By Miranda Sanchez

I took a look at the map and estimated I was a short Nomad drive away from my objective in Mass Effect: Andromeda – maybe 30 or 40 seconds. I ran over some enemies, passed small settlements inside of icy caves, and saw the mysterious Remnant fighting wildlife, then double checked my position. I had only gone a short distance and was still at least a dozen discoveries away from my target. The map for this one of several explorable planets was so large I actually laughed.

You say you don’t want to spend tons of time exploring each planet? Don’t. You want to know everything about the Ryder family secrets? Hunt away. You want Ryder to act like the beloved Commander Shepard? Make it so. Members of developer BioWare told me that player freedom is more important than ever in Andromeda, and it showed in every facet of the game I experienced during my nearly 10 hours of playtime.

New Kids on the Block

After 600 years of travel, the human colony ship Arc Hyperion arrives in the Andromeda galaxy in search of a new home. Playing as either Sara or Scott Ryder, the player embarks on an adventure to find a Golden World, or habitable planet, after their original destination turns out to be a bust. Chaos ensues.

Regardless of which Ryder twin you choose, the difference between them and the original Mass Effect trilogy’s Shepard is immediately noticeable. While they have combat training, they don’t command the same leadership as Shepard. If Andromeda is going to be your first Mass Effect, I think you’ll be in good hands with the new protagonist. Ryder feels more relatable thanks to the new dialogue system that allows you to better dictate Ryder’s personality.

Mass Effect: Andromeda does away with the black and white Paragon and Renegade options in favor of four other response types that aren’t colored by morality. Instead I chose between emotional, logical, casual, and professional lines that shape Ryder’s character. In one playthrough Ryder was somewhat shy and sometimes struggled for confidence when talking to crew members, but in another I made Ryder stern with little care for the feelings of others.

And the others? They’re great. From the new squadmates to random people I encountered on the Nexus, everyone had something to say. It’s obvious that a lot of care was put into writing even the most minor engineers and colonists. Among the main cast, S.A.M. seems to have the highest potential for causing galactic controversy. In Andromeda, Ryder is always accompanied by an integrated AI that acts a little like The Legend of Zelda’s Navi, but instead of being talkative like the squadmates he occasionally chimes in to offer analysis and advice for objectives. He doesn’t seem to have as much personality as the original trilogy’s EDI, but S.A.M.’s mysterious relationship with the Ryder family makes his side quests intriguing. Having true AI is taboo in Mass Effect, so it’ll be interesting to see how issues with S.A.M. pan out in the Andromeda galaxy.

Like S.A.M., a lot of the squadmates have unique backgrounds that directly tie them to some of the biggest conflicts in Andromeda. As one of the native Andromeda races, the angara Jaal offered unique insight to exploration and drama. Pairing him with the inquisitive Peebee made for a fun drive in the Nomad. When I geared up for a mission I considered their personalities and interests as much as their combat capabilities. Since Andromeda doesn’t lock Ryder into one class, I felt like I could be flexible with the squadmates I brought along to each mission. Interactions with the squadmates seem more robust during downtime, too. I got to jump to a mid-game save at one point during my two days at BioWare, and thankfully didn’t find anyone calibrating a weapon endlessly.

Better interactions leads to better flirting. In one mid-game save I had Sara Ryder run around the Tempest and flirt with as many crew mates as I could. It was hilarious. She stumbled over her words when flirting with some of the dashing characters, and was silly with others. Though I didn’t play enough to experience a full romance, I liked both the beginnings and the end – yup, BioWare let me skip to one of the sexier scenes. Without spoiling it, I was delighted by how much choice I got even in that moment. It was intimate and respectful of the kind of relationship I wanted to create between the two characters.

Tell Me Another Story

Andromeda draws out many feelings I got from the first Mass Effect without treading too familiar ground. Exploring a galaxy filled with alien life and a mysterious threat is delightful. The danger from the oppressive kett seems to be more direct than the Reaper’s secretive existence, but there are plenty of supplemental stories that bolster the main mission. For one, exploring potential homes for humanity is a pretty big deal, and Ryder’s personal journey to learn family affairs refreshes the adventure as well.

I’m a twin myself, so I had an especially deep connection with the Ryder family. Unlike in past Mass Effect games, family is an important (or, if you really don’t care, an unimportant) part of Ryder’s identity, which opens a whole new kind of emotional vein. The Ryder family had a lot to do with the development of the Andromeda Initiative and have the weight of humanity’s future on their shoulders, so there seems to be some good drama waiting to be discovered there.

