Why Mass Effect May Never Have Another ‘Suicide Mission’ Again

Highlights

• Mass Effect 2’s Suicide Mission sets a high bar that future games may struggle to meet with player-driven narrative style.
• Anticipation for Mass Effect 4 grows, yet there’s a risk of not surpassing the high-stakes moments set by Mass Effect 2.
• Player choices in Mass Effect 2’s Suicide Mission have far-reaching consequences, reshaping the story in Mass Effect 3.

Out of the many memorable and era-defining moments seen throughout the Mass Effect series, Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission might have set too high a bar that future games in the series may never meet. Following the release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in 2021, players both new to the series and returning fans could experience Mass Effect 2’s infamous Suicide Mission, a climactic finale that pushed BioWare’s player-driven narrative style to its limit. Though it isn’t the only player-made choice with ramifications for later games, the arguably brutal scale and long-lived reputation of Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission has unquestionably set a precedent for the series.

With anticipation building around Mass Effect 4 and fans hopeful for a return to form following Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s mixed reception, there is still an underlying risk that neither the upcoming game nor any others in the series can accomplish what Mass Effect 2 did. Given that Mass Effect‘s fans are now primed to expect high-stake Suicide Mission-like moments and BioWare faces the challenge of trying to meet or surpass those expectations, it might not be possible to recapture the magic of the original trilogy. However, this shouldn’t rule out the potential for Mass Effect 4 with a surprise twist for players.

Mass Effect 2 Put Everything Into its Suicide Mission Finale

After more than a decade since Mass Effect 2‘s original release and two more games in the series, the Suicide Mission remains one of Mass Effect‘s tensest and darkest finales, owing to how far-reaching the player’s decisions can be both before and during this level. For instance, even before heading into Mass Effect 2‘s endgame, a sweeping range of player choices can lead to the permanent death of key characters, such as waiting to rescue the abducted crew or failing to upgrade the ship. Below is a list of potential outcomes caused by the small but critical details during Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission.

• Without obtaining the Normandy’s upgrades from Jacob, Garrus, and Tali, one squad mate is killed for each missing upgrade.
• Delaying the Suicide Mission will result in the death of some or all of the Normandy’s crew.
• Choosing disloyal or unqualified squad mates as Fire Team Leaders, Vent or Biotic Specialists, and crew escorts may result in several deaths.

Mass Effect 2’s Ending Reshapes Mass Effect 3’s Story

While there are many other times Mass Effect is unforgiving with character permadeaths, the unique combination of Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission’s stressful decision-making and the eventual consequences seen in Mass Effect 3 puts it in a position other games might not be able to achieve. For example, if certain squad mates are killed during Mass Effect 2, their deaths will impact the outcomes of several of Mass Effect 3‘s stories, such as the potential peace between the Quarians and Geth. With every former squad mate missing in Mass Effect 3, players will miss resolving their respective story arcs from previous games.

Mass Effect 2’s Ending Hit The Trilogy’s Sweet Spot Hard

Moreover, the weight of the player’s decisions during Mass Effect 2‘s Suicide Mission is arguably more pronounced due to the impact it could have on its most well-established characters, such as Garrus and Tali introduced in the first game. Putting characters like these who the player has bonded with at risk due to their own decision-making deepens their loss, especially as they move into the trilogy’s final game. Now with Mass Effect 4 picking up where Mass Effect 3 ended, unless BioWare is prepared to kill off any surviving classic characters, it may be some time yet until players face another Suicide Mission-like moment.