Thank the Stars
Bioware has not given up on Mass Effect Andromeda and will be going where no Mass Effect patches have gone before: adding a gay romance option for Scott Ryder. While I haven’t gotten a chance to sit down to play this one, our review has been positive on the game despite the now-infamous early awkward facial animations. That said, I have heard an outpouring of love for one particular character: Jaal Ama Darav, whose species, the angara, make their debut in this game and will be one of the major changes in Patch 1.08.
One disappointment about the game was that data miners discovered that Jaal was available as a male romance option for male Ryders, but it was taken out when the game was released. Jaal was still romanceable, but only as a female Ryder. Thus, Bioware has listened to the feedback and decided to change this after heavy consideration and discussions with LGBTQ community. Here’s their explanation on the reason for the change that will be featured in the upcoming patch 1.08:
Scott Ryder did not have a same-sex squadmate available as a romance option, nor could the achievement for completing three romances be achieved with only male same-sex partners. And as the angara have expressed their fluidity in how they perceive gender, it seemed only natural that Scott could have a relationship with Jaal.
However, we understand that a character’s orientation is an important part of what makes them feel real. The relationships with your crew are some of the most loved and cherished parts of our games, so we wanted to make sure we got it right. We consulted with members of the LGBTQ community, both externally and within our own studios. After carefully considering all feedback, we decided this was an important change to make, and one that made sense for Jaal, Scott, and the angara.
Our writing, editing, and animation teams worked together to ensure this change made sense for Jaal’s character, and the result is a relationship we hope feels as fulfilling and memorable for Scott as it does for Sara.
Besides that, Patch 1.08 will bring plenty of other upgrades too such as more options for the character creator. For more information on the rest of the notes, check out the source link below.