2019-05-01+PC+Gamer

That’stheproblemwithAnthem– it

coasts entirely on the momentum of

its stunning first impression. Once

that new game smell began to fade, I

started to see Anthem as a derivative,

buggy, and at times exasperatingly

soulless world.

On a hostile, alien

planet, the human race

has etched out a

meagre survival thanks

to the noble efforts of a

loose guild of

exosuit-wearing

warriors called

Freelancers. A long

time ago, a mysterious alien race

shaped the planet by harnessing the

Anthem of Creation, a mystical

energy that permeates everything.

Then those ‘Shapers’ disappeared

and left all their Anthem-infused

power tools still running, which

causes all sorts of apocalyptic

accidents that Freelancers are tasked

with preventing.

It sounds exciting, but Anthem’s

story feels half-finished. Fort Tarsis,

my home base that I return to after

missions, is a narrative prison where

thestoryandcharactersarelocked

away from everything else. Most of

these characters never physically

accompany me on missions and are

always standing in the same spot.

They feel like quest givers in an

MMO – all that’s

missing is the golden

exclamation mark

above their heads.

I never really get the

sense that we’re

spending quality time

or enduring hardships

together, which makes

these regular insights

into their lives predictable and too

easily won. When I should have felt a

resolve to protect them, I was mostly

indifferent – which is more than I

can say about Anthem’s villains, who

are given so little screen time that I

barely understand their mission, let

alone their motivations.

IN A BLENDER

As mission after mission blends

together, I rarely have a clear

understanding of what’s happening

The story provides a never-ending

supplyofMacGuffins to chase –

Shaperrelics,ancientsuits of armour,

mysteriousrituals.Anthem is so full

ofmysticismandambiguity that it

feelslikeanexcuseto not adhere to

thelogicofitsownworld.

FortTarsisis alsofilled with

secondarycharacterswho have

isolatedstoriesI uncover bit by bit

each time I visit. These residents feel

superfluous and our exchanges are

often awkward and hamfisted, like

the time I pretended to be a

delusional mother’s dead son to help

her reconcile his death. Talking to

these Fort Tarsis locals doesn’t open

up interesting avenues in the main

story or change how I interact with

the settlement in any meaningful

way. It makes me long for BioWare

games of old when choices I made

had consequences.

I’d ignore all this to focus on

combat, but after every mission I’m

dumped back into Fort Tarsis even if

the first thing I’m going to do is turn

around and start another mission.

Quest givers are cruelly scattered to

each of its corners, forcing me to

slowly walk its unchanging streets

hundreds of times just to pick up

quests, turn around, and immediately

walk back. The entire settlement

feels like a waste of time, and that’s

exacerbated by Anthem’s incredibly

long load times.

Even on an SSD, loading screens

can take upwards of 50 seconds, and

I often have to wait through several

back to back loads just to get where

I’m going. It’s common for missions

to be interrupted by loading screens

between zones and when I respawn,

and there’s even a short loading

screen just to access The Forge

where I can change my gear.

HEART OF RAGE

The jungles of Bastion are

ridiculously pretty and soaring

through them with my squad before

each mission is sublime, but the

missions themselves are boring and

repetitive. Whether I’m doing a story

mission, a randomised contract, or

NEEDTOKNOW

WHATISIT?

A co-opthird-person

RPGshooter

EXPECTTOPAY

£49.99

DEVELOPER

BioWare

PUBLISHER

EA

REVIEWED ON

RTX 2070, i7-8700,

16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

MULTIPLAYER

Four-player co-op

LINK

http://www.ea.com/games/

anthem

It sounds

exciting, but

Anthem’s

story feels

half-finished.

A

nthem is a deceptive game. From the first moment I stepped

into its world and started meeting its characters, I was

stunned by how gorgeous everything is. The jungles of

Bastion are jaw-dropping, an alien landscape full of fantastic

vistas and wondrous ruins. Likewise, Anthem’s characters

are alluring. I was fascinated by how lifelike their expressions were, and

the voice acting for the main characters is charming and expressive.

ANTHUMBS DOWN

ANTHEM is deeply flawed and frequently frustrating,

but it sure is gorgeous. By Steven Messner

SUIT UP Get to knowAnthem’s four classes of javelin

INTERCEPTOR

This melee specialist’s

dual daggers can detonate

any combo. The

Interceptor also offers

unparalleled mobility.

STORM

This mage-style javelin is a

total blast. Hover over the

battlefield raining down

elemental abilities that

obliterate enemies.

COLOSSUS

This thicc javelin has a big

shield and can taunt

enemies into attacking it

instead of the squishier

members of the group.

RANGER

This jack-of-all-trades is a

good pick for starting out.

Its wrist-mounted rocket

launcher is great at setting

up combos.

Anthem

REVIEW