Romance is part of what makes Mass Effect an all-time great RPG. I mean, where else can you swipe right on brutish humanoid frogs and several-century-old warrior matriarchs? Despite the (apparent) appeal of dating aliens, Bioware didn’t know everyone would want to enter a relationship with Garrus specifically.
During an ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Reddit, former lead writer Drew Karpyshyn revealed that while Mass Effect 2 was in development, Bioware had plans to bring back several companions from the first game, but with romance routes this go-around (Thanks, PC Gamer). Garrus wasn’t an option initially — but that changed once fans came to love him.
