How Mass Effect Gets Cosmic Horror Right

I felt Mass Effect was scifi with Lovecraftian elements from the first shot of Sovereign on Eden Prime. But Leviathan DLC turned the corner for me and I realised it was Lovecraft in space.

Honestly I came to the Mass Effect fandom late, and I was astonished that none of the people who had been telling me to get into it told me about the Reapers. It took me until ME2 to pick up on the cosmic horror details, but once I did I was very impressed by the level of background details that hint at the murky, evidently covered up truth of the millions of years of harvests. A lot of people are disappointed by ME3, not just for the reason you gave, but for the ending. The control ending is in its way, a submission to the inevitable, as you describe, but even the destroy ending is a fate of cosmic horror. The Reapers might be gone, but what they were, is not. Now, the known monster is gone, but the threat, the reality of them, is now faceless. The inevitability of it, now unfettered, anything known about the Reapers, worthless now.

Mass Effect is my favourite fictional universe of all time for a good many reasons, one I've played through at least a dozen times over the years, and this is one of them. The Reapers are such an existential threat, with a perspective so far beyond what we can ever truly understand, and yet the rest of the game is so very grounded, and full of the tiny details of life, it makes for an incredible juxtaposition. This is an incredible video essay, and one I'm certainly going to be both coming back to later, and sharing with friends. Thank you.

2:29 fucking goosebumps, man! The sound alone of the reapers has to be a masterclass of how to make you tremble just for the anticipation

I'd say dead space does a fairly decent job with cosmic horror as well. Although it'll likely not see a true ending like we all hoped.

You know I never thought of it in this respect, and it's probably why it's one of my all-time favorite stories, Lovecraftian horror has always been my favorite genre, and this game really does an amazing job encapturing it!

I've always been a fan of ME series. I've never viewed it as comic horror. I alwayd viewed it as the hypocrisy of Ai. But loved the video.

I love that mass effect is getting an resurgence in a way

I too have had this thought. Also consider that once you give a creature like cthulu a stat block, people will inevitably find a way to beat it. It's just a stat sponge. That denies the very concept of eldritch. I think instead, the very fact that the ending is so wrapped in so much irl dissatisfaction is such a masterful stroke. "The best game storytellers ever couldn't just drop a meaningless ending...... could they?" The fact we are sitting here passing around secrets hidden in the texts is very 'catching something off. It's not an action or a look. But something. It didn't feel..... right. And as I tried to look closer, suddenly I realized it wasn't wast just not right it was wrong. But everyone else just laughed and carried on. Didn't they see it? How couldn't they not? Until..... at the end..... I had to ask ............. maybe..... Just maybe...... was I the crazy one?....................................................'

Wow a very new and interesting take on ME. Time for me to subscribe and reinstall ME1-3😂 Thx for the video!

Found this channel because of star wars stayed because of mass effect. Good videos so far brother

I killed the reapers. They talk and talk, I liked watching them fall. They found out they are insignificant. lol

I prefer the synthesis ending but im not 100% happy with it either. I think the red ending is the most "shepard" ending but as a habitual paragon player I think evolving past the man/machine dynamic is how you overcome cosmic horror. Great video sir

I grew up on Mass Effect (parents played it all the time) and I absolutely love the Reapers as villains because they are so well written, I want to implement them into a DnD campaign

Thanks for this video. I'm a huge fan of the ME series and replay it regularly, multiple times a year at least. I love playing Renegade because it aligns with what you're talking about. I think the Paragon route is too cookie cutter "good guys wins the day" type storytelling. I prefer a narrative wherein you have to make sacrifices just to stay afloat, fighting an enemy you can't comprehend that requires every last bit of ruthlessness you can muster. The destroy ending is my favorite because it highlights the human condition. Our enemy exists on a level we cannot comprehend, can see a big picture we could never grasp, and yet Shepard kills them just because it's defiant. It's like an eldritch being telling you if you kill them, it will doom you and everyone you know, but you do it anyways because fuck him. I love it.

Honestly my opinion on the mass effects ending is controversial I don't think there shouldn't be an ending where Shepard survives, I feel the 3 games have been building up to the final moment. I prefer the endings that get a stronger reaction out of me.

You got a like and subscribe out of me. Great video, well done.

You give me MrBTongue vibes

Every cycle create AI, every cycle create Crusible, and every cycle is dead, becouse every indoctrinated military leader is catalyst. Shepard is indoctrination military leader (check codex), he have all symphtomes and he is a Catalyst, he making Crusible for make harvest more easyer. So your "perfect ending" right anyway, choices is was just a 4rd dream, its not reality.

It's insane people are still playing this game and i've still been to scared of being mean to play a renegade run.