Mass Effect concept art shows Shepard as a Reaper, Tali unmasked, and more

Synthesis outcome

Matt Rhodes: This image was purely speculative on my part. I imagined the galaxy changed by the synthesis choice. Because life and technology were joined (and I didnt know the Mass Relays would be destroyed yet) I imagined that there would be no more need for space ships. Any creature could just link in with the nearest relay and jump to any world they chose, surface to surface. This would start changing the biology of every creature in the galaxy as they would no longer be limited to any one environment. Here are some Asari/Salarian/Human/? in the far, far future taking a carefree stroll in the grass.

Tali

Matt Rhodes: The debate about whether or not to reveal Talis face was another one that lasted a long time. Versions of her were being worked on fairly often. To me, this has always been (and always will be) Tali. This was drawn during ME1 when she was first being designed, and when her appearance under the mask wasnt a big deal yet.

From start to finish

What did you think of these early designs? Do you wish some had ended up making it into the Mass Effect series? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check out all the additional art and comments on Matt Rhode's blog.

And if you're looking for more, check out 10 legitimately funny games and 10 characters who did the exact opposite of what we wanted them to do.