A bit of faith for Mass Effect Andromeda was restored following the gameplay showcase at The Game Awards, especially when it came to the combat and open world scale. Speaking to GameSpot, creative director Mac Walters discussed how some of the combat was actually inspired by Bungie’s Destiny.
Walters noted before that some aspects were inspired by Bungie’s shared world shooter. When asked specifically about which aspect, he clarified, “The fluid movement and very tight combat mechanics. Specifically, camera, controls, and character.”
Discussing one of the more brutal death scenes in the trailer, Walters said that these were “sync” attacks. Not all of them will instantly kill you, which is a nice change of pace from Mass Effect 3’s multiplayer. “Certain creatures have what we call ‘sync’ attacks. Some are fatal, some can be avoided and/or escaped from. More on that soon.”
Finally, when asked about the biotic shield and how it would work, Walters said, “We’ll get more into the specifics in the future, but if you look closely, you’ll see that it’s not just a shield, and that it actually deflects some of the enemies’ projectiles back at them. It’s great fun to master.”
Mass Effect Andromeda is out in Spring 2017 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.