Bioware and Electronic Arts have released a brand new teaser trailer for "Mass Effect: Andromeda," labeled as the "Andromeda Initiative" trailer. The video clip is short but it gives several major clues regarding the setting and characters of the new sci-fi video game.
The narration opens with a character walking on the Moon, looking at planet Earth. The narrator then begins to speak, first pointing out that while Earth is where humanity began and the place humans call home, the time has come for people to look beyond the Milky Way.
"The time has come to prepare ourselves for a future beyond the Milky Way; a future that begins 600 years from where we stand, in a time and a place among unknown stars and unseen dangers," reads the rest of the narration.
According to creative director Mac Walters via Twitter, the narrator is, in fact, the father of the main characters. The female also shown in the trailer is not the main characters' mother but is hinted to be an important NPC in the story.
It is also reiterated in a report by Gamespot that there are two main characters but both have the last name Ryder given they are siblings. If the player chooses to play the male Ryder then the female is still out in the galaxy doing her own missions, and the same can be said if the player opts to play as the female Ryder.
The most intriguing aspect, however, is that the trailer mentions the 600-year timeline. It is unknown, however, if this means "Mass Effect: Andromeda" takes place 600 years after the events of "Mass Effect 3" or if it is 600 years after humans began traveling in deep space.
It is hinted that the former is the accurate timeline. The game may start just a few years after "Mass Effect 3," but given how far the Andromeda Galaxy is from the Milky Way there might be a 600-year gap due to the distances traveled.
"Mass Effect: Andromeda" launches no later than March 2017.
