4 minute read
why i loVe maSS effecT’S ciTadel
Ten years on, it’s time to celebrate videogaming’s greatesthomage to Babylon 5 Alex MeehAn
Publisher Microsoft / DeveloPer Bioware / forMAt XBoX 360 / releAse DAte NoveMBer 2007
right Arthur C Clarke would be happy with this location for a rendezvous with reapers.
For a 13-yearold girl, playing Mass Effect was an incredibly eye-opening experience. Not only was it my first real introduction into the world of RPGs, but it was also the very first time I’d even remotely cared about sci-fi. This is because Mass Effect is one of the most passionate love letters to the genre that’s ever been written (we’re talking steamier than
those infamous James Joyce letters). builds to a huge crescendo, the
It’s a testament to Mass Effect’s shot pulls back to show the sheer accessibility that I was instantly size of the station. It’s a scene enthralled by its vibrantly diverse that completely epitomises all the world. But even among the game’s ambition and wonder behind the many locations, one has always original Mass Effect. remained the concentrated essence Thanks to the game’s carefully of Mass Effect’s very spirit: the Citadel. structured plot, there’s a rarely a dull
A location like the Citadel is an moment spent on the Citadel. Unlike essential ingredient in this particularly many other hub-worlds, the Citadel sumptuous cake of a game. Mass doesn’t really require players to return Effect’s world, with its cultures, themes and conflicts, is the very basis of its appeal, like the layers of a moist chocolate sponge. Just like any good cake, it needs something to bind the separate facets of this world together: like a sweet, edible glue.
What I’m saying is: the Citadel is the buttercream of Mass Effect. And that often. Making a return trip always who doesn’t like buttercream?! feels like more of a voluntary choice,
The location serves as a realistic rather than a necessary chore, way of bringing all the different and usually rewards you with some elements of Mass Effect’s significant advances in plot or world under the same roof. fleshed-out side-quests. This is where players I still have incredibly are freed from the fond memories of constrictions of the discussing religious opening set-piece to philosophy with one explore an entire space very enthusiastic hanar station, chock-full of (that’s a space-jellyfish, interesting people and if you didn’t know), and exciting encounters. It confronting the devious marks the very beginning Nassana Dantius after of your adventure as Shepard; it’s unearthing her dastardly schemes. where you’re given an all-access pass It’s too often the case that open to the stars, the keys to your very own world games include vast and spaceship (the legendary Normandy), impressive locations with nothing to and told: ‘the galaxy is your oyster, do in them, like a pebble beach on the prepare to consume’. east coast of England. No one wants
It certainly helps that the to go to a pebble beach, they want to reveal of the Citadel is such an go to the sandy beaches with donkey unapologetically indulgent moment, rides and ice cream vans. That’s what with the camera lingering on every the Citadel is, a sandy beach in an intricate detail. As the soundtrack ocean of pebbles.
Teleport addicts
Despite its notoriously slow lifts, the Citadel strikes a fine balance between convenience and exploration. Players can instantly teleport to key locations if they’re in a rush, but there is almost always a way to travel on foot, allowing for all kinds of spontaneous occurrences. Having these options is important; it makes the Citadel feel like a real place that’s
inhabited by actual people… err, aliens. The visual language of the different levels also help in building immersion. From the artificial beauty of the looks fAMiliAr Presidium, right the way down Concept art for the Citadel has been appropriated for to the seedy underbelly of Chora’s Den, each location reflects the lives use without the Bioware of the people inhabiting them. It’s team initially knowing it this level of immersion that I feel the several times, including in Marvel’s Agents Of Shield. later iterations of the Citadel – in both Mass Effect 2 & 3 – lacked. The new locations didn’t feel like places people actually lived in anymore, just new areas to find quest-markers and buy space hamsters in. Having replayed the first Mass Effect almost a dozen times over, I’m still surprised at how the Citadel never loses its original lustre. The clunky cover mechanics and texture pop-ins may tarnish my nostalgia goggles a little, but the Citadel will always remain the shining jewel in Mass Effect’s crown. n
ABOVE Okay, so this isn’t in the Citadel, but how could we not include garrus?
