Mass Effect: Andromeda Has Over 1,200 Speaking Characters

BioWare's next big RPG, Mass Effect: Andromeda, has considerably more speaking characters than Mass Effect 3, it's been revealed. Lead writer Mac Walters revealed this during PAX East, saying Andromeda has "over 1,200" speaking characters" compared to around 670 in Mass Effect 3.

"When you look at the dialogue options, we're basically [at] the equivalent of Mass Effect 2 and 3 put together," he said, according to PC Gamer.

Producer Michael Gamble told PC Gamer that not only does Andromeda have more characters, but "the amount of stuff you and that character can talk about is also larger--especially the squad."

"We made sure the squad was beefy, and developed, and that you could do different things with them and then that information would basically carry through the conversations," he explained. "That was a large focus."

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Pressed for more details on the 1,200 number, Gamble said these are not as low-level as shopkeepers, but instead "one step above that."

Players can encounter new characters in Andromeda by scoring "Andromeda Viability" points, which let you wake up colonists. Additionally, planets have Viability levels, and when this is high enough, you can create an outpost. This in turn unlocks new areas that feature more people to encounter.

Andromeda is almost here. The long-awaited game officially arrives on March 21, though Xbox One and PC players with an EA/Origin Access membership can play a 10-hour trial starting on March 16.

For more on Andromeda, check out GameSpot's hands-on impressions of the multiplayer mode. You can also get a sneak peek of the game's strategy guide here and watch the launch trailer above.

Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on Andromeda as part of our new video series. Here's a teaser: