Mass Effect 5 Won’t Have Stylized Dragon Age Graphics, But It Will Have Mature Tones

With the upcoming launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard this week, Mass Effect 5 project director Michael Gamble has commented on some of the differences that players will see between BioWare’s fantasy and sci-fi franchises. One thing that Mass Effect fans can expect to see kept intact is the realistic art direction of that series, as opposed to the stylized visual approach of the new Dragon Age game.

“Mass Effect is photorealistic and will be as long as I’m running it,” Gamble wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in response to a comment about Dragon Age’s art direction. In terms of mood, Gamble added that “Mass Effect will maintain the mature tone” of the original trilogy of games, with some room for its serious characters to be put into humorous situations.

Mass Effect games have traditionally aimed for a photorealistic presentation using the technology of the time, and while there have been some technical gaffes–like Mass Effect: Andromeda’s infamous issues–each entry in the series has looked great in action.

The characters have generally been rendered with realistic proportions, leaving BioWare room to put a creative stamp on the technology and fashion of a franchise that is set in the distant future of humanity. BioWare producer Brenon Holmes previously confirmed that Mass Effect 5 will utilize Unreal Engine 5, which is capable of producing convincingly realistic graphics, like in the upcoming Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra game.

While it’ll still be a while before Mass Effect 5 launches, the game does feature several series veterans working on it. Gamble previously noted that Mass Effect 5’s executive producer, art director, creative director, and game director are all veterans of the original Mass Effect trilogy.

November 7 marks the next N7 Day, an unofficial holiday of sorts celebrating the series. BioWare has frequently used the day to reveal news and teases, and while nothing is confirmed yet, it could be when we get our next official glimpse of the upcoming Mass Effect sequel.