As an avid fan of loot shooters since Destiny’s launch in 2014, I’ve grown accustomed to the genre’s predilection for high-profile disappointments alongside bonafide smash hits. The promise of an endless treadmill of dopamine hits from obtaining shiny new gear against increasingly deadly foes often obscures the technical difficulties of executing a game powered by persistence, balance, and a steady stream of updates.
So when Anthem crashed onto the scene in February 2019 touting open world adventures in upgradable mech suits, it held the potential to disrupt a genre accustomed to city rooftops and alien jungles. Bold ideas permeated the Frostbite-engine powered shooter: luxuriously detailed fantasy landscapes, thrusters-propelled aerial dogfights, abilities with booming elemental effects. Yet what could have been the Iron Man fantasy fulfilled ended up an infamous cautionary tale after Anthem crumbled beneath the weight of its own ambitions.
Still, with recent insider reports of a reboot in development, there remains a glimmer of hope that BioWare’s beleaguered loot shooter can rediscover greatness again with a second chance. Which leads to the inevitable question following every live game’s plummet from grace: years later, is Anthem worth playing now in 2023? After eagerly re-suiting up across over 60 hours with my Legion of Dawn contingent, I’m ready render my verdict.
The Good: Flight, Combat, and Javelin Personalization
First, let’s appraise all the positives that make Anthem’s moment-to-moment gameplay exceptionally gratifying at its best. Because amidst the woeful server issues, tepid critical reception, and lack of enthralling endgame lies a persistent technical achievement in the form of its fast, fluid core combat. When Anthem is firing on all cylinders, it represents the pinnacle of what I look for in a power fantasy looter: varied classes, explosive feedback, and deep customization.
Soaring Through the Skies in Responsive Mech Suits
Immediately from the opening beats when first hopping into your nimble javelin suit, Anthem asserts its unique selling point amongst its first-person competitors. The sensation of flight outweighs any lingering sense of disappointment or skepticism, as you smoothly jet through archways and beneath waterfalls while sunlight glints softly through the mist. It’s a triumphant promise of vertical freedom which Destiny and The Division seldom offer in their grounded, crunching shootsouts.
And impressively, the mobility never loses its luster even after the credits rolled. Darting between hovering snipers perches, nimbly dodging enemy projectiles, then slamming down for an epic superhero landing – it all coalesces into an acrobatic ballet of air dashes and slams. The flexible flight model makes nearly every encounter an opportunity to embrace your inner Tony Stark.
When diving into the nuances of each javelin exosuit model, the distinctions become starker. The Ranger zips about with its jack-of-all-trades flexibility while the heavy Colossus lumbers ominously, sacrificing agility for hardened resilience. My personal favorite proved the Interceptor with its lithe anime-esque cyberninja stylings and deadly piercing blades – a unique melee focus unseen in the gun-focused genre. Even casting elemental abilities simply feels cinematic, as you streak through the skies raining down fire upon hapless foes below.
Combat Captures Looter Shooter Chaos at its Finest
All four classes sport robust ability toolsets that lend unique offensive and defensive options without homogenization. From the Interceptor’s blinding crowd control to the Ranger’s missile-launching assault to the Storm’s elemental explosions, I tinkered with loadouts constantly to maximize damage output. Far from just stat differences, the suits fundamentally alter movement, aim, and playstyle preferences.
And Anthem further differentiates itself with the combo system, where coordinating teammates to “prime” enemies with status effects so others can “detonate” for huge spikes in damage becomes essential strategy. It lends even routine skirmishes an underlying sense of team synergy – knowing when to freeze a group so my Colossus can obliterate them with his mortars brought chaotic satisfaction.
Enemies further enhance the coordinative challenge with their own diverse strengths. While Scar scavenger infantry fill the cannon fodder role, the hulking Luminary will reflect damage if not quickly burst down while the Shieldbearer necessitates flanking maneuvers. As a looter shooter veteran, I appreciated that Anthem foregoes mindless ability spamming for something a bit more tactical.
Infinite Javelin Customization Keeps the Suits Feeling Fresh
Yet where the javelins’ disparate capabilities truly excel is customization. As you progress, blueprints unlock new weapons and gear across a staggering range of playstyles, whether close-ranged melee, long-range sniping, or crowd control focus. And rarer Masterwork/Legendary drops with unique traits and bonuses incentivize grinding to min-max towards ludicrous damage numbers or ultimate cooldown reductions.
Nothing matches the visual joy when first donning shiny new armor sets and watching your suit transform before you. What I appreciated most was the creative freedom – I could shape my Interceptor as an electric assassin while my friend’s Ranger focused on grouped acidic blasts. Despite sharing a class, our Tailor-made builds ensured zero overlap.
And the personal touch even extends to cosmetic touches, with vinyls and emotes to really put your own flair atop the suits. By endgame, javelins stand as an awe-inspiring canvas of self-expression and build possibilities at a depth that rivals hardcore RPGs.
