BioWare’s new IP, Anthem gets gameplay reveal

BioWare doesn’t seem to be letting its downsizing from poor Mass Effect: Andromeda sales slow it down any time soon, as E3 2017 offers a deeper look into its new IP, Anthem. Debuting in EA’s showcase with a teaser, Anthem enjoyed a 7-minute gameplay reveal at Microsoft’s press conference, showing the sci-fi, third person MMO shooter in glorious 4K.

You’re pitted in the role of a ‘Freelancer’ in a post-apocalyptic world, entrusted to protect humanity outside the confines of the safe zone in your Javelin exo-suit. There are many different types of suits you can choose from with two being showcased in the trailer, as well as upgrades to make each one heavily customisable. One of the more standard functions of the Javelin is its jetpack for both combat and exploration of the vast open world powered by EA’s Frostbite engine. You and up to 3 friends will take on violent alien enemies known as ‘Scars’, traversing through jungles, caves and even underwater in the post-apocalyptic setting.

Anthem is to be EA’s push into the live service, shared world shooter market, rivalling Bungie’s Destiny and Ubisoft’s The Division. Executive Vice President of EA, Patrick Soderlund described the game as “The lifeblood of our industry. It's also risky. At EA we have a lot of teams working on a lot of projects, and only the greatest will make their way to you. That's OK, it's all part of the creative process”. For those worrying about this risk, it’s worth noting that the main studio behind Anthem is BioWare Edmonton, the creators of the original Mass Effect trilogy rather than BioWare Montreal who were responsible for Andromeda.

KitGuru Says: BioWare might be ditching its traditional RPG style for more of an action adventure approach, but its way with characters and dialogue mean it is unlikely to suffer like vanilla Destiny originally did. What do you think of Anthem?

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