A Mass Effect and Dune fan has just graced the internet with nearly two-dozen dramatic posters of the iconic space-faring heroes. The images are in the style of the recent promotional materials for the upcoming Dune film, making for a pseudo-melding of two of the world's most beloved sci-fi properties. The images come courtesy of Mass Effect Legendary Edition's new photo mode which allows players to capture high-resolution screenshots in-game.
Among the many points of praise for the Mass Effect series is its iconic and well-developed cast of characters. Many fans could probably identify most of Commander Shepard's human, alien, and robotic squadmates simply from small visual queues or short descriptions alone. The broad assortment of characters introduced and developed over the course of three massive games has also meant that few players have finished the trilogy without at least some fond memories of the Normany team.
The iconic and beloved nature of these characters is something that Reddit user xam3l has leveraged to create some striking pieces of fan art. The original and follow-up posts were first reported on by Twinfinite and feature close-up, low depth-of-field images of Mass Effect's fan-favorite characters. In the foreground of each image is a nickname that encapsulates one or more essential traits of the character ("Liara T'soni is The Shadow Broker", for example). This is a clear reference to the recent marketing images for the new Dune movie, where actors like Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet are introduced as their characters from the film. Even the font choice is nearly identical.
If nothing else, these pictures serve as a reminder of just how visually impressive the recent Mass Effect Legendary Edition is. The high-contrast shadows on the characters' faces and the different textures of the clothing and gear materials come through beautifully in these close-up screenshots. The images also show off BioWare's incredible attention to detail when it comes to distinguishing each alien species through subtle design choices. Most of the images look to come from Mass Effect 2 & 3, likely owing to those games' greater visual fidelity.
Some characters like Miranda Lawson and James Vega are conspicuously absent in these photo collections while others, such as the biotic powerhouse Jack, are featured more than once, proving that some Mass Effect characters are appreciated more than others. However, xam3l mentions in the second post that more of these pictures are on their way, so the omitted characters might still have a chance to shine. Either way, the posters are evidence of the love that players have for even the more minor characters of the franchise. With any luck, fans will get to reunite with at least some of these characters when Mass Effect 4 releases.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition is currently available on Xbox One, Xbox X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
Source: xam3l/Reddit (1,2) (via Twinfinite)