The beginning of Mass Effect 1 leaves players with little more than a mostly incomplete vision and the task of tracking down a rogue Spectre. From there, they are launched into a twisting story that pushes them to uncover the big picture behind Saren's motivations. As the first game in the trilogy, the plot points discovered in Mass Effect 1 establish the world of the entire series.
In order to keep fans on their toes and push them to unravel the plot, Mass Effect 1 presents some big plot twists to surprise and interest players. Not only do these elements help move the game along to its climax, but the majority of them also set up plot points that feature prominently later on in the franchise.
A significant portion of suspense comes from players trying to understand Saren's goals in Mass Effect 1 in order to cut off his plans. Short of knowing that he is working with the Geth - and that he is trying to usher in the return of the Reapers - there is little to go off of initially, and players must make gradual discoveries by progressing through the story's various twists and turns.
Mass Effect 1's Biggest Twist - Sovereign And The Reapers
Saren's connection to the Reapers is the biggest mystery of Mass Effect 1, and the Reapers as a whole are the central focus of the entire trilogy as Shepard fights against their increasing presence in the galaxy. On Virmire, Shepard and their team learn that Sovereign, Saren's ship, is not a Reaper ship but an actual Reaper. Saren is under the effect of Sovereign's indoctrination, acting less out of his own free will and more out of Sovereign's desire to usher in the Reaper's destruction of the galaxy's civilizations.
Mass Effect 1's Biggest Twists - The Prothean Extinction
Upon visiting Ilos, Shepard is finally able to uncover what their vision was trying to tell them - the reason the Protheans went extinct in Mass Effect is because they were wiped out by the Reapers. From there, players can piece together the truth of the Reaper's history and motivations within the galaxy. When an organic civilization grows advanced enough, the Reapers emerge to wipe them out entirely - meaning Liara's theory about the Protheans not being the first civilization to vanish due to similar means was accurate.
Mass Effect's Biggest Twists - The Mass Relay Trap
The climax of the game comes following the discovery that not only were the mass relays and the Citadel built by the Reapers themselves, but the Citadel is a trap. It functions as a mass relay that Sovereign plans to use to bring the Reapers into the galaxy from the edges of dark space. The Conduit, as it turns out, is a mass relay, too, one that links directly onto the Presidium of the Citadel. The rush to make it to the Citadel in time to keep the mass relay from being activated is what pushes players into the game's ending.
The plot twists in Mass Effect 1 serve as interlinking pieces that make up a story spanning all three games of the series. Uncovering the truth behind the Reapers and their goals is the driving plot behind the entire trilogy, and players can expect to encounter more surprising twists as they progress through the franchise.