Mass Effect’s deep-space travel between galaxy clusters and different planets sets it apart uniquely from many other science-fiction games.Mass Effect’s iconic spacecraft and geopolitical conflicts set the stage for a fulfilling narrative throughout each of the original trilogy’s titles, with the Normandy cemented as a landmark hub for Shepard and their squadmates.
Further, the Citadel plays a substantial role in thesecond and thirdMass Effectinstallments, though it is even more massively paramount in the original game.Mass Effectallows players to freely traverse different sectors and ward complexes to speak to NPCs and obtain side quests. Recently, carbonunit357 has shared an oil painting that their family had commissioned for their birthday of the Normandy as it approaches the colossal deep-space station.
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The fan’s painting was created by Jenny R Johnson, an artist who makes “fine art fan art.” Johnson’s oil painting features the SSV Normandy SR-2 Alliance vessel fromMass Effect 3. The oil painting’s depth of field places the stealth frigate front-and-center as the focal point with the Citadel as a background ready to envelop it. Black and purple deep-space fills the painting’s negative space with stars and swirling light. Johnson’s painting is a remarkable snapshot of what looks like it could be acutscene fromMass Effect, and carbonunit357 shared their admiration for it.
The Citadel is much smaller in terms of the real estate that players get to navigate inMass Effect 2, andMass Effect 3’s Citadel DLC presents a fantastic sendoff for the game’s squadmates, letting players spend a bit of leisure time with each of them. But in a startling plot twist, the originalMass Effectreveals that the Citadel is a Mass Relay used tofacilitate the Reaper invasion, and its narrative impact is much greater as a result.
In this way, the Citadel changes throughout each installment as much as the Normandy does. The Normandy goes through many visual and functional alterations after its destruction. How players travel from planet to planet is also starkly different between games and securing ship upgrades ultimately means life or death forparty members inMass Effect 2. But these changes make eachMass Effecttitle identifiably unique from one another, with many players having a preference for one’s gameplay over another for these reasons.
Regardless, this fan’s commission has made their birthday special due to Johnson’s incredible artwork.
Mass Effect: Legendary Editionis available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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