The Ryder's Arc in Mass Effect Andromda
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 2:38 am
So, I was going over the Tapestry at Mass Effect Archive along with the tapestry at Dragon Age Keep and I noticed something interesting about Ryder vs. other BioWare protagonists. Of all the Protagonists in BioWare the Ryder siblings are the only ones with a personal arc in the game. To show what I mean in Dragon Age with the Warden and Hawke your most notable choices outside of gender and race is whether or not your warden is alive or dead and what sort of personality Hawke has. And over on Mass Effect you have the option of whether Shepard is Paragon or Renegade.
The Ryder's honestly have the usual gender but also whether you have a close or distant relationship with your sibling, if you found your mother's cryopod and if you found all of your father's memory fragments. This is all a lot more personal then other BioWare protagonists as while there maybe some elements of your personal life that you are allowed to explore for the most part it's usually a one and done thing. In Mass Effect 1 you get one bit where you meet someone who has a connection to your past and then once that's done they're never seen or heard from again outside of one or two emails in the next two games.
In DA2 the fate of Hawke's family is decided for and the most you can do is befriend your one remaining sibling before they're taken away and hopefully hand them a decent life once they are taken away. Now I do think that the Hawke family is well written overall and I got a lot more attached to Bethany, Leandra and Gamlen then I did any of the Ryder family but I did like how you had more say in how you shaped the fate of the Ryder family.
There's also Revan and the reveal to their arc but this is something is pretty much resolved right after learning it, you either go and destroy the Star Forge or plan to over throw Malak and it's a major plot point that will decided the fate of several of your companions.
I like how Ryder's arc is disconnected from your squad or the fate of the galaxy giving Ryder something few BioWare protagonists have, a personal character arc, one that is shaped by the player. I mentioned before the idea that we might play as a clone of Shepard and one of the reasons that I'm a little open to that idea because it can be something that could use the personal arc for the player. While the galaxy as a whole would likely have a reaction to the idea of this not being the "Real" Shepard I think it's something that can be used as a more personal story for the player.
And while it would be difficult it could also be done with other BioWare characters. Fans have long been demanding that Dragon Age have returning Origin stories as it gives us more personal investment in our characters. Now imagine the Origin stories with a personal arc during the main story. Like you start the game as an Antivine crow and during the main game you have a arc that is about finding your lost family and this arc is done throughout the main game and you can bring your companions along for the ride.
Again, I think the arc for the Ryder's isn't as good as it could be but I see a LOT of potential here that can depend the story in BioWare's games.
The Ryder's honestly have the usual gender but also whether you have a close or distant relationship with your sibling, if you found your mother's cryopod and if you found all of your father's memory fragments. This is all a lot more personal then other BioWare protagonists as while there maybe some elements of your personal life that you are allowed to explore for the most part it's usually a one and done thing. In Mass Effect 1 you get one bit where you meet someone who has a connection to your past and then once that's done they're never seen or heard from again outside of one or two emails in the next two games.
In DA2 the fate of Hawke's family is decided for and the most you can do is befriend your one remaining sibling before they're taken away and hopefully hand them a decent life once they are taken away. Now I do think that the Hawke family is well written overall and I got a lot more attached to Bethany, Leandra and Gamlen then I did any of the Ryder family but I did like how you had more say in how you shaped the fate of the Ryder family.
There's also Revan and the reveal to their arc but this is something is pretty much resolved right after learning it, you either go and destroy the Star Forge or plan to over throw Malak and it's a major plot point that will decided the fate of several of your companions.
I like how Ryder's arc is disconnected from your squad or the fate of the galaxy giving Ryder something few BioWare protagonists have, a personal character arc, one that is shaped by the player. I mentioned before the idea that we might play as a clone of Shepard and one of the reasons that I'm a little open to that idea because it can be something that could use the personal arc for the player. While the galaxy as a whole would likely have a reaction to the idea of this not being the "Real" Shepard I think it's something that can be used as a more personal story for the player.
And while it would be difficult it could also be done with other BioWare characters. Fans have long been demanding that Dragon Age have returning Origin stories as it gives us more personal investment in our characters. Now imagine the Origin stories with a personal arc during the main story. Like you start the game as an Antivine crow and during the main game you have a arc that is about finding your lost family and this arc is done throughout the main game and you can bring your companions along for the ride.
Again, I think the arc for the Ryder's isn't as good as it could be but I see a LOT of potential here that can depend the story in BioWare's games.