Though Andromeda departs from Shepard’s Milky Way adventure, some story beats that were massively important to the original trilogy do come into play in the new galaxy — the genophage wasn’t magically cured during the trip, after all. If you’re new to the series or simply forgot some of the finer details, Andromeda does supply players with enough information about these issues. Like in past games you almost always have the option to ask about a subject, or you can look it up in the robust Codex.

In addition to the main story and family drama there are a plethora of paths to follow; residual Milky Way drama, rebellions against oppressors, squadmate loyalty missions, Remnant secrets, and tons of side missions. Andromeda is packed with stories. Thankfully, like the Codex, the Journal tracks who I add to my crew, what missions I’ve completed, what optional objectives I may have missed, and most importantly, minor and major choices like who shot first when meeting new species.

I was impressed with how even the smallest actions have nuanced consequences. At one point I talked with my human squadmate Cora about dragons, and not long after Ryder saw a huge beast flying in the sky. Ryder then brought up conversation they had with Cora to their other human companion, Liam. Had I not taken the time to talk to Cora previously I wouldn’t have experienced that. Sure, it’s not revolutionary or even remotely important to the story, but it gives capability of caring about things other than what I dictate – they have agency.

Other actions like saving crew members or disagreeing with someone higher in command have rippling effects too. Rumors spread about my choices in an argument and I once saw a soldier I failed to help laying in a medical bed. And of course there are the bigger, game-changing decisions you’ll have to make. I’m already planning on having a pre-choice save to retreat to based on the one big decision I played through.

Shoot, Craft, Explore

Each Mass Effect game has its own take on cover-based combat, and Andromeda’s has a great redesign. The jump jet helps modernize Andromeda’s movement to be faster and give players better verticality without sacrificing what makes Mass Effect’s combat special. I could jump, hover and shoot, then pummel one or two enemies, but I still had to take cover when my team was swarmed. The automatic cover system took some time to get used to, but once I did I had fun obliterating enemies with my chosen loadout.

Andromeda doesn’t lock players into one weapon or ability class. I experimented with all sorts of combinations and felt more powerful because of the ability freedom. The number of powers and their skill trees is a little overwhelming, but I’d much prefer them over a simpler RPG system that limits customization, especially since Ryder’s combat versatility allowed me to pick squadmates based in their personality or interest in the mission.

The weapon variety, customization, and crafting were also a tad intimidating. I didn’t have enough time to explore the systems fully – with access to Milky Way, Remnant, and Andromeda weapons you’ve got a lot to choose from. While I enjoyed trying the new kinds of beam-based guns, my favorite were the new melee weapons. The Asari sword is awesome. I opted to stick with weapons I picked up through the campaign, but if you use your scanner to research enough technology in the environment you can develop all sorts of things. Schematics require certain resources for construction, so if you’re especially interested in crafting, you’ll need to do some exploring.

Even if you don’t care about crafting, you’ll want to wander. As mentioned previously, the planets I got to explore are huge and have a lot to offer. I was surprised at how many objectives popped up on my map as I drove around in the Nomad. There were plenty of random kett waiting to be fought and strange Remnant structures that beckoned me to fight their guards then snoop around.

Though I didn’t get to fully explore a Remnant vault, I loved the small part I got to see. The Remnant technology is fascinating and its architecture is beautiful. I know I’m going to obsess over their mysteries once I get to play more.

The rest of the places I visited were well-designed too. There’s a surprising variety of planets and people you’ll meet. One of my favorite parts of being in this galaxy was how it felt like it lived without me. I came across random enemy scuffles and plenty of fun conversations between random people on the Nexus – I’ll always wonder if that salarian engineer ever got his Galactic Girl Scout cookies. Squadmates react to the environment more too. All this is great, but it was a little disappointing when I accidentally cut someone off because I triggered a new scripted line. Still, too much good writing seems like a decent problem to have.

If you don’t want to wait around to eavesdrop on NPCs or get in an intimate interspecies relationship, you don’t have to. But the beauty is that BioWare gives you that choice. Mass Effect Andromeda is filled with secrets and options, and I can’t wait to uncover them all.

Keep it on IGN for more reveals and features Mass Effect: Andromeda. Take a look at the IGN First hub to see all of our Andromeda coverage.

Miranda Sanchez is an Editor at IGN. You can talk with her about space dates, AI ethics, anime, and video games on Twitter.