The ‘Citadel’ Guide to Mass Effect
Brisbane alt/prog band Citadel are big fans of the Mass Effect franchise. Heck, they took their name from the main space station in the game. They are all super into the franchise, so much so, that they have put together a feature outlining their preferences and a curated ‘guide to’ Mass Effect,
Citadel just released their new single “Nightmare Frontier”, and for fans of TesseracT, Dead Letter Circus and Karnivool. This is Citadel’s first release since they dropped their debut album ‘Decompose’ last year, and it’s about dealing with ADHD and the brain chaos that accompanies it.
Citadel contains members previously involved in Osaka Punch and Wildheart, which makes for an interesting mix of music that seeps into Citadel. Since the release of their debut single Sundered Souls, the group played with Voyager, Redhook, The Dead Love, Reliqa and became finalists in the Brisbane legs of 2022’s Good Things Festival heat.
First off, what is Mass Effect? How would you describe the game to someone who has never played before?
Mass Effect is essentially a Space Opera, similar to Star Wars, in which a squad of interspecies soldiers, engineers, telekinetic warriors, and warlords band together to face off a galaxy-ending threat called The Reapers. It’s a modern Western RPG made by the same studio that brought us Dragon Age, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and (unfortunately) Anthem.
What is it about Mass Effect that has you hooked?
Mass Effect is a series that explores a range of themes, across a dramatic and gripping narrative, while nestling very effectively as a 3rd Person Shooter/RPG. When you put that together with the amazing cast of characters that feature across the trilogy, it creates one of the best series in modern gaming.
What sets Mass Effect aside from other RPG shooter games?
I think the characters and the world building is second-to-none. All of the characters feel human and relatable in their own way, with genuine depth and motivations that become integral to your relationship with them and the story at large. Without the cast of characters and the carry over between the games in the trilogy, Mass Effect probably would just be another generic RPG shooter.
Who was your Mass Effect romance?
It may be a controversial opinion, but Tali’Zorah is the best girl and is usually my go-to if I’m playing as male Shephard.
If playing as FemShep (female Shephard), then I like to sample the variety of options available: Kaiden in ME1, Thane in ME2, and Garrus ME3.
How many people died at the end of Mass Effect 2 for you?
None. I am a tactical genius. (I definitely followed a guide).
What ending did you get in Mass Effect 3?
My first playthrough I destroyed the Reapers. On my most recent playthrough on the Legendary Edition, I chose synthesis because let’s face it, that’s the way we’re going as a species anyway.
Did you, or did you not hit the reporter?
While I in no way condone violence in any way … absolutely I did.
Share any gameplay tips and pointers?
Find a class and build that feels right for you – sometimes the most obvious or “best” class doesn’t feel right, but you’ll get so much more enjoyment and fulfilment if you choose something that feels right. For example, everyone says Vanguard is OP, but it just doesn’t feel right to me. I’ll take Engineer or Sentinel any day.
Also, make sure you complete side quests and really dive into the Loyalty Missions where possible. That’s where the real meat lies on the bones of Mass Effect.
Thoughts on Mass Effect Andromeda?
Meh. Broken game is broken.
In all seriousness I should probably give it a go at some point, but I just haven’t yet and the state it was in on release did not fill me with confidence.
Does Mass Effect have any impact on your music in Citadel? (inspired by storylines, the soundtrack, the characters etc?)
Video Game soundtracks are a huge influence on our music, so with Mass Effect being one of our favourite series the vibes definitely have crossed over into our music. The “Galaxy Map” track from ME1 has such a cool dark synth vibe, and we have attempted to emulate that vibe across a few of our songs.
