Don't let those wide open vistas and free-roaming rover moments give you the wrong idea - Mass Effect: Andromeda isn't an open-world game. At least not in the traditional sense. In an interview with OXM, producer Michael Gamble clarified some of the terminology that has cropped up around the sci-fi RPG since BioWare started opening the information floodgates.
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"I definitely wouldn't call Andromeda an open-world game," Gamble said. "We like to use the term 'exploration-based game'. You still have the concept of tight story deliverance and all the great things you come to expect with Mass Effect. The layer on top of that is a layer of exploration. Sometimes that happens in open spaces, but not always. You can cruise around some of these planets in the Nomad, but it's not the traditional sandbox-type game."
That sounds a lot like the original Mass Effect, where you were free to roam around a bunch of different worlds by Mako or by foot, but the main story and side missions were woven through more linear moments. Just because the Nomad has better handling than the Mako doesn't mean Mass Effect has suddenly become Grand Theft Auto In Space
Not saying I wouldn't play Grand Theft Auto In Space. I would definitely play that. But it's not really Mass Effect or BioWare's cup of tea.
Read more about Mass Effect: Andromeda and the future of BioWare in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, on sale now. Buy future issues here.
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