BioWare’s brand new IP Anthem, a big bet for publisher Electronic Arts in 2019, is finally available for all interested players to download and try through its open demo. We’ve been playing it on PC, including last weekend during the VIP demo which had a rocky launch.
Anthem is a class-based third-person looter shooter which draws comparisons to Activision’s Destiny, Digital Extremes’ Warframe, and Ubisoft’s The Division, and rightfully so since its core gameplay loop is the same. Although for comparison purposes, it’s the former that’s the most similar even if Anthem began development before Destiny 1 released.
From our hours of gameplay this weekend and last, and what we tried at E3 last summer, Anthem is very similar to Destiny. Too similar, even, in some respects. Players choose one of four classes - or Javelin armored suits - and can level up through gear and weapons. In this way, Anthem can be described as Destiny meets Warframe while trying to be Iron Man. The difference is that Anthem has one additional class compared to Destiny, and for players it’s the same one character called a Freelancer (think “Guardian” from Destiny) who can jump in and out of collected and upgraded suits rather than separate characters or player profiles for each.
As for the structure of the game, it’s also the same as Destiny but more forgiving and simplified when it comes to choosing when and how you play. For example, there’s matchmaking for every Anthem mission type and none of those weekly resets or time limits that make Destiny feel like a chore. There’s a Tower hub though called Fort Tarsis (which even looks like Destiny’s tower) but it’s full of lifeless NPCs and no other players can be found. It’s gorgeously detailed but not at all interactive in the demo. It’s here where players can talk to mission givers and use the Forge to sort out their Javelin loadout with acquired loot or cosmetics (and there are a TON of ways to customize the Javelins to really make them your own). Strangely, loot acquired during a mission - including basic guns of which players can carry two - cannot be equipped or swapped during a mission. You pick what Javelin and gear you want, and that’s what you have for the mission.
Anthem Copies Destiny In Many Ways And May Have Similar Flaws
The game and mission structure, the gear scores and leveling system, all scream “Destiny clone” but the latest and most telling conceit from BioWare on this front is the last-minute news that they will indeed be adding a social hub to Anthem. Why? Because that’s what Destiny players want. Called “The Launch Bay,” Anthem will feature a social area for up to 16 players to gather. Outside of this hub, players will see their party members (up to four) during missions, and can come across other players in the Freeplay.
It’s difficult to tell how big of a game Anthem is, but from what the demo offers and what news came out of preview events, we’re not certain there’s a lot. We’ve added content to our list of chief curiosities and concerns. So far, we know Anthem will only have three Stronghold mission at launch, which are the equivalent to Destiny’s Strike missions. If that and difficult variants of the game’s other missions or contracts are the end game of Anthem at launch, the game might be in trouble when it comes to its goal of being a games-as-a-service title.
As for Anthem’s story, the writing is mixed at best in the demo’s limited offerings, and those who’ve seen more of the story say the same. It’s at least presented with character moments, cinematics, and the protagonist character actually speaks - a must for a BioWare story. Where Ubisoft says there’s 40 hours of campaign in The Division 2 before its end game kicks in, this is what BioWare is saying - or rather, not saying - about Anthem:
The missions playable so far are short and simple. Follow the linear path and kill all creatures in the area or as they spawn in. And repeat. Some missions involve rescuing characters or collecting some sort of glowing pick-up, but for the character stuff they simply stand like a statue when rescued or discovered. There’s no escorting them back and we don’t see them get picked up, only a voiceover. It seems shallow, uninspired and incomplete.
There’s an interesting variety of unique enemy and wildlife designs, but their AI is unimpressive outside of their ability to force players back to the surface with weapons that overheat the Javelin suits. This brings us to the best and worst part of Anthem.
Page 2: Our Concerns With BioWare’s Anthem
Anthem’s Demo Missions Are Generic and Uninspired
The gameplay animations and movements are incredibly detailed and well-animated, and flow really well from running, jumping, floating, and jetting off, or any combination of such movements. And the moments of underwater travel are visually exciting. But the flight system is limited by the Javelin’s ability to control heat. Players can only really enjoy the Iron Man flight mechanics for less than a minute, unless they can cool down by making contact with water or flying downward. The coolest part of Anthem is therefore limited by this design choice (which is no doubt a gameplay balance decision) and by what feels like constricted environments. All of the combat areas, and even in free-play, are relegated by an invisible flight ceiling and a canyon-like system of valleys that look like they could fit into an Avatar movie. The game hits a home run on visual design choices but doesn’t make good on the sense of open-world freedom or true flight.
As for combat, it’s an equally mixed bag. Anthem does a wonderful job of making each Javelin useful for different scenarios, and they move and play very differently in terms of their gear and support functions, but the main gunplay - where every Javelin can use two from the same set of firearms - is mediocre. The primary guns are weak in damage output, sound, and feel, making combat extremely bullet-spongey. The feedback to weapons fire isn’t quite there like it is for using the special abilities and it feels too generic and under-powered. It’s just not fun to shoot the conventional weaponry. And most of the loot picked up is junk to be salvaged at the end of the mission. Note: players in Anthem literally pick up colored engrams just like in Destiny.
Destiny’s trappings found it caught with issues of poor in-game rewards at times, too much grind, a weak and forgettable story, a world that didn’t feel big enough, and worst of all, a lack of content. The Anthem marketing and demo fail to emphasize what Anthem is doing to address similar potential issues, but most of all, how it’s going to differentiate itself against Destiny 2 and the upcoming Division sequel.
Anthem’s Demo Had Too Many Problems
From a technical standpoint, it’s alarming how bad the VIP demo rolled out. To be clear, it wasn’t a beta. It was a paid-for demo just a few weeks from launch for the most loyal of EA and BioWare supporters who either pre-ordered the game or have a paid subscription to one of EA Origin’s services. They were met with an unplayable game for a day and their reward wasn’t more time, but an in-game skin.
Aside from that, the demo also highlighted a problematic interface which isn’t built for PC users (it’s clearly designed strictly for consoles) and that requires too much navigation - especially with the map and mission select screen. Toss in too many loading screens and game missions occasionally ending before loot can be collected at times or before all enemies are dispatched, and there’s some work to be done. The Open Demo seems to work as intended however, and there are already some tweaks being made to the UI, but we fear the game is being rushed.
Anthem looks visually appealing, but its yet to prove itself from a story or gameplay longevity perspective, especially when it comes to the size of the game and the size of its world. It hasn’t shown us a scale on par with expectations yet and we’re not quite sure what there is to keep playing after finishing the story. And it’s the mysterious story of Anthem (we don’t even know the planet’s name) where BioWare has the opportunity to make something special with this game, even if character interactions don’t go deep like in Dragon Age and Mass Effect (there are no relationships for instance).
More: How Progression and Loot Work in BioWare’s Anthem
Anthemdepending on a bunch of things releases February 15th and 22nd - - for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
