Mass Effect 2 Almost Included a Male Quarian Romance Option

Mac Walters, Lead Writer on BioWare’s Mass Effect 2 has appeared in a GameSpot video in which he talks about the developer’s approach to incorporating characters into the game that wouldn’t feel disposable. The earliest approach to pitching characters was to operate under the premise that “there are no bad ideas.” Some characters that appeared on an early design document, but were eventually cut from the final product, include “The Crazy Quarian King” and a “Salarian Assassin.” The former is inspired by the Irishman from Braveheart and the latter by Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride. The video also detailed a male Quarian romance option.

The Quarian romance option was described as, “…Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, rolled together into one boisterous, but highly capable Quarian infiltrator.” The player would discover the character in the midst of a gun fight between groups of bounty hunters and local authorities, both of which are trying to find the Quarian. In terms of romance, the character would flirt with straight female player characters, become intrigued if they returned his advances, and worry if their interest in him is only because of his species. However, you would have to avoid nuclear options, as this Quarian wouldn’t like Renegades.

The full video is just under fifteen minutes in length and features discussion about other characters and aspects of design. It also mentions that Tali, who appeared in the very first Mass Effect title before returning in the second and third entries, at one point in development could potentially “swing both ways.”

A collection of the Mass Effect trilogy of games, called Mass Effect Legendary Edition, is set to release for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on May 14, 2021. It will support 4K Ultra HD, HDR, and will contain every piece of DLC from the included titles. A new Mass Effect game that will continue the series’ story is in development, as well.