Wednesday’s PlayStation Meeting announced the PS 4 Pro and PS 4 Slim. Several high-profile upcoming games were shown running on the PS4 Pro (formerly code-named Neo), with 4k resolution and HDR lighting. Among titles like Horizon Zero Dawn and For Honor was the highly anticipated fourth game in the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect: Andromeda.
The three minute long Pre-Alpha footage was our first real look at the game since the short teaser trailer at E3. This time we get a look at the male version of new protagonist Ryder as he searches through an alien vault. Unlike previous games, the male and female versions of the protagonist are actually siblings.
“What a lot of people don’t know is that these two are brother and sister,” Mac Walters, creative director told PlayStation Access. “They both exist in the game world at the same time. If you’re playing as the sister Ryder, your brother is somewhere in the universe.”
The video was designed to show off superior lighting as Ryder stalks between dimly lit consoles and around tentacled creatures.
“I’m excited to show you a glimpse of how Mass Effect: Andromeda is taking the power of Frostbyte to new heights on the Sony PlayStation Neo platform,” declares Aaryn Flynn, BioWare general manager. “What you’re seeing here is a very small slice of the game in development. Everything here is in game, captured directly by PlayStation Neo during Pre-Alpha.”
Ryder slowly walks through a vast underground chamber. We see him scanning plants and making notes and observations, as well as talking to crew mates through a headset. The shrouded fog and neon lights all look great, though it’s tricky to truly grasp the difference without using a 4K-capable display.
We’re treated to a cutscene at the end that may tease some of the story. Ryder and company, including an asari, make it to the core which displays a galactic map pointing to other alien vaults. Alien vault-hunting is also the pseudo-plot of the Borderlands series.
The official Mass Effect: Andromeda trailer will premiere on November 7. The game is scheduled for release in early 2017.
