Mass Effect Andromeda Patch To Add Gay Romance Options For Jaal

Ah, Jaal. The bright light in the mess of new characters introduced for Mass Effect Andromeda. His awkward mannerisms as he understands other races meant that he was a companion for my Ryder throughout most of the game. He is just the nuts.

If I thought he was ultra nuts, though, I wouldn’t have had the option of seducing him, owing to the lack of LGBT friendly choices for romance in Andromeda. Female Ryders were able to do the sex with him in mildly unsettling nude swimming scenes, but not male Ryders. There was the option once (as discovered in a datamine) but it had been removed during development.

BioWare Montreal (or the four people and a janitor left manning the station after EA gutted the company) are working to introduce gay romance options in an upcoming patch:

“Scott Ryder did not have a same-sex squadmate available as a romance option, nor could the achievement for completing three romances be achieved with only male same-sex partners. And as the angara have expressed their fluidity in how they perceive gender, it seemed only natural that Scott could have a relationship with Jaal.

However, we understand that a character’s orientation is an important part of what makes them feel real. The relationships with your crew are some of the most loved and cherished parts of our games, so we wanted to make sure we got it right. We consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the angara.

Our writing, editing, and animation teams worked together to ensure this change made sense for Jaal’s character, and the result is a relationship we hope feels as fulfilling and memorable for Scott as it does for Sara.”

Okay, cool, but will the sex scene animations be haunting or nearly tastefully done? It’s either one or the other with these guys; there is no middle ground.

In case you didn’t know, Andromeda is the latest game in the Mass Effect series after a long absence. Before and after release, it has been beset by problems and complaints, though they are working on fixing what they can. I gave it a fairly positive review upon release, but just wished it had spent more time cooking in the oven:

“Mass Effect: Andromeda presents a promising fresh start for the franchise that’s held back by a myriad of technical and mechanical problems. It’s a rough diamond that needs more polish, but if you can spare the time to get to its core, you might be pleasantly surprised.”