Mass Effect: Beyond The Relays is a massive new chapter you can play now

When it comes to intergalactic sci-fi RPGs few do it better than the Mass Effect series from BioWare and anytime we can get even more of the Normandy crew, we’re all for it.

From the creators of the original Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, BioWare has given us some of the best RPGs of all time. At the top of that list is the aforementioned Mass Effect series.

Check out the Mass Effect: Beyond the Relays gameplay below!

The first Mass Effect was released in 2007 for Xbox 360, before being ported on PC and PlayStation 3. What’s more, in 2021, we were also treated to Mass Effect Legendary Edition which includes remasters of the original trilogy complete with all previously released DLC.

We even have Mass Effect 5 on the way, which was announced at The Game Awards in 2020 and by the looks of things, with it featuring Liara T’Soni discovering the rubble of the Normandy ship, it seems that at least some of the band is getting back together. Sadly, since that reveal, we’ve heard little else about Mass Effect 5 with some even speculating that it could be a next-gen title.

So if you’re dying for more Mass Effect until the next entry in the series arrives, modders on PC have you covered with some new content to enjoy. One such content is ‘Mass Effect: Beyond the Relays’, a total conversion mod of Stellaris, a popular sci-fi grand strategy game on PC.

“Featuring 600 hand-placed systems, organised into 155 carefully placed star clusters, our galaxy map recreates the Mass Effect universe in stunning detail,” reads the description of ‘Mass Effect: Beyond the Relays’ on Steam. “With future expansion and size options in the works, you’ll experience the galaxy like never before.”

“You’ll find that each star cluster contains between two to ten individual systems interconnected by hyperplanes (to simulate the FTL travel we see in the Mass Effect trilogy). But in order to travel outside any given cluster, you’ll have to make use of our fully realised Mass Relay Network.”

I have to say that this total conversion mod of Stellaris is a match made in heaven and proves that the Mass Effect series also has a lot of potential in the strategy genre. Stellaris is out now on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, as is the Mass Effect trilogy.