Mass Effect Andromeda
Mass Effect Andromeda is the first video game I played through, and as such holds a special place in my heart. Also, I like it a lot and ever since I finished it (which was about 2021), I can't stop thinking about the worldbuilding because there's so much to explore.
But what's it about?
A short overview
A spin-off of the Mass Effect Trilogy, this game is an exploration adventure set in the Andromeda galaxy. Our protagonist is a young person who's put into a leadership role by unforseen circumstances and has to save the fate of the Andromeda Initiative with the help of a crew they assemble. They happen across a war between the Angara, the species native to that part of the galaxy, and the Kett, a species who invades them. You ally with the Angara against the Kett.
What I love about it
While there are many things I see critically about this game (e.g. like any game I know with combat mechanics: the casual disregard for life, and what it means to kill, or the 'hero comes to a foreign place and saves the people there from their enemy' aspect), I love how vivid the world feels. I love the planets, and the mystery it creates around the place: what happened there in the past, and how does that influence the people living there in the present. I do like the characters as an ensemble, but mostly in relation to the role they play in this world.
What's my fannish interest
Ever since finishing the game, I felt like the game was the first part of a trilogy, structure-wise. Only that part 2 and 3 were never made. The story arc of the game sets up an enemy that can't be defeated within the scope of the game, the invasion is ongoing. You only get to deal it a heavy blow by defeating their general. Also, the story opens up some mysteries about the past that are never fully answered, just hinted at. They all might be connected, and I thought of a way they could be - a piece of worldbuilding that would link the mysteries of the past to the things happening in the present. I've thought of all the worldbuilding, and I would kind of like to write a story about it. I've been sitting on it for a few years now, because the prospect of writing a story of such a scale is intimidating. But still, I want to.