 |
| Gino DiGioia |
Thank God we only cover RPGs.
06.09.18 - 10:26 PM
E3 has begun, with EA taking the lead with the first conference. Normally, EA isn't really a company we cover much, but with Bioware under their helm, we do need to look into them. Their conference was about wat you'd expect, with sports games like Madden and FIFA 19 making an appearance, but so did some indie games like Unravel Two and Sea of Solitude. However, for us RPG fans, we were interested in only one game: Anthem.
Anthem is the next game from established RPG developer Bioware, the creators of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Originally announced last year, Anthem is a co-op shooter taking place on a distant world as the remnants of the gods' creations fight for life and freedom. Using battle armor called Javelins, humanity fights against powerful beasts and procure resources in a world that these gods, known as Shapers, created.
EA spent the final part of their conference talking with several key members of Bioware's development team and talked about some of the gameplay features. For one, this is a game with the option to both play solo and in co-op. Co-op players will have access to private servers where you can change the world depending on your choices. It can be as small as an NPC's opinion or as large as a massive geographical change.
The group that you play as is known as the Freelancers, a group of Javelin users who work as scouts or as militia. The Javelins they use come in four different classes: Interceptor, Ranger, Colossus, and Storm. They act as your speedster, gunner, tank, and mage, or at least, that's what they look like at face value. Javelins not only can be altered physically through abilities, but also through their appearance. Want a red and black Interceptor with a skull on it? Well, you can have that.
Bioware made it very clear that Anthem will have a choice-driven narrative similar to all of their other games. The main premise is that you are a new recruit to the Freelancers and you are defending your base from human invaders from a northern settlement. There are no romances that you can pursue though.
Personally, the gameplay still looks rather generic, and we'd need to know more about the proported RPG elements. If the narrative is at least interesting, as it has been in even their lesser titles like Mass Effect 1 or Dragon Age II, we might have something here. Check out the full segment of new gameplay below:
Anthem releases for PS4, XB1, and PC on Feburary 22nd, 2019. Stay tuned to RPGFan for more information as it becomes available. Check out our gallery for the latest screenshots, and check out the recently released feature by Game Informer, who have exclusive hands-on coverage of the game.
