Outridershad been in development since 2015 and only released in April 2021, with part of the delay in release being due to the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the most exciting aspects ofOutriderswas that it was included with Xbox Game Pass at no additional charge. The game has received mixed reviews, with a positive light shed on its gameplay and customization options but critiques for the story and many technical issue. Many players considerOutridersto be whatMass Effect: Andromedaoriginally tried to be.
As promising asMass Effect: Andromedaseemed at first, its launch left a lot to be desired for players. It was glitchy and had some questionable dialogue, but through updatesMass Effect: Andromedaturned out to be a pretty good game all things considered.Outridersdefinitely needs updates to fix some technical issues, but it doesn’t seem to be in the same state thatMass Effect: Andromedawas at launch. These two games also have a unique connection between their treatment of alien species, though: the Pax and the Angara.SPOILERSforOutridersto follow.
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Outriders’ Pax
Outridershas set up a world full of lore and information. One of the most curious characters players encounter is August, an Enochian with an androgynous and humanoid appearance. As players get to know them, more information is revealed about their past and who they are. With the progression of the story, players learn that August (also called Agsst) comes from a community known as the Pax. However,August seems to bethe last of their kind.
Toward the end ofOutriders, a game-changing revelation is revealed. In a cruel twist of fate, players not only kill August, but it turns out the Ferals that players have fought throughout the game are actually Pax. These Pax are clearly different though, having been turned Feral by the Anomaly after they were enslaved for research purposes. The once peaceful community turned to harsh versions of themselves to survive.
Mass Effect: Andromeda’s Angara
Mass Effect: Andromedatakes place, unsurprisingly, in the Andromeda galaxy. With a whole new galaxy to explore, many players werelooking forward to new alien speciesto interact with and possibly romance. BioWare didn’t disappoint with the introduction of the Angara, with Jaal Ama Darav’s romance being one of the more notable of the game. The Angara have a long history in Andromeda but have been targeted by the main enemy of the game, the Kett.
As the game progresses, players learn more about the Kett and what exactly they’re doing in Andromeda. It’s early on in the game that players learn that the Kett aren’t an actual species like the otherMass Effectalien races. Ryder and their squadmates watch in horror as the Kett begin the “exaltation”process that turns Angara(and other races) into Kett. This revelation is upsetting for pretty much everyone, but especially Jaal. Players will spend the rest of the game trying to figure out why the Kett conduct these experiments.
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Comparing the Pax to the Angara
Beyond being alien species, the Pax and Angara have very similar stories. Both alien communities were once peaceful by nature, but outside forces caused them to turn into hardened versions of themselves. The Pax were the subjects of great cruelty, all in the name of science and human colonization. The Angara were not targeted by humans, but have been the recipients ofviolence and scientific experimentationat the hands of the Kett.
Outriders’ Pax are biological beings, butMass Effect: Andromeda’s Angara are more complicated than that. Further in the game, players learn that theAangara are not biological by nature. They were created by the Jardaan, a race not yet seen in theMass Effectseries. Additionally, the Pax turned into Feral versions of themselves after being threatened and abused. The Angara didn’t change on a biological level, but they did quickly adapt to fighting off Kett and keeping their settlements safe.
There are a lot of different comparisons to be drawnbetweenOutridersandMass Effect: Andromeda. One of the most prominent, though, is the similarities between the Pax and Angaran alien species. Players have a lot of fun getting to know these aliens, but it can sometimes end in heartbreak.
Outridersis available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
