‘Mass Effect 4’ Details Possibly Leaked Via Survey

Mass Effect 4 Concept Art — Concept art for the next “Mass Effect” game Electronic Arts (https://www.facebook.com/masseffect)

Despite the fact that very little official information has been released about the next “Mass Effect” game, fans are understandably eager to get their hands on any information about the title. New details have emerged which supposedly provide the deepest insight into possible design ideas for “Mass Effect 4.”

The leak comes via Reddit, supposedly gleaned from an online survey aimed getting feedback from fans of the series. As noted by Gamespot, there is no official confirmation that the survey is real, but EA has in the past leaked key features for such as “Dragon Age: Inquisition” via similar surveys.

The leaked survey details indicate “Mass Effect 4” is set in the Helius Cluster of the Andromeda Galaxy, and that players will explore hundreds of solar systems in an area over four times the size of “Mass Effect 3” in an effort to collect resources, develop a ship, crew and arsenal, and engage in diplomacy with new alien races. Players take control of a “Pathfinder” explorer on a mission to establish a new home for mankind.

Along the way they’ll come across untamed lands, outlaws and warring alien races, as well as mysterious ruins left by an ancient alien race called the Remnants. This information tallies with previous details given by the team at BioWare, promising that the next “Mass Effect” would not feature the original trilogies’ protagonist, Shepard, and will break from the timeline of those events in a bid to establish an identity of its own.

"Well, I can't get into details, but the idea is that we have agreed to tell a story that doesn't relate necessarily to any of the Shepard events at all, whatsoever. It can't just feel like a spin-off, it has to feel like a Mass Effect game at its heart, at its core, just without the Shepard character or the Shepard specific companions,” said “Mass Effect 3” lead writer Mac Walters in an interview with Complex.

The survey details the fact squadmates and loyalty missions will make a return, outing two new squadmates the Kroban Drack, and a biotic named Cora. Dialogue offers deeper control over responses, with players able to interrupt conversations and influence them by taking physical action. The Pathfinder will explore the solar systems using a Tempest Starships, a customisable vessel that also holds the upgradeable M35 Mako infantry fighting vehicle. According to the survey, “Mass Effect 4” will also include multiple mission types as well as co-operative multiplayer game types.

Very little official information has been announced about the next “Mass Effect,” with EA choosing to concentrate on the successful release of “Dragon Age: Inquisition” through 2014. With its fantasy RPG out of the way, it was assumed “Mass Effect 4” would take center stage in 2015, with a possible release date in 2016. That hasn’t materialized yet, as the recent announcement of “Star Wars Battlefront” has taken the spotlight. That said, it’s possible gamers will finally get some concrete info on the game during the publisher’s conference at this year’s E3.