Electronic Arts recently made the decision to put the Mass Effect franchise – one of its most acclaimed series from legendary developer BioWare – on the back-burner following the massive disappointment that was Mass Effect: Andromeda. The game launched with a litany of bugs, a confusing user interface, unlikeable characters, and a story that failed to match the original trilogy of games; but all of these problems would be easier to overlook if Andromeda were actually fun to play. As simple and silly as it might sound, by forgetting how much the average player values simple enjoyment in addition to a great story or challenging themes, BioWare ultimately forgot what made players so willing to ingest the original trilogy’s most serious content in the first place.

Though, a game's purpose certainly varies from game to game and between genres, and I don’t wish to imply that something like What Remains of Edith Finch is meant to be “fun”. In the majority of big-budget AAA games, the story in a game serves as the “plate.” The gameplay and action, meanwhile, is the “food”; without food, a plate would lack much purpose. In the case of the original Mass Effect trilogy, the two parts worked in unison, giving players compelling and entertaining reasons to go forth and blast away at hostile targets while also exciting them for the next bit of story they’d receive afterwards. It made the most stressful missions feel crucial, and knowing that surprising twists in the story would inevitably lead to creative missions that made every narrative thread and line of dialogues more important.

BioWare seemed to have forgotten this design approach with Andromeda, as they buried much of its characterization and world-building inside repetitive fetch quests and meandering conversations. Those quests and dialogues certainly gave players more context for their actions, but didn’t deliver the adrenaline and excitement we expect from a galaxy-hopping science-fiction adventure. When Andromeda does finally drop you into the action to defend an ancient temple against an alien attack or rush to activate a mysterious terraforming structure, we’re able to see the game’s cast of characters fighting alongside each other and making quick decisions that have large ramifications. When not confined to the quiet hallways of the Tempest spaceship, the struggles and stress each squad member experiences are on full display during these moments; but before we have a chance to breathe and just enjoy the game’s third-person shooting and biotic powers for a few minutes, it’s already over - and we’re back to long-winded conversations that tell too much while showing far too little.

Guerilla Games’ Horizon: Zero Dawn, which is thematically very similar to Mass Effect: Andromeda, avoided this trap by putting its action front-and-center for almost the entire game. Story could ultimately be told as the player explored, with other characters often accompanying protagonist Aloy to discuss motivations and the struggles they face in the game’s post-apocalyptic earth. Each battle against a new robotic beast took on extreme importance, with Aloy racing against the clock to reverse a scourge that could lead to mankind’s extinction. But the whole scenario, once you take a step back, is profoundly silly. It’s meant to be enjoyed. Stressful as it might be, attacking enormous robotic dinosaurs that can breathe fire isn’t something you can do without a smile on your face, even if the world is coming to an end. The plotlines and performances in Horizon: Zero Dawn are well-written, but they still serve as the “plate” for the game’s action, giving narrative explanations for why Aloy would have to climb a mechanical brontosaurus and activate its global positioning system. Guerilla didn't build its gameplay around a science-fiction story, but instead used the plot to give justification for its best action moments.

Even stories that would be seen as “bad” in other passive media can serve their purpose perfectly in video games, because they serve as a conduit for exciting missions and big set pieces. MachineGames’ Wolfenstein: The New Order’s script reads, if on paper, like a script of direct-to-video B-movie that will be shown in reruns on the SyFy network. Nazis building space weaponry, robotic dogs, and a soldier’s brain living inside of a jar aren’t exactly subtle ideas that approach the horrors of war with much nuance, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t a blast to shoot up Nazis in zero gravity. Id’s Doom reboot had similar success with a story that only told players the bare minimum they needed before sending them into the depths of Hell to destroy demons. It’s one of the reasons the previous game, Doom 3, wasn’t greeted with an enthusiastic reception. Doom 3 felt the need to explain itself when players clearly didn’t need an explanation. You fight demons, and for anything else, In the words of rebooted Doom's creative director Hugo Martin, “Who cares?”

Perhaps this is why Mass Effect: Andromeda’s failures are so noticeable. So intent on telling its super-serious tale of humanity’s search for a new home, the game rarely stops to take a step back and examine how its story could be used for old-fashioned fun. I found myself clamoring for a chance to fight the Kett and robotic Remnant armies whenever the game sent me out into a new area to complete a mission. Instead, every time the game instead decided to have me run between my ship and space station to solve a petty dispute between two characters, I couldn’t help but think about all the exciting missions I wasn’t currently doing.

Video games don’t always have to be fun. Some of the most impactful, memorable releases in the last few years were successful without ever letting players really enjoy themselves. But when you’re fighting off a scourge of mysterious aliens or are destroying demons summoned through a hellish portal on Mars, perhaps it’s best to do so with a smile on your face. Interspersing moments of intense excitement and joy with solemn and serious storytelling isn’t impossible in video games, especially when you can easily spend over a hundred hours in some of them. At the end of the day, however, even if players don’t fully take away your message, “I had fun” is one of the highest compliments a game can receive.

Disclaimer : The following article was written freely based on the author's opinion, and it may not necessarily represent Inven Global's editorial stance.