BioWare unveils Mass Effect: Andromeda's new alien race

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They're called the Kett, and they're a little different from what we're used to.

The good folk at Game Informer have revealed the first deatiled look at Mass Effect: Andromeda's alien bad guys, a new race known as the Kett. Art director Joel MacMillan says in the video that BioWare took a different approach to the creation of this race than it did with the ETs of previous games, in order to adequately differentiate them from the Milky Way aliens we're more familiar (and comfortable) with. 

Unlike the "clean, sleek, hard surfaces" seen on the bulk of the races in the Mass Effect trilogy, the Kett have a more "organic" look to their armor and architecture. BioWare went back and forth a bit on just how alien to make them, though. There was some thought given to designing them to be dramatically more alien than the Asari or Turian, but ultimately the decision was made to keep them bidpedal—and clothed, too. ("Definitely the right choice," MacMillan said.)

Even though the Kett will be the antagonists in Mass Effect: Andromeda, it sounds like they aren't all bad: MacMillan said BioWare wants them to be "foreboding, but never to the point of being ugly. You still want to be able to empathize with these guys." Sounds a lot like "Kett crewmember confirmed" to me. 

Mass Effect: Andromeda is currently expected to show up in March 2017. Have you seen the N7 Day trailer? We've already mined it for clues right here. 

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.