Game Informer has posted a new video where Joel MacMillan (Mass Effect Andromeda’s Art Director) introduces a new race: the Kett.
Mass Effect Andromeda – The Kett
MacMillan explains that the team wanted to approach those newer races with a more “organic perspective”. This began with ideas to use more organic materials to construct armor as well as their structures and architecture. This concept would apply across everything in Andromeda, making it quite different from the trilogy.
Mass Effect Andromeda – The Kett
A bone carapace around the face of the main Kett was the theme the art team utilized in creating it’s initial designs for the entire race. It is present in early concept art:
The Kett – Concept Art
MacMillan also mentions that the Kett are the antagonists in Mass Effect Andromeda. This information is followed by some questions regarding how “alien” they should be, compared to the other Mass Effect races. While they wanted the Kett to appear new and scary, they still needed opportunities to show them in a “empathetic way.”
The Kett with militaristic elements
There are militaristic elements to the Kett, which is why the team picked a bone armor. It felt “new and different.”
MacMillan further describes the design process by outlining how, in addition to the organic armor, the team went on to incorporate other design elements like a large collar across all Kett game models, from grunts, soldiers, all the way up to main character NPCs. Choices like these were made to unify all creatures created by the team as part of the Kett race.
A finalized design image was shared with the public, but it is not clear what rank of Kett this is.
The Kett- Final Design
MacMillan called them an “impressive addition to the franchise” and the one he’s most proud of.
I’m really interested in seeing how the Kett will be integrated into the story and seeing their design makes me wonder what other races we’ll meet!
The kett just brings back memories of the old mass effect development videos of how they worked on bring to ‘life’ these intresting races/species. What I want to know is more of their race lore and social structure.
I’m already convinced we’ll have a Kett squadmate, which makes me wonder how divided they are.
From other articles I have read and still remembering from that old reddit leak, theres multiple groups of the kett that are in different perspectives are ‘good’ or ‘evil’ to our group(s) and how they shape our interactions with their race and possibly other races in andromeda.