Sept. 7 was a huge day for game news, with Super Mario Runner revealed for iOS and Sony debuting both the PlayStation 4 Slim and the PlayStation 4 Pro. During the PS4 Pro event, EA dropped an unexpected bombshell of its own — the first real gameplay footage of the long-awaited Mass Effect: Andromeda. Not only that, but we were introduced to the Mass Effect Andromeda hero, Ryder (or at least the male version). Take a look at the lengthy 4K debut on PS4 Pro.
Mass Effect fans have seen so many teases for the fourth entry that some wondered if they’d ever see Mass Effect: Andromeda gameplay, or if the title had been delayed once more. But this gave us our first look at Andromeda’s Hero, along with their name. Ryder is what the female or male hero goes by — we saw male Ryder at the PS4 reveal. Ryder certainly fits the descriptive naming convention of Shepard, no?
And as would be revealed later, the male Ryder in the PS4 Pro is actually the brother of the female Ryder that we first saw in the E3 demo earlier this year. You play the game as both the brother and sister, a big divergence from BioWare’s traditional single hero setup. Now you’ll play as both, with one sibling having adventures off-screen while you’re playing as the other one.
BioWare’s Mac Walters also confirmed that the Ryder family is bigger than just the brother and sister. In the late 2015 trailer of the game, we saw their father in the battle armor. So it looks like Mass Effect: Andromeda is going to be a real family affair.
The PS4 Pro demo showed off brother Ryder exploring a vast environment full of shiny surfaces and modular panels popping up everywhere. The important voice speaking to Ryder mentions that he’s searching this cavernous facility for information and that Ryder best look out for Remnants, which appear to be new enemies in the game. These robotic enemies have certain similarities to the Geth from the original Mass Effect trilogy.
Ryder does some jetpack-assisted hopping to an alien console, which activates a cutscene. There we see male Ryder with his helmet off, while his two companions appear as well. One keeps their face obscured, but the other reveals themselves to be a new Asari companion. Her design is pretty sweet, particularly the eyes that remind one of Pris from Blade Runner.
The brief footage comes to an explosive end just as the trio are caught, and we’re told that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be made to take advantage of all the new tech inside the PS4 Pro. Though for the frame conscious players out there, BioWare did confirm that Andromeda will run at 30 fps on the PS4 Pro. The game is still planned for early 2017, and according to the official Twitter, we’ll be hearing more about the title on N7 day, Nov. 7, 2016.