Mass Effect: Andromeda's launch was rough. Though it's ultimately a good game (read our review), enjoying the best parts can be difficult due to a variety of issues – from technical glitches to jarring visuals. Today, BioWare announced its plans for addressing those problems in the months ahead.

A post by BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn outlines a series of short-term and long-term changes planned for Andromeda, including continued work to improve the game's animations. The first patch hits this week on Thursday, and has improvements like an increased inventory limit, an option to bypass the lengthy transitions when moving between locations in space, and making it easier to bypass the Sudoku-like Remnant puzzles. The update also includes has some visual fixes like adjusting Ryder's running animation and improving the appearance of human and asari eyes. For more, you can read the full patch notes.

Beyond this week, BioWare is working on even bigger adjustments. These updates will hit over the next two months, and address areas like the variety in the character creator, characters' hair and general appearance, Scott Ryder's male romance options, and dialogue related to the trans character Hainly Abrams.

Those are all single-player improvements, but the team is also looking at tweaking multiplayer. This week's patch should make the latency and matchmaking better, and adds the first chapter in three-part event centered around something called The Remnant Investigation. In the future, we'll see new maps, characters, and weapons as the multiplayer experience expands.

We can expect to hear more about the additional changes to Mass Effect: Andromeda as they approach. If you're thinking about getting back into the game, you should check out our five spoiler-free tips to make things a bit easier.

Our Take

Though I had fun with Andromeda, I'm happy to see a solid plan for its improvement. BioWare has a history of responding to its fans' concerns, and while there are still other things I'd like to see addressed, this announcement demonstrates an admirable commitment to the game and its community. Would it have been better to not have these problems in the first place? Absolutely. But with that damage already done, this is BioWare's best path forward.