It’s a wobbly launch for Anthem, but BioWare’s shooter could soar to heady heights over time.
Its important to keep your expectations in check, then.
The visuals are super pretty, too, with detailed environments and character models scaffolded by brilliant art design.
When out on a mission, youre generally alternating between traversing the environment and engaging in combat.
The freedom of motion that flight affords you is maybe even more enjoyable while in combat.
Taking too much damage?
Fly up to the cap of that gigantic mushroom and hang out until your shields replenish.
A hulking brute with a ginormous shield and a flamethrower has you pinned down?
Falling into each Javelins unique rhythm is a really neat learning curve.
And the in-menu artwork for the guns atrocious, brown blobs all disappointingly look the same.
Abilities are more interesting.
If the gameplay wasnt so darn good, the monotony of the missions would be a deal breaker.
The biggest issue with the missions, though, has to do with connectivity during online play.
When the countdown runs out, youre teleported to the other players position.
Why couldnt you just start in the right place initially?
Its kinda-sorta generic sci-fi stuff thats adequate and inoffensive.
But the character work, particularly concerning the main four characters, is much more captivating.
The voice acting is superb, and the four characters go through a lot throughout the story.
After you complete the campaign, you unlock two dungeon-like Strongholds and three Grandmaster difficulty levels.
Overall, the post-ending content feels anaemic.
Fingers remain crossed, as we continue to hope thatAnthemwill soar up to those heady heights in time.
Anthem is out now for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
Rating:
3 out of 5
