Mass Effect 2 took a bold approach, but it didn't spark a revolution

Today, January 26, 2025, Mass Effect 2 is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Below, we take a look back at its unique plot structure and why other developers haven't picked up its torch.

Most role-playing games are similar to fantasy or science fiction. The cross-continental journey of Final Fantasy X or Dragon Age: Origins feels similar to The Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time. Even a sandbox game like Baldur's Gate 3 relies on a linear series of events, which is the key to breaking the rules in fantasy novels. Mass Effect 2 is a stark contrast, mimicking the style of a season of the TV series. I'm not the first person to make this comparisonbut even fifteen years after the RPG's release, ME2's structure remains compelling. This format helped ME2 rise to the top of many lists of the greatest games. It remains the most popular entry in the series, beating out its incomplete and controversial siblings. However, without the freshness of the first experience, ME2 feels more like a brave first attempt at something new rather than the pinnacle of the form.

All in all, the protagonist Shepard is tasked with recruiting 12 party members to accompany him on a “suicide mission.” Aside from a few main missions, much of ME2's running time is concerned with recruiting these characters and helping them solve their personal problems. The main plot of ME2 is ultimately irrelevant to the broader plot of the trilogy. Instead, the game's series of one-off missions steal the show, making ME2 more character-focused than its peers. One might say that the three acts of Baldur's Gate 3, or the central area of ​​Dragon Age: Origins, have a plot structure. But every mission in ME2 is essentially an episode of a TV show. Most are completely self-contained, and few are related to the main plot in any meaningful way. They behave like individual episodes of a TV show. The game is a serious attempt to bring the long-term, day-to-day dynamics of classic Star Trek into a large-scale role-playing game.

In theory, this gives the character space to relax, take up space, and show off its complexity and shading. Sometimes it even works. Assassin Thane is a clear highlight – this cliche character is given weight and grace through careful writing and some fascinating alien touches.

The problem is overall. Mass Effect 2's focus on a single character makes for some remarkable moments, but it also means there's little room for team members to get to know and react to each other. To be fair, this is a problem that a lot of RPGs have. Because you're constantly swapping companion characters, leaving the remaining characters in “camp,” this means you're almost guaranteed no time with any single character, and even less time with any pair or trio in your party. Interaction within peers is limited to banter or brief reactions. Conflicts between party members cannot advance the plot because there is no guarantee that any individual party member will be present at any time. (Final Fantasy solved this problem years ago by assuming every party member was present in cutscenes but limiting combat to a limited number).

Mass Effect 2 exemplifies this problem in some novel ways. Each of the 12 team members in the game is only guaranteed to participate in two missions. DLC characters such as Kasumi Goto and Zaid Masani can only get one. This means that party membership must be broad, charismatic, and identifiable. Most of the cast are archetypes that are recognized but rarely elaborated on: the traumatized punk with a heart of gold (Jake), the neurotic, autistic scientist (Modin), the troubled, self-sacrificing warrior (Samara). Returning companions Tali, Garrus, and especially Liara avert this to some extent (the Liara-centric DLC Shadow Broker Lair may be the quality stories that work best). But Tali and Garrus' mission differs from the first game's arc. How does Tully relate to her culture and family? Should Garrus indulge his vengeful instincts? Neither mission pushes either character to where they are already.

To give credit where it's due, ME2 does try to focus on character conflict. Opposition members like Jack and Miranda (who work for the company where Jack does his experiments) experience a confrontational moment. However, these are isolated scenarios that are easily defused with a Persuasion check. ME2 is not structured in a way that allows these conflicts to explode in dramatic moments or become sore points that resurface during multiple missions. While individual characters can experience growth and change, the overall character itself must remain consistent. The only relationships that can develop, at least in a serious and meaningful way, are between party members and players. Even the suicide mission, which involves all 12 party members, focuses on individual character choices. The overall growth and its own development are the defining factors of most great television shows. ME2 can only manage a few gestures.

Despite my many complaints, ME2 does take advantage of its format at times. The episodic structure allows for a wider variety of scenarios than the hub world of the first game and the military theater of the third game. While the game's overall plot is weaker, its individual moments are still focused, allowing for both high- and low-stakes missions, from rescuing a missing sister to saving a son from his father's sins. This gives the game an emotional character, so when the stakes of a suicide mission become higher, your heart will be more concerned with the personal lives of your crewmates than anything else.

Despite these advantages, no game has truly taken up Mass Effect 2's mantle. Role-playing games like Pentiment, Disco Elysium, and Citizen Sleeper innovated the format in completely different ways. “Dragon Age: Veiled Keeper” borrows the concept of “suicide mission” and ends with a grand scene, but abandons more plot elements from ME2. Retro isometric games like Pillars of Eternity and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous attempt to translate the spread of tabletop campaigns into video game form. Even episodic games like Life is Strange draw more from miniseries than sci-fi TV epics. While Mass Effect 2 is beloved, its impact isn't huge.

Fifteen years later, Mass Effect 2 best demonstrates the promise. While it's hardly an experimental game, it tries something new and successful in its genre space, but the void it leaves behind is tantalizing. One wonders what a similar game with a smaller cast, a greater focus on character conflict, and a relentless commitment to episodic storytelling would deliver. Its potential has yet to be realized.