TheMass Effect Trilogyis considered one of the best video game series of all time, with great worldbuilding, storytelling, and characters. While much of its storytelling remained consistent throughout the series, its combat and game design changed from game to game, losing many of its classic RPG elements fromMass Effectto adopt more action-RPG characteristics. With its combat varying so much between the games, there is also a discrepancy in the quality of the boss fights across theMass Effect Trilogy, with some criticizing their repetitive nature and boring mechanics. This is a weakness in theMass Effect Trilogythat needs to be fixed inMass Effect 4.
Lackluster boss fights especially stand out when the rest of the game has great encounters.Boss fights that often draw criticism inMass Effectare the Thorian fight inMass Effect, the Human Reaper inMass Effect 2, and the underuse of boss fights inMass Effect 3. These fights are characterized by waves of enemies, or repetitive shooting at a static enemy with little strategy or thought involved on the part of the player. To avoid these pitfalls,Mass Effect 4needs to draw from the examples of good boss fights in theMass Effect Trilogy, which implement payoff, strategy, and teamwork.
Standout Boss Fights in the Mass Effect Trilogy
Mass Effecthas examples of good boss fights; the standouts include the fight against the Shadow Broker inMass Effect 2: The Lair of the Shadow Broker, and the clone battle inMass Effect 3: Citadel. TheLair of the Shadow Broker’s boss fight with the Shadow Broker involves the progression of several stages, a unique enemy who uses never-before seen tech, and theheavy involvement of a squadmate, Liara. These elements all make the boss fight interesting by raising the stakes as the fight progresses, utilizes teamwork between Liara and Shepard, and makes clever use of the environment to make the boss fight feel rewarding in a visual way.
Lessons From Lair of the Shadow Broker
This boss fight also, importantly, reinforces the narrative ofLair of the Shadow Broker. As the story of the DLC progresses, thereveal of the Shadow Brokeris a defining moment in the series thanks to the story’s foreshadowing. The fight also serves to reinforce the bond between Shepard and Liara, who only defeat the Shadow Broker by working together. Instead of the Shadow Broker becoming an ammo-sponge like the Thorian’s waves of thralls, or the Human-Reaper’s mindless menacing, the Shadow Broker is instead a problem that the narrative anticipated and is overcome thanks to Shepard and Liara’s skills.
How Mass Effect 4 Can Implement These Lessons
AsMass Effect 4is in development and eagerly anticipated by many people, it needs to create more boss fights that go beyond mindless combat. While thefight against the clone inMass Effect: Citadelwas more mindless than the fight against the Shadow Broker, facing a copy of Commander Shepard in the Normandy that uses all of Shepard’s skills and abilities provided a payoff of its own. This was also because of the narrative that came before it, with Shepard surviving the encounter because of the bonds they had built with their squad.
Mass Effect 4needs to create boss fights that are not only visually interesting and engaging, but ones that are narratively meaningful. This means they need to have a purpose beyond presenting an obstacle to the player progressing the story, such as theHuman-Reaper needing to be defeatedjust because there needs to be a big fight at the end of the game.Mass Effecthas proven that it can deliver boss fights that go beyond this, and it needs to take them a step further with the skills it already has inMass Effect 4.
Mass Effect Trilogy
WHERE TO PLAY
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors, and packs – remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD.RELIVE THE CINEMATIC SAGA: Heart-pounding action meets gripping interactive storytelling where you decide how your unique story unfolds.EXPERIENCE THE LEGEND OF SHEPARD: Create and customize your own character, from appearance and skills to a personalized arsenal then lead your elite recon squad across a galaxy in turmoil.REFLECT ON YOUR CHOICES: Your choices seamlessly travel from one game to the next. Each decision you make will control the outcome of every mission, every relationship, every battle – and even the fate of the galaxy itself.
