The Scar is an alien race that has a few variations like shielded snipers, base infantry, and hulking units equipped with flamethrowers and large shields. Plenty of times I would be gunning down a large shielded enemy for a few seconds before they even turned in my direction and by that time I had them dead to rights.Įnemy variety is also a bit of concern considering you only encounter a handful of different types. It’s just a shame that the enemy AI is rather un-engaging, often aloof, and occasionally buggy. Flying around to get the drop on your enemies or to simply get of out range, flows out from the combat naturally and it’s very fun. Quickly dodging enemy attacks before going in for the kill is extremely satisfying, and feels more dynamic and tactical than just sitting behind cover waiting for an opening.Ĭombat becomes about creating your own opportunities with all of these tools at your disposal. There’s also a heavy emphasis on flight and maneuverability, way more than other games in its genre. Each Javelin comes equipped with a range offensive and defensive abilities unique to the suit which synergize with other players well. Gunplay and combat in general feels really good in Anthem, whether you’re raining abilities down from above as the Storm, or letting it rip with a minigun as the Colossus. The Colossus is a tank-like class with high armor and brutal close-range attacks. They function similarly to traditional classes from other RPG games, and do a nice job of dramatically changing the combat experience in a meaningful way.įor instance, the Storm javelin has superior flight skills and can drop massive elemental attacks from afar that can prime or detonate combo explosions. Each offers something unique to the fight and have abilities only that class can equip. The standout gameplay feature is instead the four different javelin suits players can use.
Some curveballs are added in occasionally like collecting a few items and dropping them on a point while engaged in combat, but it doesn’t do enough to shake up the gameplay and as a result Anthem can get quite repetitive. It’s not long before you’re just jumping into traditional looter-shooter gameplay with non-AI party members, and after that the story quickly starts to feel like a side act.Ĭampaign missions mostly consist of fly to this point, fight some enemies, fly to the next point… rinse and repeat. There’s lore that you can discover along the way, similar to Mass Effect’s codex which helps flesh things out, however the pacing of the game’s story does not really give the universe a chance to set its own table. No one really knows what it’s capable of but the heroes know enough that the Dominion can not be allowed to harness its power. The main campaign as a whole is mostly spent chasing after a mystical MacGuffin known as the Anthem of Creation.
However, it’s a far cry from the deep conversations you would get into with squadmates from previous games like Mass Effect. There are also some characters from the main story like Haluk, a bitter freelancer that has seen some sh*t, that were interesting to follow. There were a few instances, like a small plot line of a spy organization existing in the fort. Not every character has something interesting to say either.Īfter talking to everyone I could in Fort Tarsis, only a handful of conversations really felt like they added anything valuable. Instead, players will occasionally be offered two different dialogue options, which most of the time still lead to the same result. Long gone are the days of branching dialogue trees and deep character arcs. Here you can talk to a bevy of different people living behind these walls, which helps flesh out the backstory of Bastion. In this area, the third-person perspective swaps to first-person to try and give players a more immersive storytelling experience. Most of the character interaction comes from your base of operations known as Fort Tarsis. With the help of a ragtag group of characters, you begin to try and thwart the Dominion every step of the way. You play the role of a freelancer, a noble group of mercenaries dedicated to stopping the evil Dominion from achieving their goal.