Mass Effect Andromeda: The Tempest Crew – Characters with Soul
Quite early in the journey, we gather all our crew members. On the Tempest, our own spaceship, there are usually 10 characters milling about, of which 6 are our “companions” that we can take along on missions.
It pays off to regularly explore the entire Tempest and take “a round” to talk to everyone or eavesdrop on their own conversations. Many details highlight the relationships between the individual characters and show real development.
Especially funny: The Tempest has its own “online forum” where crew members post contributions that are then commented on by others. This makes the characters even more lovable. Would you like an example?
[Doctor Lexi]: “Congratulations, crew! Thanks to Liam’s new plans, we were able to evacuate the Tempest faster during an emergency drill than last time. We broke the old record by 2 minutes! Except for Peebee, who didn’t make it to the exfiltration point. You’re dead now, Peebee.”
[Comment from Peebee]: “WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, I’M IN A LIFE POD???”
Conflicts within the Crew
BioWare has ensured that the crew members are more than just NPCs you “check in on after each major mission to hear the latest chatter.” The crew interacts with each other, and we often stumble into conversations and conflicts that stretch over several days.
Our pilot constantly complains about the ship’s technician who simply replaces parts and tarnishes the legacy of the builders. We keep experiencing these conflicts until we finally have the opportunity to intervene. A wishy-washy solution like “Just get along” is rarely available in these conflicts, and one side will resent us for a long time.
But even outside of the Tempest, the story of the crew members is told. So it might happen that we suddenly run into our usually professional ship doctor Lexi on the Nexus, who is getting drunk in a bar, or observe the Turian Vetra bribing humans for a smuggling deal. The characters also act when we are not there, and – unlike in Mass Effect 3 – we can often notice it.
The Return of Loyalty Missions
In Mass Effect 2, the loyalty missions were some of the best the game had to offer. Individual companions received a particularly exciting mission, which serves more the personal goal of the character rather than the progress of the actual mission. In ME:A, these missions return.
However, these missions do not feel as “blunt” as in Mass Effect 2. They often have a long lead time and unfold only over several hours of gameplay. With Peebee, for instance, we find a piece of Remnant technology (“Remtech”) that she analyzes for a while. When you press her, she won’t tell us anything. At some point, however, she will come up to us on her own and ask for help – often only hours later after completing several side and main missions, and after a significant amount of time has passed.
So far, I have only completed 3 loyalty missions, but I am absolutely thrilled with them. The quality matches that of the main missions and they often show the respective character in a whole new light and even come with difficult decisions – occasionally even life-threatening situations.
In addition to a cool story, these missions have another benefit: They unlock the “Level 6” abilities of the respective companion, which can only be acquired then.
The Dilemma of Choice – 6 Lovable Companions
In Mass Effect, I always had certain favorites I took on every mission. For me, it was usually Liara, Tali, and Kasumi. I found all other characters just “too boring” compared to the rest. In ME:A, this is different.
I have to struggle every time with whom to take along this time to complete the next missions. BioWare has succeeded in making the entire crew interesting, and no character stands out as the “obviously best choice.” Every companion has something to say, and those who switch it up will always be rewarded with interesting dialogues. During rides in the Nomad, the characters often chat, and many details come to light that you would otherwise never learn.
Some characters even hold it against Ryder if you don’t take them along on certain missions. Making everyone happy doesn’t work – that’s the case in ME:A on many levels.
