Cortyn from MeinMMO was able to take a look at “Mass Effect: Legendary Edition”. But is the remaster worth it? Or is it an empty shell?
The Legendary Edition of Mass Effect is just before its release. Starting tomorrow, May 14, the remaster will be available for purchase in a bundle that unites the entire original trilogy along with all story DLCs and many important updates. I was lucky enough to get an early look at the remaster of the PC version and get an initial impression.
Whether it was a pleasure or I wished the Reapers had consumed this version, you can find out here.
Astonishingly good graphics – unless they’re not
Honestly, I was a bit nervous before starting. Some other games have seriously ruined my joy with a remaster, and I didn’t want to let Mass Effect fall victim to such a disaster. After all, Mass Effect 1 looked much prettier in my memories than it actually was, and the remaster threatened to shamelessly reveal that.
But that was not the case. The developers did not promise too much when they announced that there were a lot of changes made to part 1 to visually align the game with the later parts. Especially the protagonist Shepard, who finally looks consistent in her female version across all three games, stood out positively here. But most of the important NPCs also look really good. Except for Kaidan Alenko, who still looks like someone hit him too many times with a wooden board and then dumped a tube of hair gel on his head. But he will anyway be “virmiret”. Veterans know what I mean.
The look with high-resolution textures looks really good for most main characters. So good that I thought for some Turians that they must have simply imported the textures and models from part 3 – whether that’s true, I don’t know.
Light reflections on hair and clothing, the slight sparkle in the eyes, all this feels more than solid and clearly better than I remembered.
However, the new graphics do not come across well at every point. Already in the first minutes on the Normandy, the fluctuating quality in the portrayal of the characters is noticeable. Mass Effect back then still had a rather wooden facial expression for many faces, and unfortunately, that hasn’t changed with the remaster at least for the less important NPCs.
This makes it even more frustrating when new textures and old models don’t harmonize. Especially for less important characters, there is a noticeable discrepancy. If a doctor’s clothing has high-resolution textures allowing you to see individual fibers, while the face distorts with its textures while speaking as if the head were made of jelly or being sucked in by a vacuum cleaner, then that is peculiar.
Admittedly, this has only strongly stood out to me with two characters to the point where it seemed a bit unsettling – and both characters are minor figures that are not particularly important.
The same goes for details on the planets. Already at the first deployment, I looked more closely at the environments. Probably much more than I did when I normally played through the game over a decade ago. Even when zooming in with the sniper rifle, most textures look pretty solid. So good that it fits into the game world and is a clear enrichment.
Only interior designs still look a bit sparse and sterile, so when entering research facilities, you sometimes wish you could leave right away. But that is probably not due to the graphics overhaul, but simply also to the design that these places have always had. It fits well into this science-fiction world.
Meaningful updates, but also unnecessary gimmicks
Veterans will discover some updates. For example, you can choose what kind of level mode you want to play in the first part of the saga. In classic mode, there is a level system from 1-60. Just as it was back then. The legendary mode is the new alternative, where there are only a total of 30 levels. This changes nothing about the availability of skill points or the actual gain in strength, but it’s simply a bit more compact. Level ups are rarer, but they come with more rewards.
Other meaningful updates are subtler and only become apparent when you think about them. The elevator rides on the Citadel, for example. Back then, they felt like they lasted half an hour. In reality, they probably lasted a good 30 seconds, but even those were still too long. Now it goes significantly faster; apparently, someone has packed out the oil can. This greatly helps the flow of the game.
Also new is a photo mode. Personally, I can’t use such a feature much, as it only tempts me to break out of the exciting flow of the game to take a screenshot. Sure, for streamers and other content creators, this is a nice thing and comes with numerous settings. The player, enemies, other NPCs – almost everything can be hidden or equipped with filters. A clear case of “Nice to Have”, but nothing that, in my opinion, is an enrichment. Especially since Mass Effect 1, even in the remaster, is not a game that can compete with the graphics of the latest generation.
First impression: It’s worth it and gets a lot right
For a final verdict on Mass Effect, it is still too early; after all, I’ve seen too little of the remaster, let alone part 2 or part 3. My first impression, however, is quite positive. Sure, there are minor flaws, but so far the game feels prettier and smoother with meaningful extensions.
Only at a few points, where the new graphics clash hard with the old ones, does it slightly break the flow of the game. However, you overlook that after a good hour by itself – because Mass Effect has always thrived on its excellent story, not on visual beauty.
I will definitely continue playing in the coming weeks and let you know whether a purchase is also worthwhile for veterans. Newcomers can, as much is already clear, definitely jump in to experience one of the best sci-fi stories of all time.
My interim conclusion is: I’m excited about the game. It’s not the rosy nostalgia goggles that make me say this, but the impression that the game has adapted more to what I have positively embellished in my memory.
A really good role-playing game that may be a bit dated, but can teach many modern games a lot.
Those who want to take advantage of the bridge day and the weekend will surely do nothing wrong with Mass Effect.
