Mass Effect Legendary Edition has set a May 14 release date, developer BioWare announced Tuesday in a reveal trailer for the long-anticipated 4K remaster of the original Mass Effect trilogy. It’ll cost Rs. 3,999 in India and $60 in the US, and will be available on PC (EA Play/Origin and Steam), PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Pre-orders are now open. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will also be playable on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X, with next-gen consoles receiving “targeted enhancements” of their own. The 4K HDR remaster includes single-player content from 2007’s Mass Effect, 2010’s Mass Effect 2, and 2012’s Mass Effect 3, alongside more than 40 downloadable content (DLC) story, weapon, and armour packs.
BioWare is touting three major things for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. That starts with the three Mass Effect games now rendered in 4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR (high-dynamic-range) imaging. Character models, textures, shaders, and VFX have all been remastered. The original Mass Effect trilogy now also offers depth-of-field, alongside better lighting, shadows, and volumetrics. Mass Effect Legendary Edition will offer a smooth 60fps experience on the PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4 Pro, and Xbox One X, BioWare revealed, with next-gen consoles also benefiting from reduced load times. The PC version will support high refresh rate and 21:9 widescreen monitors.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition will also come with a universal character creator across all three games. You’ve more choices when picking your character’s hair style, skin tone, and make-up. Lastly, Mass Effect 3’s female Shepard is available as the default female Shepard across the trilogy, though BioWare didn’t say if it brought back actress Jennifer Hale to do additional voice work.
The oldest of the lot — 2007’s Mass Effect — is getting improvements of its own. Combat and exploration have been brought up to speed; that includes the aiming and camera departments, squad controls and how they behave on the battlefield, and the handling of the six-wheeled vehicle Mako. Additionally, there is added detail in locations such as Eden Prime, Ilos, and Feros as part of what BioWare labels “comprehensive world-building enhancements.” The Mass Effect UI has also been updated.
“It’s been an incredible journey revisiting the stories, characters and iconic moments of the Mass Effect trilogy, enhancing the experience for modern platforms while staying true to the spirit of the original,” Mass Effect Legendary Edition project director and the original trilogy’s lead writer Mac Walters said in a prepared statement. “Remastering a game, let alone three, is a huge undertaking as there’s over 100 hours of gameplay included, but we wanted to do this for our fans as well as a new generation of gamers looking to jump into the iconic story of Shepard.”
Mass Effect vs. Mass Effect Legendary Edition comparison
The Mako on Feros in the original Mass Effect trilogy
Photo Credit: EA/BioWare
The Mako on Feros in Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Photo Credit: EA/BioWare
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is out May 14 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. It will also be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X via backward compatibility. You can now pre-order Mass Effect Legendary Edition, starting at Rs. 3,999 / $60. EA Play / Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members get 10 percent discount on Origin / Microsoft Store, respectively.