4. There Will Be Loot
Yes, this is a loot based game which means there will be a grind when it comes to late game. Chests you stumble across will offer up crafting materials and new gear, but it’s in story missions or strongholds that the really good stuff pops out. BioWare’s decision to make only an items rarity appear on screen and not tell you what it feels like a much-improved system over other loot games; players who discover unknown items are less inclined to leave a mission because what they picked up could be anything and the game banks on you wanting to grab more and more loot for better gear. I received mods, components, and guns of common, uncommon, and rare types for all four Javelins and they felt like a properly earned reward as opposed to farming, and the random stats and buffs gear offer encourages you to try different weapons and abilities. I wholeheartedly enjoyed the loot system and felt a much greater sense of accomplishment than I did with Destiny.
5. Surviving In the Field
The biggest comparison to Anthem will always be Destiny, but what many people don’t see is its similarity to Warframe. This is a game about your abilities first and your weapons second. Each Javelin feels different from one another; these are not simple ability swaps, they really do each fit a niche to combat. Gun play felt natural and crisp: each weapon I used felt distinct from one another and given the massive scope of the battlefield, these weapons had their own niche for certain circumstances; the Ranger using a combat rifle gave him versatile range with decent accuracy. The Storm, however, felt better suited to an auto-machine pistol for medium to close range just in case someone got too close. The cooldown on abilities was short and forgiving, letting the fight light up with all manner of explosions and elemental abilities. You feel both powerful and vulnerable at the same time, as you’ll still want your allies there to help you out. When downed, allies can repair your suit in the field and bring you back to full health (minus shields.) This mechanic is not only quick but it reinforces the idea of working as a team. The potential for tactics in this game is astounding when you consider you can fly straight up and flank the enemy at any moment, and it’s tricks like that which suddenly give the game new and fresh battles, ensuring no two fights play out the same way.
6. Discovering the Narrative
For those who play Destiny 2, the sad truth is that every character you encounter is a badass. It makes sense to have the Vanguard be badasses, but Every. Single. Character. Is a badass in one way or another, and coupling that with a rather thin “summer blockbuster” kind of narrative makes it hard to become attached; even your Guardian is a silent protagonist. In Anthem, your Freelancer not only talks, they are a normal person. The demo gave us access to the mission storyline called Triple Threat in which we met Matthias, Zoe, and many others. They all had personality, emotions, thoughts, fears. Each one was unique from one another and that’s when you remember this is a BioWare game, they build people for a living. You aren’t the badass hero, you are a regular person just trying to do your part. The Triple Threat story has you spend a lot of time with Matthias and by the end of the demo you feel a bond with him and the crew that guides you. Anthem may be a game about awesome exo-suits and aliens and explosions, but it’s also important to remember that BioWare has made this an incredibly rich world both in lore and personality. The characters feel like real people and the story is more emotionally charged than you might expect.
7. Missions and Strongholds
The missions can be typical, although from what we got to play it wasn’t quite so rinse and repeat. the enemy AI is intelligent and will use every advantage to take you down, making for intense firefights. I was completely immersed as the four of us took on 30 Scar at the same time – plus turrets – and the battle raged on. Clearing the field leaves you feeling like you truly need to catch your breath as you are briefed on the next objective.
Similarly, the Stronghold available during the demo saw us take on a Swarm Tyrant. Strongholds are longer missions with a variety of stages to them, a simple narrative, and one hell of a boss fight at the end. My first stronghold was met once again with rubber-band issues, however, my second outing proved much more fruitful as we quickly found our stride and worked together as a unit to take on the big nasty Tyrant in her nest. Regardless of what mode I played in other shared-world type games, it always seemed like everyone was there for themselves but Anthem is built to have you lean on your allies and it does this incredibly well. I do see why BioWare said this is a game you could play solo but it’s better with friends; I can’t imagine trying to solo most of this game.
While the demo clearly wasn’t without its bugs and issues, the overall experience left me dying to jump back into Bastion and keep exploring. There are issues with the map, compass bar, and clearly, the servers which I hope are addressed but for the most part – for what worked – the demo was a success and definitely left the people excited for release on February 22nd. Did you get into the VIP demo? Will you be playing the free demo this coming weekend? Let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below.