A Quick Recap
Aaah, romance! Next to saving the galaxy in Mass Effect, getting it on with the sentient being that you have a cyber-crush on is one of the most significant aspects of the game. It’s much more interesting than telling random strangers what sort of gene therapy a fetus should get. There are plenty of opportunities for love across the series, or just getting it on. Players have the choice to remain faithful to their significant other from the first game, or they can have a different lover in each game along with a little bit on the side.
The first game lets Male-Shep romance Liara T’soni or Ashley Williams, and Fem-Shep can romance Liara or Kaidan Alenko. Sha'ira the Consort on the Presidium is available as a nice little diversion early on before the real romance starts, so long as you finish her side quest.
The first game lets Male-Shep romance Liara T’soni or Ashley Williams, and Fem-Shep can romance Liara or Kaidan Alenko. Sha'ira the Consort on the Presidium is available as a nice little diversion early on before the real romance starts, so long as you finish her side quest.
The second game introduces a whole new cast of characters, along with the return of Garrus Vakarian and Tali’Zorah who are now open to dating outside their species. The player can remain loyal to their love from the first game, or find a new romance. Remaining faithful--and by default celibate--might be the ethical thing, but you know you want that damn achievement. Male-Shep can court Miranda Lawson, Jack, or Tali. Fem-Shep has the choice of Jacob, Garrus, or Thane Krios. Yeoman Kelly Chambers is available to feed your fish and prance around in an Asari dancer outfit, but it’s a non-achievement/trophy earning fling. The Lair of the Shadowbroker DLC reunites Shepard and Liara, sans paramour achievement, but there's nothing for Ashley or Kaidan fans other than the noncommittal sort of Dear John/Jane, but maybe not, email after the Horizon mission.
All these people, so close to one another and sharing the bond of blood and battle. Even if they have some sort of distrust and animosity, there is true respect for one another.
Mass Effect 3 gives us more options than the other games. Not only can we pick up where we left off with our romance choices from the first game, we can also continue things with most of the characters from the second. (Jacob becomes a dedicated family man, so he is out.) Male-Shep can romance things up with Ashley, Liara, Jack, Miranda, Steve Cortez, Tali, and Kaidan who recently came out of Mass Effect 1’s controversy ducking closet. Fem-Shep has the options of Kaidan, Garrus, Liara, Thane and Samantha Traynor. Ensign Kelly returns as an optional side fling for both, and either Shep can get it on with the embedded reporter Diana Allers, as long as a serious romance isn't already locked in.
That’s a lot of hearts in play over the course of the trilogy, and at least twice as many ways things can play out. A love story for the ages can be written, or hearts can be broken. A whole gamut of flirtatious interest to passionate consummation can be found. Shepard’s inner circle has more romantic interests than a speed dating convention. All these people, so close to one another and sharing the bond of blood and battle. Even if they have some sort of distrust and animosity, there is true respect for one another. It’s a complex social dynamic where everyone is their own person and have their own feelings and thought on things…
That’s a lot of hearts in play over the course of the trilogy, and at least twice as many ways things can play out. A love story for the ages can be written, or hearts can be broken. A whole gamut of flirtatious interest to passionate consummation can be found. Shepard’s inner circle has more romantic interests than a speed dating convention. All these people, so close to one another and sharing the bond of blood and battle. Even if they have some sort of distrust and animosity, there is true respect for one another. It’s a complex social dynamic where everyone is their own person and have their own feelings and thought on things…
7. And Yet There is no Serious Drama
Across the three Mass Effect games, you can have that many different lovers, and a few extra flings. The same thing happens in real life, but in real life, entire circles of friends can collapse as hearts are broken and everyone starts coming down on different sides. That’s if no one decides that a little bit of murder/suicide is the way to cure a broken heart. This is never an issue in the Mass Effect Universe. Everyone just has a quick conversation, more or less remains friends, and goes about saving the galaxy like nothing happened. Granted, there is a war against an antediluvian species of machines bent on eradicating all space-faring civilizations, but the characters take it a little too well for people who had the love of their life dump them for someone else.