Summary

• Mass Effect's binary morality scale determines player reputation and available choices.
• The system was limited compared to modern RPGs but provided clear representation.
• Mass Effect 4 could use a more nuanced scale to better express player impact and character control.

As the wait for Mass Effect 4 continues, it is worth considering what makes the sci-fi RPG franchise stand out. One of the most important components of the first three games was the morality scale, a measurement of a player's good or bad reputation dependent on their previous choices. This scale determined what kind of person the game's protagonist, Commander Shepard, would be in the story and what options they would have available to them.

The scale was binary in nature, with the player gaining reputation points as either a paragon or a renegade. Paragon points would be earned through nice, peaceful, and generally positive actions, while renegade points would be awarded for risky, mean, or downright evil choices. As players got further down either path, they gained more impactful choices and dialogue options that reflected the nature of their character. But while the system gave a clear representation of the impact of player choices, it was also fairly limited in of what RPGs are able to do in the modern day.

Why Games Like Mass Effect Use A Binary Morality Scale

The Choice Between Good And Evil

While technically not a definitive line between good and evil, the paragon and renegade options for Shepard allowed Mass Effect to give players clearly defined options to affect the world around them. Even if the exact wording of the dialogue option or action choice isn't clear, the alignment towards either binary pole made it obvious what the effect of the option would be. Not only that but by having points built up towards being either a paragon or a renegade, players can see in a straightforward manner the severity of their choices and their ideological alignment.

Mass Effect was by no means alone in employing a binary morality scale. Games like Fallout 3 similarly display the player's morality as varying degrees of good and evil, and even newer games like Red Dead Redemption 2 operate on the same two-dimensional sliding scale. It is a standard and well-understood mechanic in role-playing games and is arguably an inseparable part of the original Mass Effect trilogy's identity.

Mass Effect 4 Could Use A More Nuanced Scale To Express Player Impact

New Games Can Thrive in the Morally Gray

One obvious criticism of a binary morality scale is that it paints each situation as black and white. The Mass Effect franchise can and should push itself to be more complex, especially given its focus on difficult choices and character building. The binary morality scale works better in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, where the protagonist, Arthur, is a character with pre-established traits and history. In other words, his story and character are not fully in the player's hands.

In Mass Effect, the player is in full control of their character, their background, their personality, and their choices. It makes more sense in a game like this to track morality differently, either on a place-by-place basis, like in Fallout: New Vegas, or in regard to how they are perceived by other characters, like in Baldur's Gate 3. Mass Effect 4 will be a massive leap from the earlier games already. This could be the game maker's chance to re-brand this part of the franchise's identity and create a better system for showing moral choices.