Developer BioWare went in depth on its upcoming multiplayer role-playing adventure Anthem today as part of its EA Play media presentation today. The studio provided a huge amount of new details about the gameplay and story. Anthem is due out for PC and consoles February 22.
As it revealed last year, BioWare reiterated that Anthem is an online multiplayer role-playing game that you can play solo or with friends. BioWare has traditionally specialized in single-player RPGs like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, so an online-first experience is a departure — but the company is promising to focus on story-drive content.
In Anthem, you play a freelancer, which you can customize in one of four classes. Depending on which javelin (the name for the Iron Man-like mech suits) you choose, you will either play as the ranger, colossus, interceptor, or storm classes. These have different specializations that include varying proficiencies with weapons, ranged sci-if/quasi-magic attacks, and flight capabilities.
As for the moment-to-moment gameplay, players will track down large monsters after taking quests from NPCs in centralized towns. As you’re likely already thinking, it is similar in structure to Destiny or Diablo.
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EA closed its show with a new gameplay demonstration, and you can watch it right here:
https://youtu.be/vsFN4dOnY1o
As for the story, we’re still only getting high-level details, but here’s what we know. You are on a world where the “old gods” left behind their weapons. Players must use these weapons to reclaim the planet. BioWare did say that it has built the game so that it can build new stories into this game whenever and however it wants in the future, and that’s likely the key takeaway when it comes to Anthem: EA and BioWare want it to last for years.
We’ll have to see if the game can accomplish that sort of long life, but EA is doing what it can to ensure it is appealing before it launches. That includes promising not to sell cosmetic upgrades through loot boxes. Instead, you’ll buy everything that you want directly.
I’m going to go hands on with Anthem as the EA Play continues, and I’ll have more to say then. For now, you can read all of our coverage of E3 and Anthem by clicking the relevant links.
