People have been waiting a long time to find out just what BioWare’s new IP is going to be, and at this year’s E3, we finally got the information we had all been looking forward to. Anthem looks like a beautiful game, built in the vein of recent successful titles like Destiny and The Division, but with a very unique and fairly typical BioWare twist to them. We didn’t see a whole lot of Anthem at E3 this year, but the little that we did see got us fairly excited. As such, in this feature, we’re going to take a look at ten details that we feel you should definitely know about Anthem, ten details that are bound to get you excited about the game.
NOT AN RPG
While developers BioWare are known for making RPGs, EA have confirmed that Anthem will instead be an action-adventure title. That said, it looks like despite that, the game will feature a lot of things you’d expect to see in a typical BioWare game. The developers have promised strong story progression and character development. From the reveal trailer of the game, we get the impression that player choice will also play a major part. Also, notably, BioWare have refused to say anything about whether or not romance options will be available in the game.
NARRATIVE STYLE
Being an open world, online-focused title, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the typical narrative focus and flair that we’ve all come to expect from BioWare titles will be missing from Anthem. However, BioWare have said that that won’t be the case. The developers have assured fans that while a lot of the story will hinge on experiences and stories the players make for themselves in the open world, the game will also have a great story with conventional storytelling.
CAMARADERIE
The name Anthem wasn’t picked for the game just because it sounds cool. BioWare actually put some thought into it. As they explain it, an anthem is something that unifies people and gives them a greater sense of purpose that is bigger than just themselves. The game itself is also supposed to invoke that sense, and camaraderie between the players is a major aspect of the experience, and also serves as the meaning behind the game’s title.
A DANGEROUS WORLD
The setting of Anthem is what probably caught the eyes of most people who took a look at the game, and for good reason too. It looks like a beautiful, vast world, and it should be a blast to explore it. According to BioWare, the world of Anthem is a savage one, one in which humanity is on the lowest rung of the food chain, which is why they need exosuits to be able to venture outside the safety of their walls and thrive in the world.
VAST ARRAY OF ENEMIES
Players will be squaring off against a variety of opponents and enemies in Anthem. There will, of course, be natural enemies, such as wildlife, ranging from small beasts to large, enormous monsters, all of which we saw a glimpse of in the gameplay reveal. In addition to that, we will also be facing off against other humans in exosuits. Whether or not PvP will be included in the game, though, BioWare have not yet confirmed.
THERE WILL BE A HUB AREA
The area where the gameplay demonstration for Anthem began during Microsoft’s E3 press conference is actually going to serve as the hub area for players in the game. The hub, which is known in-game as Fort Arsis, will be where you customize your exosuits, pick up quests, interact with NPCs and – presumably – much, much more.
YOU CAN PLAY BY YOURSELF
The focus of Anthem will be around co-operative experiences, and will allow you to play in teams of four players, but that is completely optional. If you’re not a fan of shared-world experiences, like many people aren’t, that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy Anthem. The game will be playable solo from start to finish, so if you’re looking for a long single-player adventure, you won’t exactly be disappointed.
VARIED COMBAT
Anthem will be played primarily as a shooter from a third person perspective, but the fact that EA and BioWare are calling it an action adventure game rather than a shooter makes us think there will probably be a lot more to the combat than just shooting. We already know customizations to your exosuits will play a major role in the moment-to-moment gameplay of the game, with different kinds of customizations and weapons being attached to your suit depending on what you unlock. How heavily these aspects will affect the combat remains to be seen.
TRAVERSAL
One of the things that seemed more intriguing and unique than almost anything else that was shown during the Anthem reveal was the in-game traversal. Flying around the world using jetpacks and using your exosuits to swim through deep waters all sounds incredibly interesting, and if the footage shown at E3 is anything to go by, it’s going to be a blast while playing in real time as well.
LONG-TERM SUPPORT
BioWare have promised that they will be supporting Anthem for a long time, and that they and EA have a long-term plan in place to keep adding more content to the game over the months and years after its release. The developers have confirmed that they want to continue expanding the world and the game long after it has launched, so it should be interesting to see just what they have in store for us.
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