Of all the disastrous launches we’ve witnessed during the last few years,Anthem’s story is the saddest to me. The first live-service game by a studio whose biggest strengths have been single-player RPGs, stitched together over the course of 18 months with substantial crunch, and project leads refusing to draw lessons from successful competitors likeDestiny 2—I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
How Not To Launch A New IP
BioWare’s only new IP in the past 14 years turned out a textbook case of how not to develop, release, and support a game. It stands as a cautionary tale, showing us that not every studio is a good fit for a live-service product and thatplayers don’t needthatmany ongoing games, especially at the cost of good ol' single-player RPGs.
But there’s unearthed potential in Anthem’s setting. The world brimmed with lush vegetation, unknown artifacts, and ancient ruins, promising a whole new kind of adventure we’d never seen before.
Although the ‘final’ game never really capitalized on that promise, BioWare Edmonton poured over six years into crafting the Anthem universe, generating ideas and concepts for this one-of-a-kind world. I believe there’s still enough depth in the franchise to pull off a sequel or reboot that plays to the title’s strengths and, hopefully, learns a lesson or two from past mistakes.
Anthem To Uniqueness
Anthem takes place on a mysterious planet called Coda, left behind for an unknown reason by a godlike race known as Shapers some millenia ago. Nowadays, Coda is filled with powerful and unstable ancient relics with the power to terraform sections of the entire planet or mess severely with its weather, causing deadly storms (known as Cataclysms). It can induce spontaneous mutations in wildlife or spawn new monstrous creatures, and even open wormholes to who-knows-where.
You’re feeling it already, right? A setting as diverse and rule-breaking is a rare find today, opening the door to some exciting possibilities. With portals leading to places you can’t even fathom, to dynamic storms that completely alter well-trodden map chunks to reveal hidden passages to unexplored ancient tombs or monster lairs—it’s a winning formula for an epic adventure. Sadly, Anthem tackled just a tiny fraction of its huge potential, but even in its limited form, there are distinct features that make it stand out.
You Know Which Game Did Flying Better Than Hogwarts Legacy? Anthem
Why did Hogwarts Legacy soar while Anthem crashed?
Anthem’s world is abandoned and chaotic, but it’snot your typical dark ‘dying world,’ a trope that’s overly familiar in today’s gaming scene, especially in soulslikes such asElden RingorRemnant 2. In contrast, Anthem’s playground is a burst of life, painted with vibrant colors, warm sunlight, refreshing waterfalls, and a sea of greenery stretching as far as the eye can see. To top it off, there’s a vertical spectacle—towering mountains, deep caves, arcane ruins, and strange objects scattered in between. Every step unveils dark secrets, yet the overall vibe is surprisingly positive, making it a pleasant place to roam or just chill with your fellow Freelancers.
Adding to the thrill of exploring Anthem’s environment, are, of course, the exosuits known as Javelins. These suits let you soar through the skies, dive deep into underwater caverns, or zip around on the ground at warp speed with their jet boosters. Ever since Anthem introduced its flight mechanics back in 2019, we’veyet to see a third-person action game to matchthe smooth experience of cruising through the air that BioWare nailed here. TakeMarvel’s Avengers, for instance: it notably falls short in that regard, even with several different characters boasting the same flying abilities.
Hopeful DNA
Anthem’s only hub, the frontier city Fort Tarsis, may be small and somewhat uninspiring, lacking the interesting characters that former BioWare is known for, but it still provides glimpses into a rather intriguing background. The devs carefully blended various cultures in an unusual way, drawing influences from Persian and Turkish styles, among others. With more NPCs, Fort Tarsis could’ve portrayed a bustling atmosphere, showcasing various cultures coexisting in this dangerous world. Together, they would stand against the odds, overcoming difficulties to emerge stronger on the other side.
There’s this sense of hope throughout Anthem, something I value more in games with each passing year, especially in the unsettling world we’re living in. The hope for something better, to live to see another day, is an ever-lasting theme that we need now more than ever, and I’m thankful for this aspect here.
A final aspirational touch is an enchanting score by Sarah Schachner, also known for her equally fantastic work onAssassin’s Creed Origins. Her music perfectly captures Anthem’s chaotic mix of futuristic and ancient vibes, adding a whole layer of mystery that calls to you. Oh, and her mesmerizing live performance at TGA 2018 (see above) gives me chills every time. Seriously, check it out now.
Anthem was undeniably a poor game at launch that never received any substantial fixes. Yet, over the past few years, we’ve seen countless examples of how even the most disastrous launch can be eventually reversed, resulting in a good, even great final product. FromCyberpunk 2077andNo Man’s SkytoGhost Recon: BreakpointandFallout 76—studios have shown that if you care about your creations, with enough time and hard work, everything is possible.
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N7 blew us away, now it’s time for Dragon Age to shine once again.
Unfortunately, BioWare and EA are not in that league. They decided not to commit to Anthem’s redemption, even though one was promised shortly after launch. Whatever their reasons for abandoning ship, Anthem went down in history as one of the most underwhelming launches of a new IP from a renowned studio ever.
But that doesn’t mean that BioWare should axe the Anthem franchise for good, as it still holds enormous potential and deserves a second chance. Just like the game’s DNA is drenched in a theme of hope, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that, one day, the studio will decide to revive the IP, although there’s a hefty ‘if’ hanging in the air.
First, BioWarehas to deliver on both Dragon Age: Dreadwolfand the nextMass Effect, ensuring that these titles are, at the very least, decent from the get-go. That’s no easy task, especially given thedoubts circulating about the current state of BioWareand whether the studio can pull out something at the level of its past creations.
I genuinely hope that with the upcoming releases, the studio can reclaim its status as the RPG giant it once was. I want Anthem to make a comeback too, stronger and more captivating than ever, and I daydream about losing myself in the mysteries of its hopeful world once again. Sometimes, dreams do come true, right?
