Many new details about the original Mass Effect trilogy are emerging since the recent release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. One of these new details is a glimpse of the original FemShep from the beta version of the first Mass Effect.
Recently posted to Reddit by a user known as Gabihorvath95, an image of the original design for FemShep has been circulating online. This image shows the pre-release version of the female protagonist alongside Wrex. These beta images were originally intended for Mass Effect marketing purposes, but they show fans of the BioWare trilogy how far the design for the female version of Shepard has grown.
RELATED: Mass Effect Fan Creates Stunning Character Cards
While the version of FemShep in the Mass Effect beta image shows a stern-looking leader, she's mostly covered up in tech gear and is missing detail. The final version of Mass Effect's FemShep was more distinct from this pre-release version which looks like a slight tweak on the basic male Shepard design. Although the original FemShep design has changed since this pre-release image, one Redditor pointed out that Wrex didn't undergo many changes between beta and release.
One person responding to Gabihorvath95's Mass Effect beta image on Reddit sarcastically pointed out the curves of the pre-release FemShep. The final design of the female protagonist ended up with more feminine features than this pre-release version. Some Mass Effect fans in the Reddit comments were lamenting the fact that the duo featured in the beta image aren't able to have a romantic relationship. While many characters have romance options for players in Mass Effect, Wrex is not an option.
In this Mass Effect pre-release image, FemShep is commanding Wrex to go somewhere in the distance. One Redditor was quick to point out that this image of Wrex is nearly identical to the one used for the Krogan Codex photo. While it may have slight differences from the Codex, it's extremely similar. Another mentioned the image looks more detailed than the original game looked, which is based on downscaling that occurred in the game's transition to PS3 and Xbox 360.
While this pre-release image of Mass Effect may have more detail due to the downscaling that occurred, FemShep has improved along the way. A lot has changed about this character model since beta and even the exposed lips of FemShep in this pre-release image have changed for the full release of the game. There are very few aspects of FemShep that didn't change between beta and release according to this pre-release image from Gabihorvath95.
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is available right now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.