As the title reads, I am wondering if anyone else have noticed the inconclusiveness about the rachni?
Rachni in Mass Effect 1 & 2
Mass Effect 1
It was already in the first game established by the fact that the rachni were a very capable race, competent enough to quickly establish a colony, settlement, achieving spaceflight ect.
When Shepard chooses to save the rachni we(at least I did), I get a feeling of forgiveness for the rachni, and a hope for a future ally in the fight against the reapers.
If I remember correctly, the queen also states that the rachni will enter the galactic scene when the galaxy is ready for the return of the rachni(this might have been stated in ME2, but that is in this case irrelevant).
Mass Effect 2
In Mass Effect 2 this fact that the rachni are developing becomes a reality, as we can hear from the news that there has been spotted small scouting vessels resembling "ancient rachni profiles". In other words, this indicates that they have become capable of creating ships and have acheived spaceflight.
The encounter with the asari helping the rachni in Mass Effect 2 gives us even more information about the current status of the rachni. We learn that the rachni have progressed in their capabilities and are among other things building an army and preparing for the future reaper invasion.
- They have progressed extensively to the point of being available to create ships and having a sustainable colony.- As I mentioned - they are capable of building ships. In other words, they are mastering spaceflight. This also means that they are not mindless creatures, as spaceflight requires extensive technology.
- They are creating and army to fight the reapers(in contrary to most other races, they are actually preparing for the reapers)
Also worth mentioning, is that you can choose to consider the rachni an ally, and thereby aiming little to zero hostility towards them.
Also stated in the codex: a rachni queen can lay an egg every few hours, and resulting in an entire colony within days. In other words: they can quickly build a civilization.
Mass Effect 3
In Mass Effect 3, this road of logical conclusions seems all but forgotten.
- Where is the rachni army that were spoken of?
- How did the rachni queen, who were preparing for the reapers, manage to get captured? They are a highly evolved species mastering advanced technology aware of a threath that all other
- How did a race that are mastering spaceflight manage to get captured and enslaved by the reapers? This especially since no-one(not even the asari on Illium knew) knew where they had their base of operation.
There are also an anger aimed towards the rachni I do not understand. Why is Shepard this angry? In the earlier games we had the choice to be angry/pleased on behalf of the rachni. Here we have all but aggression aimed towards them. Personally, I was sitting there and thinking "heck, didn't we become friends of some sorts on Noveria?". If I recall right, there was never any notion of telling the rachni to disappear in ME1 nor ME2, merely reconciliation. There was rather the feeling that they were preparing for returning to the galactic society.
Conclusion
After a build up expectations in the earlier titles, it seems Mass Effect 3 does not follow up these, and leave us wondering "what actually happened to the rachni?". And when we keep in mind that they have achieved spaceflight, ME3 makes no sense. In the earlier titles there were a huge build-up that these creatures will prove capable in battle to aid Shepard and the galaxy against the reapers. And considering the themes of Mass Effect, I think it would be natural or at least interesting to see the rachni entering the grand political stage of the galaxy.
There is also a lack of choice. The anger pointed towards the rachni do not count for earlier reactions in ME1 nor ME2. Why are Shepard this angry contra asking to help an old ally? It does not make any sense.
Thoughts and Suggestions
I think that a lot of this could be solved by throwing in a DLC, explaining or expanding the reasons for the rachni capture. Or perhaps, helping the queen retake, get back or building up whatever she were doing. As I mentioned in the earlier paragraph, seeing the rachni entering the grand political stage would be really interesting.
Another thing I also feel this is pointing towards, is the fact that player decisions are somewhat downplayed or reduced in ME3. Examples of this is for instance the decision about the collector base. Awful little happens whether you destroy or preserve the base.
Understand me right, I believe the Mass Effect series to be one of the best(if not the best I've ever played). BioWare have proven themselves more than capable of making good games, and I respect them for that. Keep up the good work. The reason I am bringing up this critique is to notify BioWare and see if other players feel the same, I know I did.
Modifié par Gherzahn, 06 avril 2012 - 07:45 .
Retour en haut
