Matt Rhodes, designer of BioWare’s Mass Effect, has posted some early concept art from his blog. The work which shows early ideas for the characters as well as the series’ conclusion, including some interesting drawings of Tali’s face under her famous mask.
Rhodes discusses his concerns regarding displaying her face:
“The debate about whether or not to reveal Tali’s face was another one that lasted a long time. Versions of her were being worked on fairly often. These were three that I thought worked in their own way. Personally, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to push players to the edge. Tali was like a pen pal, or a friend you’ve only ever known online. Depending on how attached to her a player was, how well could they handle her appearance challenging their expectations? If she looked a little too alien, just a little too repellant, would they still feel the same way about her? Or did her personality and your history together trump appearances? It’s an interesting area to explore and I hope we can find other ways to ask that question.”
He then goes on to say that for him Tali was always Tali to him when her appearance wasn’t a big deal. However, in the end her face was based upon the stock photo model on Photoshop.
The series, which begins by telling the story of Commander Shephard in a mission to save the galaxy from Reapers. He discusses an early idea for him in which he has turned to Reaper technology to accomplish his goals.
Other images include Kirkwall’s slave prison as it would have appeared under Tevinter rule.
As well as images for the final level:
