It’s been almost 17 years sinceMass Effectfirst hit store shelves, and it’s still one of the most beloved Sci-Fi franchises in gaming. But withMass Effect: Andromedaleaving the series on a sour note, fans are desperate for another entry to come along and redeem the franchise.Mass Effect 4was officially announced all the way back in December 2020, and since then, virtually nothing has been revealed about the game.
Despite being announced two years after it,Dragon Age: The Veilguardis beatingMass Effect 4to the punch, with it dropping in just a few weeks. This likely means thatMass Effect 4is still a little ways off. But there’sa different kind ofMass Effectgameon the horizon that might fill the void, and it should appeal to fans of both the series and tabletop RPGs.
Mass Effect and Board Game Fans Should Keep an Eye on Mass Effect - Priority: Hagalaz
Mass Effect - Priority: Hagalaz Explained
Designed by Eric M. Lang and Calvin Wong Tze Loon, and produced by Modiphius,Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalazis a 1-4 player co-op, story-driven tabletop game. This tabletop game seeks to replicate the action-RPG formula found in theMass Effecttrilogy, putting players inthe role of Commander Shepardonce again, this time as they explore a crashed Cerberus ship on the stormy planet of Hagalaz.
As Shepard, players can recruit a squad of iconic heroes, such asGarrus, Wrex, Liara, and Tali, all of whom have their own respective miniature figures in the game’s core set. Defeating enemies and completing objectives will reward the player and their teammates with new abilities, allowing players to gradually create the Shepard build they desire, fitting into series archetypes like Sentinel, Soldier, Vanguard, and Adept. Players can even embark on optional Loyalty Missions for their companions.
Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalazalso features a branching narrative that tries to imitatetheMass Effecttrilogy’s choice-based story. Players will be able to make certain decisions that affect the story both immediately and later down the line, including Paragon and Renegade decisions that affect an in-game stat called “War Readiness.”
Mass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalazis currently set for release in October. The game’s core set includes several rules and story books, a campaign map board, six miniatures, a wealth of dice and tokens, and some enemy tokens. This core set should retail for $50, and if players are keen, they can pick up a range of additional miniatures that depict the tabletop game’s enemies.
Mass Effect - Priority: Hagalaz Looks Like a Dense Tabletop Game
While the concept behindMass Effect: The Board Game - Priority: Hagalazis a great one, the game itself looks like it could be a tad complex, especially for those who are new to story-driven,co-op tabletop RPGs. On top of the thick rulebook,Priority: Hagalazalso comes with a chunky narrative text book and a separate mission book. All of these are accompanied by some very detailed and dense squadmate character sheets. That being said, early reviews forMass Effect - Priority: Hagalazhave been fairly positive overall, with many outlets citing the game’s replayability and its campaigns' shorter length as big advantages in the tabletop scene.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
WHERE TO PLAY
One person is all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat it’s ever faced. Relive the legend of Commander Shepard in the highly acclaimed Mass Effect trilogy with the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. Includes single-player base content and over 40 DLC from Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3 games, including promo weapons, armors and packs — remastered and optimized for 4K Ultra HD. Experience an amazingly rich and detailed universe where your decisions have profound consequences on the action and the outcome.
