During E3 2018, BioWare showed us quite a lot of Anthem. We detail everything you need to know about Anthem, release, classes, story, visual, and world.
Ever since the onset of EA Play, all eyes were peeled for much-awaited Anthem. Following a brief yet incredibly edited trailer, BioWare’s GM Casey Hudson, Executive Producer Mark Darrah, and Lead Writer Cathleen Rootsaert joined the stage to talk more about the game and take some questions from the community. One of the first things that Hudson talked about is how he led Anthem before taking his post of BioWare GM.
The first thing that you need to know about Anthem is that the game is anything but an MMO. The game features a dynamic living world, a world that would change every time you returned to it. Speaking of the in-game world, the open-world is multiplayer. Think of a world Bungie created with Destiny 2 in which you will constantly see other players out there.
According to BioWare, you can think of it as “Our World, My Story” kind of a game. However, your Base of Operations will not be shared and that is where a majority of story elements take place. Another thing that Anthem takes from Bungie’s Destiny is that it is designed to allow developers to add the story for years to come.
Coming to story, Anthem takes place in a world left behind and unfinished by the Gods. Therefore, your Base of Operations or Quest Hub will remain unique to you but the world outside will be shared with other players. As mentioned earlier, Anthem is not an MMO but it has a shared world that should closely resemble any popular MMO title. Also, you can play the game completely solo but BioWare recommends giving co-op a go.
Moreover, as stated above, Anthem’s world is always changing. As evident from the trailer (attached above), the world has a lot of verticality with it heavily relying on the usage of the jetpack. We also saw a glimpse of destructible environments. Lastly, the game’s dynamic open-world will have ever-evolving weather.
As stated above, Anthem is about an unfinished world left by the Gods. In this world, you fill in the shoes of a highly-skilled freelancer skilled to pilot the Javelin Exo Suits. Your rivals are called The Dominion who wants to weaponize the Anthem of Creation left by the Gods. As the protagonist, it is your job to prevent The Dominion.
Speaking of the Javelin Exo Suits, they are of 4 types i.e. Ranger, Colossus, Interceptor, and Storm. Since you are a freelancer, you have the complete liberty of choosing any Javelin Exo Suit, depending on your need and the mission requirement. Here’s what we learned about these Javelin Exo Suit:
While inside Javelin Exo Suits, you have the freedom to walk, swim, and fly. Keeping this in mind, we can expect underwater combat but nothing of that sort was shown. On top of that, Anthem features some robust Customization Options. These options will allow you to alter gear, weapons in addition to plenty of paint jobs as well as altering suit geometry.
Following the backlash that EA faced because of Star Wars: Battlefront II, Hudson confirmed that there will not be any lootboxes in Anthem. The game will have cosmetic microtransactions but players will know what they will get for the amount of money they would spend. Lootboxes are a thing of the past.
Before wrapping up, EA also shared a gameplay demo that showcased a mission titled Scars in Villainy. The mission saw a Strider, a Forward Base of Operations, and a Giant Mech Walker. The little of combat that we saw showed us a third-person shooter that relied heavily on the jetpack.
Combat looked like some sort of combo-oriented but it remains to be seen how these combos are triggered. On top of it, the damage numbers didn’t seem to have a random element. Visually, the game looks nothing short of impressive. We also saw a glimpse of giant crab/spider-esque enemies.
Anthem is scheduled to release next year on Feb. 22,2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. EA has a playable demo at EA Play. We will have our impressions soon. Be sure to stay tuned!
