BioWare has teased that a new Mass Effect game is in development, but not much information is available. Given the mixed reception to Mass Effect: Andromeda compared with fondness for the original Mass Effect trilogy, it's a safe bet to assume that the next Mass Effect game will borrow elements from every release up to this point while iterating on previous designs. This raises the question about what planetary exploration will look like in the next entry.
The original game's planet-scouting capabilities were expanded through the introduction of a planet-scanning mini-game in Mass Effect 2 that allowed for minerals and other resources to be harvested, as well as for pieces of lore and hidden locations to be discovered. The mini-game proved to be polarizing, with some enjoying the distraction and resource collection as others hoping for something less mundane. With both Mass Effect 3 and Andromeda shifting away from planet-scanning, Mass Effect 4 is open for the opportunity to either expand upon the system or abandon it entirely.
Planet-Scanning Gamified Space Exploration in Mass Effect 2
Outside planets where players could deploy Mass Effect's Mako and explore, the original title didn't offer much incentive for players to complete the cartography of its galaxy map. Mass Effect 2's planet-scanning gave players an excuse to reach 100-percent completion on each of the star maps to collect every resource, explore every possible outpost, and find every bit of lore in order to build their team to full-strength and have a fighting chance at the final suicide mission. Despite some players not enjoying the mini-game, planet-scanning in Mass Effect 2 had utility and gamified the experience of learning about planets.
Mass Effect 4 could include the largest galaxy map to-date, as well as bring back the planet-scanning mini-game as a means to facilitate holding players' interest in exploring a larger galactic community. There's even an opportunity for BioWare to include a system similar to Monster Hunter World, one where players could send their crew members out on scouting missions, with different crew compositions resulting in greater yield of resources. In this scenario, the initial planet-scanning mini-game would be essential to intelligence gathering before sending out squads.
Mass Effect 4 Will Have the Benefit of Advanced Hardware
The inclusion and later loss of the planet-scanning mini-game was likely a result of pushing an already massive game to its limit. Rather than improve upon the complaints that players had about the mini-game's inclusion in Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3 simply did away with the game and returned to a standard star map. Players were only required to hit a button to scan a planet, and the game did the rest of the work for them. Neither Mass Effect 2 nor 3's approach to planet-scanning would be necessary with the benefit of advanced hardware that could afford opportunities for greater immersion and exploration.
Mass Effect 4 could use the power of current-gen consoles to allow for every single planet in the galaxy to be explorable via a variety of methods - on foot, in vehicle, or through scouting missions. Instead of using the original trilogy's cartographical approach to exploration, players could instead have dozens of unique in-game worlds rife for discovery at their fingertips. With greater technology and more opportunity for advancement, there's little reason for Mass Effect to look backward instead of charting a new course forward.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.