Fans of BioWare’s science fiction series and CD Projekt Red’s ambitious FPS title have lots to look forward to with the impendingCyberpunk 2077: Phantom LibertyDLC and the upcomingMass Effect 4. Both properties have gone through some difficult periods with their fans, withCyberpunk 2077having a particularly tumultuous patch after it first launched.Mass Effect: Andromedahad a few hiccups as well after its release, but players are still excited aboutMass Effect 4as they welcome a new phase for the franchise.
What both developers will have to keep in mind is how the branching narratives of the previous entries can be continued into their next chapters. WithRPGs like CD Projekt Red’sCyberpunk 2077, giving the players choice when it comes to shaping their own story is a large part of how the game can play out. While this makes for a more hands-on experience, it does mean slotting in sequels and major story-focused DLCs can be difficult. TheMass Effectseries doesn’t offer gamers quite as much freedom within its more established main character, but the multiple endings can cause issues forMass Effect 4’s own narrative.
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The State Of Mass Effect And Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077may only have come out in 2020, but it’s already had a rollercoaster of a lifespan. From a buggy launch to months of work behind the scenes to get the game up to scratch,Cyberpunk 2077has managed to change its trajectory and get its fans back on board. There was some disappointment within the player base when it was revealed thatPhantom Libertywill be the only major expansion ahead of its work-in-progress sequel, but the DLC is still promising a thrilling experience filled with new locations and characters. WhilePhantom Libertyis yet to release, gamers who finishedCyberpunk 2077know that there were a number of ways the main game could pan out onceV and Johnny Silverhand’s journeycame to an end.
TheMass Effectseries is in a similar position.Mass Effect: Andromedatook the story in a very different direction when it moved the action to the Andromeda Galaxy, and while this didn’t launch a new phase of the franchise the way the developer might have hoped, the fourth installment will still be involved in some way in the next game. However, from the scant details revealed aboutMass Effect 4so far, it seems like the original trilogy and the Milky Way could be the main focus. This brings in questions around canonicity, and which ending for the monumental culmination of the first three games will be carried forward intoMass Effect 4, along with a multitude of player choices.
Mass Effect And Cyberpunk 2077’s Next Chapters
Phantom Libertymay be opening up more parts of Night City and bringing new characters into the mix like Idris Elba’s Solomon Reed, but as there will be a prominent narrative aspect to the expansion, it seems very likely it will need to deal with the various ways the story of the main game can shake out. Depending on their choices, relationships, and the final decision, the player’s V can end in very different places atthe end ofCyberpunk 2077.Phantom Libertymay need to make some decisions when it comes to canonizing what choices gamers have made to present a coherent story, and this could affect the sequel as well.
Mass Effect 4has a lot more history to sort through when it comes to continuing the story from the previous games. AlthoughMass Effect 3will end with a resolution to the Reaper threat in one way or another, there are many different things that players have a hand in like the morality of their protagonist, the solution to theconflict between the Geth and Quarians, and even what Shepard’s victory looks like. While some choices seem to have been made canon,Mass Effect 4will need to see where it stands and what decisions it will need to bring forward in the same wayPhantom Libertywill need to assess its own place in theCyberpunk 2077narrative.
Cyberpunk 2077is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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