Despite not living up to expectations at launch and amidst the recent upheaval surrounding BioWare itself, there is still life left in Anthem, especially if EA is keen on pushing live-service multiplayer games. While BioWare saw significant success between the conclusion of its Mass Effect trilogy and Dragon Age: Inquisition becoming Game of the Year in 2014, its efforts to break into new ground with games such as Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem failed to perform as well. Yet despite its faults, Anthem had and still has good qualities that could justify BioWare's interest in a reboot.
Though not too dissimilar to Mass Effect in terms of genre and design, Anthem reflected BioWare's efforts to expand beyond its current flagship franchises and create a new cooperative experience for players. However, despite receiving praise for elements such as aerial gameplay and a contiguous open world, issues between its development and player expectations for better storytelling ultimately held the game back upon its release. Should BioWare and EA work to resolve these issues and reboot Anthem with a stronger focus on story, characters, and gameplay loops, then the game could redeem itself a second time around.
Anthem is Still BioWare's Diamond in the Rough
Anthem's Core Gameplay was Ahead of Its Time
While BioWare did intend to commit to reworking and moving forward with Anthem through seasonal updates and post-launch content, such as "Cataclysms" to advance its story, by 2021 it had been confirmed that future development for Anthem had stopped. However, despite this, Anthem is still available to play as both single-player and multiplayer, something which has helped revive interest in the game years later.
What most separates Anthem from other BioWare games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age are its flight mechanics, Javelin exosuits, and world design. In particular, while Motive Studios works on its new Iron Man game, it might want to take notes from Anthem for setting the standard for flying gameplay, given that it's the game's most well-regarded feature. In addition to this, Anthem's four Javelin exosuits (which parallel traditional RPG classes) allow players to customize and tailor their gameplay to suit their individual styles.
Why Anthem Deserves a Second Chance From Both Players and Developers
While Anthem might be held back in areas like a lack of mission variety and an underdeveloped story, its core gameplay is as much ahead of its time as it is fun to play. With BioWare's future uncertain beyond its next Mass Effect game, players who are prepared to give Anthem a second chance could help with its revival since it already has the foundations of a good game. After at least one of Anthem's producers suggested a reboot could be a good move, players might ultimately have the power to make this a reality and shape BioWare's future beyond Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
After Dragon Age: The Veilguard's mixed reception, EA suggested its lack of live-service elements led to the game falling short of expectations. However, it would arguably make more sense for EA to have focused on Anthem if this was the goal it had in mind. If EA is committed to pushing more live-service gameplay in BioWare's games, then Anthem warrants a second chance, as its current issues can be resolved with a relaunch. While BioWare fans may still advocate for story-driven single-player experiences, Anthem could be the studio's best compromise between its players and publisher.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 61 /100 Critics Rec: 13%
- Released
- February 22, 2019
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Alcohol Reference, Language, Mild Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Developer(s)
- BioWare
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Frostbite 3
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
