Mass Effect: Andromeda is usually ranked as the worst Mass Effect game, as it suffered from terrible facial animations at launch and didn't hold a candle to the original trilogy's scale, writing, and plot. Despite its shortcomings, there were flashes of what makes the original trilogy great in a few of Mass Effect: Andromeda's side quests - especially one dealing with the first murder in the Andromeda Galaxy.
Due to the long journey from the Milky Way, the events of the Mass Effect trilogy have already transpired by the time of Andromeda, making the issues in the next galaxy somewhat mundane in comparison. Still, the first murder in an entirely new galaxy, separated from the established justice systems of Citadel space, is an occurrence likely to be remembered. When Pathfinder Ryder speaks with a distraught Turian woman named Mariette on the Nexus, they find out her husband, Nilken, has been convicted as the first murderer in Andromeda.
Nilken was accused of murdering his superior officer and best friend, Reynolds, when Reynolds refused to call for an evacuation during a kett attack on the prospective colony planet Eos. When Ryder investigates the crime scene, they discover it was actually the kett that killed Reynolds, despite a failed attempt by Nilken to kill him. Though Nilken believed he had killed Reynolds himself, he lied during his trial, coincidentally blaming the kett (one of only two new races in Andromeda).
Ryder has two choices once the investigation is completed: exile Nilken for the attempted murder of Reynolds, or exonerate him. If Nilken is allowed to stay on the Nexus, he is sentenced to community service for his betrayal and ultimately becomes an outcast. Even though he's not actually the first murderer in Mass Effect: Andromeda's titular galaxy, the other colonists remember his deeds, thinking of him as a criminal. Unable to cope with the scrutiny, Nilken requests to be put back in stasis until the entire saga is forgotten.
Strangely, exiling Nilken turns out to be the best outcome for him and Mariette. The two wind up on Kadara, a planet that houses many other exiles and malcontents. If players find them on Kadara after Nilken's sentencing, the two thank Ryder for giving them a fresh start. Mariette comes to sympathize with her husband's actions, recognizing them as self-preservation, and the two seem happy in their new circumstances. Mass Effect: Andromeda may have been a disappointing spin-off game, but there are still a few instances where the storytelling nuance of the original trilogy shines through.
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April 25, 2021 at 05:50AM
