N7 Day Mass Effect: Andromeda Trailer Gives Players a Glimpse of the Andromeda Galaxy

As N7 Day arrived, a day which most Bioware fans view as sacred, thousands of players were on tenterhooks awaiting news of the latest Bioware offering, due to land in March 2017.

Finally, at 5pm GMT, Bioware launched the latest trailer via their social media feeds, finally giving desperate players a proper glimpse into what they can expect in Spring next year.

“We slept for hundreds of years, dreaming of a new home.”

The first words spoken in the trailer mirror what we’ve seen in previous trailers, and in the information Bioware has drip-fed to us. The ‘Pathfinder’ or ‘ARK’ initiative was launched somewhere between the modern day and the events of Mass Effect 3 (though possibly after) to travel to the Andromeda galaxy in search of a new home.
The words, possibly spoken by the father of the Ryder siblings, who will share protagonist duties in the upcoming game, are illustrated by images of the ‘ARK’ ship, and a ship with the name ‘Hyperion’ along the hull. Whether these are two separate ships, or the Hyperion is the ARK ship, has not been confirmed. However, we do know the successor of the Normandy SR-2 from the Shepard trilogy will be named the ‘Tempest’.

“But when we finally awoke, our dreams of peace were shattered.”

We already know our would-be explorers will encounter a hostile alien race known as the Khet, and a friendly race known as the Remnant in Andromeda. We see glimpses of a fearsome, bipedal species which doesn’t seem to be particularly friendly to Ryder Jr. Some have speculated the Ark or Arkcon project will stumble into an ongoing battle between the Khet and the Remnant.

“You’re the new Pathfinder.”

Pathfinder is the designation given to those exploring Andromeda as part of the Andromeda Initiative. We know Ryder Sr was the original Pathfinder, and his children are following in his footsteps. It’s likely one – or both – of the Ryder siblings will become the new Pathfinder in their father’s place.

“We’re the aliens.”

This is a point which Bioware has repeated several times: you’re not in Kansas anymore. Andromeda is a whole new kettle of fish, and the Citadel Council and the System’s Alliance (if they even still exist) aren’t going to be able to help you. Whilst we see the possible Asari companion Cora once again, and the telltale head of a Salarian, Andromeda is a new galaxy in which you are the invading species. Knowing Bioware, this is likely to bring up a whole load of ethical issues.

“Now I know what makes you special.”

This rather threatening statement is made by what appears to be a brand new species of alien, likely the Khet, to Ryder.

Alongside the Khet, which we only partially see, we are also shown some kind of huge, metal snake-like alien, which resembles (but probably isn’t) a Reaper-ised Thresher Maw. There is also a kind of gigantic alien jellyfish on offer. Whether these large-scale boss bottles will be a regular occurrence has yet to be seen; Mass Effect 3 was heavily criticised for not featuring any real boss battles like the one at the end of Mass Effect 2, so it would make sense.

Elsewhere in the trailer, we see desert landscapes – complete with an ugly, nasty looking quadrupedal enemy – and an ice planet in the grip of a snowstorm, a solitary building visible in the distance. With the Helios system rumoured to be even larger than the entire Milky Way map from ME3, we’re probably going to be able to explore a wide range of locations and climates.

Shortly before the release of the new trailer, Caroline Livingstone, voice over director and producer at Bioware, announced via her Twitter that the Ryder siblings would be voiced by Tom Taylorson, who voiced Octodad in Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and Fryda Wolff, who has lent her voice to games such as Fallout 4 and Technomancer.

With a few hours left until the end of N7 Day, fans are hoping for a little more news to tide them over until the game releases in March next year.