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Mass Effect: Andromeda ain't no open world adventure, producer Mike Gamble has told to the Official Xbox Magazine in an interview. "I definitely wouldn't call Andromeda an open world game," Gamble states. Instead, he refers to Andromeda as "an exploration-based game", and goes on to suggest that this approach leaves room for better storytelling.

"You still have the concept of tight story deliverance and all the great things you come to expect with Mass Effect. The layer on top of that is a layer of exploration. Sometimes that happens in open spaces, but not always. You can cruise around some of these planets in the Nomad, but it's not the traditional sandbox-type game," Gamble reiterates.

Usually, we see people in Gamble's position telling us what their games are rather than what their games aren't, so it's clear that developer BioWare is trying to keep expectations in check. Ever since Andromeda was properly announced - no, we're not counting that bloody concept art trailer - it's often been referred to as the series' first foray into the open world genre, coming off the back of Dragon Age: Inquisition, which opted for big, open maps rather than a strictly linear set of locations.

It sounds like that simply isn't the case, though, and you know what? We're glad to hear it. It feels like every property under the sun is going open world these days, and while it certainly works for some - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt springs to mind - we'd rather see stuff like Mass Effect take a more focused route, avoiding the filler sandbox gameplay that makes us roll our eyes.

We'll see if Andromeda gets the balance right when it launches next month.

[source gamesradar.com]