Anthem Story
Anthem takes place on a distant planet from earth, that has been populated by humans, but unfortunately they aren’t doing so well. A combination of natural and environmental factors has led to a very hostile living situation, and it is up to the player, known as a “Freelancer” to help protect the citizens of the walled city of Fort Tarsus. The player will use a powerful exosuit known as a Javelin to traverse the hostile terrain, running missions and uncovering story elements as they explore the lush wilderness around them.
There will be a large variety of enemies you will encounter in the world of Anthem, some of them peaceful and some very, VERY hostile. Let’s file this one in the “hostile” category.
Anthem Release Date
Although originally slated for a late 2018 release, Bioware has recently pushed this date back to 2019, with industry insiders stating it will most likely be released sometime around March of next year.
Anthem Gameplay
Anthem Gameplay from E3 2017
Anthem will be released a mostly third person action RPG along the lines of other Bioware games focusing on story driven exploration and combat. It runs on the always beautiful Frostbite Engine and will be split between third person perspective while outside the quest HUB cities, and first person while inside. It has been described by Bioware general manager Aaron Flynn as “science fantasy” in the same vein as Star Wars and Marvel’s collective universe. Anthem will allow players to group up with friends in order to run their missions, making this a more multiplayer focused title than many of Bioware’s other IP’s with the exception of Star Wars The Old Republic.
The player will presumably be able to customize their various Javelin exosuits in order to travel the world and engage in third person shooter combat. The overworld that has been shown so far has been a dense, lush jungle filled with natural monster type predators, as well as humanoid enemies with weapons. Each Javelin will have it’s own playstyle, allowing players to take on a role in combat. The Ranger plays as a jack of all trades while the Colossus is more of the large tank-style powerhouse. The Javelin will be able to traverse the air through flight, run exceptionally fast on the ground, and even propel itself through water for underwater exploration.
Although there will be a heavier emphasis on combat than previous Bioware titles, they game’s developer has stated that the game will still have a heavy emphasis on story and character development. Anthem has a traditional xp-based leveling system, as well as weapon loot drops similar to Bungie’s shared world shooter, Destiny. The player will accept missions from quest givers back in Fort Tarsus as well as participate in dynamic world events with other players. They can either do this solo, or with other players as current gameplay videos have shown a shared world, where players can drop in and drop out of one anothers games. Currently there are some questions regarding if there are going to be other multiplayer modes, such as PVP, however the developers have avoided answering those outside the scope of the current gameplay video which only shows 4 player co-op.
Regardless of what Javelin you choose, one thing is for certain: you are going to look awesome while flying around.
Anthem News
Anthem was originally announced at E3 2017 and was immediately met with anticipation from both game fans and developers. It is being designed from the ground up as a game that can be played “for the next decade” according to the developers and as such there is a sense that Bioware is going all in on it’s new IP. This is partly due to the fact that Bioware’s last game, Mass Effect Andromeda was both a critical and commercial flop, and many attribute this to Bioware being bought by EA.That combined with the disappointment and hostility created by some of EA’s recently launched Star Wars Battlefront II and it’s loot box system, means that there is a mounting pressure both for EA and Bioware to get this game right.
Work began on Anthem late in 2012, and production has ramped up over the last two years with the majority of staff at both Bioware’s Edmonton and Austin studios primarily focused on the new game. Although there have been a few eyebrow raising departures at Bioware since Anthem was announced, there are still some high profile names attached to the project, such as Casey Hudson (project director of the Mass Effect franchise) and Mark Darrah (executive producer of the Dragon Age games).
Overall, it seems that everyone realizes that Anthem is going set a very important tone for both EA and Anthem going forward. Luckily, Bioware and EA seem to be acutely aware of this fact, and are doubling down to make sure they get it right. With the title being delayed until 2019 one thing is for sure: there is still plenty of analysis and news to come between now and Anthem’s much anticipated launch.
Anthem’s 2018 Teaser Trailer
