Everything We Know about Anthem So Far
Anthem is an upcoming Bioware title that will combine elements of action RPGs with elements of third person shooters. However, it is important to note that it will be an online multiplayer game, which would explain why a wide range of people have been making comparisons to Bungie’s Destiny series. With that said, there are a lot of people paying very close attention to Anthem, not least because there is a lot tied up with its performance. After all, Bioware’s recent performance hasn’t been as strong as it was in the past, meaning that there are those who believe that the success or failure of Anthem could have an impact on its continuing survival. Something that is particularly concerning because while Bioware has worked on somewhat similar projects in the past, this is its first true foray into this particular genre of video games.
What Have We Learned about Anthem?
Story-wise, we still know little about Anthem in spite of the fact that it is set to be released on February 22 of 2019. Granted, this is because Bioware is making a serious effort to keep things concealed, but considering the fact that nothing major has come out, that says a lot about the extent of its seriousness. In fact, even the name of the planet hasn’t been released to interested individuals at this point in time, which seems like it wouldn’t be that big of a spoiler. Still, little is not the same as nothing, which is why we know that the setting is a planet with plenty of futuristic technology that was built by people called the Shapers, who worked wonders with their command of something called the Anthem of Creation but vanished when those wonders were still incomplete. As a result, humanity has become holed up in a location called Fort Tarsis because those technological wonders can sometimes run wild with horrific consequences, with examples ranging from storms to even more serious occurrences with the potential to develop into extinction-level events.
Under such circumstances, it isn’t safe for humanity to head beyond the relative safety of Fort Tarsis unless they are in power armor called Javelins. Those who choose to do so are called Freelancers, though it is unclear why they are named thus because their responsibilities often involve stopping potential threats before they can ramp up into something much worse. However, it seems that there is more to the Anthem setting than that, seeing as how players will be expected to take on a much more human foe called the Dominion that has made a most unexpected return after having been responsible for the destruction of another major city that once existed in the region called Freemark.
Gameplay-wise, Anthem is pretty much what most people would have expected. In short, players will use their Javelins to take on both monsters and other enemies in a wide range of missions. After which, they will be able to pick up various upgrades and components that can be used to modify their Javelins so as to make them better fits for their personal preferences. This is tied into Anthem‘s intended end-game, which is a serious consideration for this particular genre because players won’t stick around unless they have something to do once they have hit the end game.
In Anthem‘s case, the intent is to convince players to stick around by dangling the prospect of better equipment before them. Essentially, beating missions on higher difficulties will unlock better pieces of equipment, which in turn, will enable them to tackle those same missions but on even higher difficulties. It is notable that Anthem is planning to have three separate tiers of difficulty unlocked after players reach its end-game, meaning that interested individuals should expect something of a grind if they are sticking around for the long haul. It is unknown whether Anthem will be using other methods such as a regular stream of updates to keep its players interested in the long run, but until we see its initial performance numbers, it is likely to that it is still too soon to make too many guesses about its future.
Final Thoughts
As stated earlier, Anthem is coming out on February 22. As a result, now is the time for people who are curious but still unsure to start looking in earnest into said game so that they can make an informed decision about whether they want to buy it, buy it later, or pass up on it.
