Replayed this to see if I could distance myself from the immediate kneejerk hatred it inspired in me at launch, and possibly give this game a fair shake. With the hype and nostalgia out of the way —yeah, it’s still pretty mediocre.

This game’s worst crime isn’t any particular graphics or gameplay deficiency, it’s that this game is soulless and has no love for its own premise. It is dead and joyless game at a spiritual level.

The Mass Effect trilogy is the single most resounding example of a game utterly dedicated and consumed by its premise and world, to a staggering effect that remains unmatched over a decade later. And yet, playing Andromeda, I’ve encountered few AAA games that seem to have been made with such apathy and disinterest.

The spirit of adventure it invokes in this journey to a new galaxy is immediately and brutally crushed by how remarkably soulless and vacant the world and characters of Andromeda actually are. For all its individual flaws and merits, this game is spiritually repugnant in a manner that renders it even worse than the sum of its poorly made parts. It’s a foundational sin that is both unpatchable and unforgivable.