossingwill likely make many updatesin their next entries, there is a specific change that they could make that would take advantage of their unique premises.
While it’s obvious that the two series have little in common, they share a crucial similarity: non-human species with human intelligence. InAnimal Crossing, these beings take the form of anthropomorphic animals that the player can recruit to their community and build relationships with.Mass Effectfeatures a number of alien races who can be recruited onto the player’s crew, where they can then bond with protagonist Shepard. With the series moving into the next era of its legacy with its fourth mainline entry, it may be time forMass Effectto have a non-human protagonist, and perhapsAnimal Crossingshould take this route as well.
RELATED:Mass Effect 4 Should Copy One Core Starfield Feature
Why the Mass Effect and Animal Crossing Games Could Benefit from Non-Human Heroes
BothMass Effect 4and the nextAnimal Crossinggame could be improved by featuring a non-human player character, but for slightly different reasons. This is mostly due to the core gameplay of each franchise and how their lore is handled;Mass Effect’s aliens are fundamentally different to humans in many ways, whileAnimal Crossing’s animals are mostly different on a superficial level.
When it comes toMass Effect, the non-human races have unique biological and cultural characteristics that would make them vastly different from a human protagonist, especially within a typical RPG framework.Races like the Asarican leverage awe-inspiring biotic powers, Krogan are hulking and violent, and so on. These physical characteristics have the potential to drastically impact gameplay, while the cultural and psychological distinctions of each race could affect the player’s interactions with NPCs or even shape the overall narrative of the game. But all these unique traits could greatly enhance and deepen the experience of the game.
By comparison, playing as an animal inAnimal Crossingwould be less revolutionary, although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For many,Animal Crossingis the quintessential casual game, with amajor focus on personalizationand aesthetic freedom. By adding the option to play as a specific animal, this freedom could be deepened, allowing players to create themed homes or villages, or just letting them better express themselves through their in-game avatar. BecauseAnimal Crossinggames are mechanically simple, generally speaking, playing as an animal probably wouldn’t have too much of an impact on the actual gameplay. Still, perhaps players could access species-exclusive collectibles, apparel, or decorations; there is certainly potential in the concept.
Despite their differences, player expression and creativity play important roles in both of these franchises. As RPGs,Mass Effectgames are all about feeling immersed in a world that reacts to the decisions that the protagonist makes.Mass Effectmay be more about relationshipswith NPCs, weighty existential conflicts, and grand space faring narratives than customization, but players still feel intimately connected to the Shepard that they created and shaped over the course of the original trilogy, and an option to make a new protagonist something other than human could help recreate and bolster this sense of connection. TheAnimal Crossinggames have no shortage of customization options as it is, but letting players fill the role of an animal would expand what is already on offer.
Of course, there are potential downsides to this idea as well. In both cases, fans could argue that the series' identity is being diluted, asAnimal Crossingis about buildingin a world filled with animals, not about playing as one, andMass Effectis generally more linear, as RPGs go. Then again, maybe both franchises could use an identity refresh.
Mass Effect 4is in development.
MORE:Mass Effect 4 Ditching Open-World Elements Would Be for the Best
