Mass Effect Andromeda promises players the freedom and ability to explore multiple planets at their leisure, as they also participate in the game’s epic story. That said, there will definitely be limits to that exploration- speaking to a fan on Twitter, Bioware’s Mac Walters confirmed that players in Mass Effect Andromeda will only be limited to exploring local clusters, rather than the entirety of the galaxy.
This makes sense from multiple perspectives. Having an entire galaxy available is probably improbable without utilizing the kind of procedural generation tricks that No Man’s Sky employed (and that players decidedly did not like); from a lore perspective, being able to travel the entire galaxy makes no sense without the presence of the mass effect relays, which are what allow faster than light travel in the Mass Effect universe.
Plus, you know, being able to explore more of the galaxy may be something that Bioware want to keep for future games in the series, as they build upon and add to the foundation that they create for this game. Mass Effect Andromeda is set to launch on Xbox One, PS4, and PC in Spring 2017.
