Mass Effect: Andromedacut many of its planned alien races in favor of just one main addition — the Angara. Now, many fans of the franchise are hungry to discover new life inMass Effect 4just as they did when the first game released. Sci-fi aliens can be used to test the limits of human empathy, explain strange phenomena across the galaxy, and tell stories about beings with completely different mindsets and customs.
In this regard many of the early concepts forMass Effect’s aliens were far stranger than the ones fans finally saw in-game. Following the release ofMass Effect 3, BioWare Concept Artist Matt Rhodes released many of the alien concepts that never made it to the retail release. Here are just some of the alien concepts it would be great to see brought to life inMass Effect 4.
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The Hue-Mon
The universe ofMass Effectis full of humanoid aliens, but some do a better job of fitting in than others. This “Hue-Mon” was originally conceived as an alien that, unlike many of the othersCommander Shepardwould meet on their journey, utterly failed to fit in. Nonetheless the Hue-Mon gives it its best shot, squeezing into a Tali-style spacesuit and hiding its constantly shifting eyes and teeth behind a mask.
This concept might be a little too grizzly for manyMass Effectfans, but the principle behind it would be a fantastic premise for an alien race inMass Effect 4. The Hue-Mon could have tested the limits of player empathy. It’s one thing to feel for aliens who broadly act like humans and have a more-or-less humanoid outline, but this concept raises questions about the treatment of unrelatablealien races in theMass Effectuniverse.
If there’s any series that could take a character so horrifying and turn them into a beloved companion itsMass Effect. The infamous image ofTali’s facethat was revealed inMass Effect 3undermined the connection many players felt with the character by revealing her to look like a conventionally attractive human woman. Hopefully BioWare will rise to the challenge this time around with some truly alienating aliens in the upcoming game.
The Centaur Shadow Broker
The Shadow Broker mostly works behind the scenes, and his true form wasn’t revealed untilMass Effect 2’s Lair of the Shadow Broker DLC. The final design for the character looked very different to this early concept. The Shadow Broker is revealed to be a Yahg, an extremely violent and adaptable race banned from Citadel space after killingthe Citadel Councildiplomats sent to make contact with them on their home world.
This centaur-like concept explores another option for a less humanoid alien race. This six-limbed version ofMass Effect’sShadow Brokerwould have towered over Shepard and the Normandy’s crew. It would be interesting to see such a giant alien appear inMass Effect 4, as well as the ways its architecture, vehicles, and weaponry were uniquely adapted for its form.
A species known for both its massive strength and its intelligence could be interesting as well. While the Yahg certainly looked vicious, the final design was only as intimidating as the averageKrogan. Once again, this concept shows off the potential for more radically non-humanoid aliens inMass Effect 4.
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The Proto-Prothean
This was a concept for the Protheans that was eventually dropped in favor of the humanoid insect-like form Javik has inMass Effect3. This idea drew influence from theStar Trek: The Next Generationepisode “The Chase.” In the episode, the Enterprise discovers a holographic message left by a member of an ancient humanoid race. It’s revealed that this species spread its DNA throughout the Alpha and Beta quadrants. This was used to explain the huge amount of life in theStar Trekuniverse that resembles humans.
This version of the Protheans was also supposed to hint at the reasons behind the humanoid forms of many ofMass Effect’s alien races. In fact, the concept can already be seen in-game as a series of statues on Ilos. These statues were eventually retconned, however, as representing an alien race called the Inusannon. This species lived around 127,000 years before the events of the original trilogy. The Protheans were revealed to have developed their technology by studying the ruins left behind by the Inusannon.
A more solid explanation for the abundance of humanoid life in theMass Effect universe would be nice, especially since the Inusannon never actually ended up explaining the physical similarities between alien races, only the origins of their technology. Unfortunately it seems unlikely that the Inusannon will make an appearance inMass Effect 4after being wiped out by the Reapers. Javik was a companion despitethe Protheansbeing wiped out, however, so perhaps a surviving Inusannon could make an appearance in a futureMass Effectgame.
The Reaper Hybrids
This concept came from an early idea that Shepard, likeSaren Arterius inMass Effect 1, would eventually turn to Reaper technology in an attempt to achieve their goals. It’s also clear that the Reapers were making organic-synthetic hybrids throughout the originalMass Effecttrilogy.
Mass Effect 4seems to be makingMass Effect 3’s Destroy Ending canonbased on the dead Reaper in the trailer and a released image of a Mass Relay being rebuilt. This might imply that any organic-synthetic hybrids would have been destroyed. However, the Crucible tells Shepard that, because of their synthetic parts, they will die during the Destroy Ending as well. Both the high EMS Destroy Ending and theMass Effect 4trailer hint at Shepard’s survival, opening the door for other hybrids to have survived as well
It could be interesting to explore a race of hybrids who were freed from Reaper control at theend ofMass Effect 3, and are now fated to wander the galaxy as a reminder of the war that took place and their part in it. Of course, the team behindMass Effect 4will have the opportunity to come up with entirely new concepts which could introduce totally unexpected aliens into the game’s universe. Fans can only hope these concepts are as interesting as some of the ones cut from the original trilogy.
A newMassEffectis currently in development by BioWare.
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