*The Interceptor allows extensive specialization into melee-focused assassin like builds*
The Bad: Narrative, Performance, Content Updates
Yet most likely you’ve heard about Anthem’s shortcomings before – the middling reviews, controversies over BioWare’s work culture, the dramatic No Man’s Sky-style overhaul before being shelved indefinitely. Under the slick next-gen sheen lies deeper cracks of troubling trends thatDECAY signify why Anthem never reached its lofty ambitions and continues to languish incomplete.
A Generic Story Bereft of BioWare‘s Pedigree
Perhaps most tragic is Anthem’s narrative unravelling which deflates much of the initial mystique. Set on an alien planet shaped by a volatile, reality-bending force called the Anthem of Creation, this freakish wilderness brims with magical potential. Ancient rituals gone awry transform expanses into violently mutated landscapes while civilization huddles behind sealed enclaves. You play a freelancing “Freelancer” tasked with maintaining order and stability amidst growing chaos.
It’s a premise bursting with science fantasy promise that recalls Star Wars or Avatar in scope and imagination. Yet after an intriguing opening of taming savage storms as a Freelancer duo, the plot takes a boring slide into generic “big bad wants ultimate power” motivated by the usual world conquering urges. Side characters feel like cardboard quest dispensers relegated to B-plots while any overarching mystery sputters then fizzles out entirely.
Such uninspired tropes feel beneath BioWare’s pedigree for emotionally resonant storytelling and casts. Compare Anthem’s dreary late game grind to Mass Effect 2’s suicide mission or Dragon Age: Origins’ epic fantasy opera – it pales mightily. There lies an argument that narrative in loot shooters ranks lowly against satisfying gameplay – still, with so many warning signs during Anthem’s reportedly troubled development, alarms should have sounded louder.
At least the worldbuilding remains enthralling to explore revelling in the foreign landscape’s untouched beauty. But with mystifying plot threads abandoned and a forgettable rogue’s gallery of villains, Anthem’s story amounts to all premise without the payoff.
*Generic villains and lack of plot resolution disappoints given BioWare‘s esteemed RPG writing pedigree*
Performance Issues Persist Years Later
Look past the unfulfilling plot and further cracks rupture Anthem’s shining technical veneer. Peruse Reddit or gaming forums and lingering complaints of frustrating performance woes echo loudest. During launch window, troubling reports emerged of PlayStation 4 units overheating and outright bricking while frames sputtered into the teens during combat.
My return pilgrimage years later fared mildly better but stability remains concerning with hard crashes required full game reboots. Texture pop-in, extended load screens reaching over 5 minutes, and mission results glitching necessitate patience I shouldn’t expect nowadays. It reflects the underlying systemic fragility when loading so many variables from suits to enemies to environmental effects simultaneously.
By endgame, moments arise reminding that, at its core, Anthem seems powered by smoke, mirrors, and good intentions rather than excellence. It’s an unfortunate technical failure underserving the superb art and audio that tries upholding its crumbling facade. Perhaps deep architectural issues rooted in Frostbite can explain the lingering technical woes. Regardless, the state hampers longevity when frustration outweighs enjoyment.
Content Droughts Leave Gameplay Loops Barren
Still, the desolate late-game content landscape speaks loudest to BioWare’s live service failures. Compounded by mixed early reception, updates grew infrequent then ceased entirely shortly after launch. The vacant calendar left Ability few reasons to login grinding the same strongholds and contracts as diminishing returns devolved into mindless chore. For all the comparisons to Destiny’s framework, Anthem forgot the crucial ingredient of continuously dripping bespoke experiences to chase from raids to exotic quests to new planets that keep Guardians addictively returning.
Empty bars now fill out an unfinished progression system never expanded upon. The opaque path for gear upgrades eventually terminates absent guidance on what comes next. Silence persists on resolving cliffhanger narrative threads or outfitting additional javelin specialities hinted at earlier. For live games especially, steady content and transparency constitutes king – and by both accounts, BioWare’s support catastrophically disappointed.
*Lack of significant content updates led many players to drift away from the initially sparse endgame*
The Verdict: Cautiously Worth Revisiting for Javelin Fans
When evaluating Anthem in 2023, I echo many who’ve monitored its tumultuous journey – fittingly, a contradictory mix of unrealized ambition, general incompleteness yet enduring flashes of brilliance. Like gazing upon a towering ruin, vestiges emerge of the dream epic BioWare envisioned but failed to finish. Systems stand half-assembled collecting dust, bugs and performance issues linger uncured, while promised content additions never manifested.
Yet for all the systemic cracks and flaws, Anthem’s enthralled joy of movement continues shining brightly thanks to best-in-class flight and combat. Successfully updating traditional FPS tropes into a flowing mobility ballet pays continuous dividends while javelin suites brim with deep customization for varied playstyles. When gameplay clicks especially with friends, tethering explosive combos across multiple classes, Anthem delivers on ambitious next-gen promises.
So I recommend looter fans revisit this mechanically imaginative yet tragically incomplete gem – albeit at a bargain price below $20 and tempered expectations. Savour the environmental artistry and customizable Iron Man fantasy fulfilled then excuse yourself before the creeping sense of unfulfillment sets in.
With insider reports swirling over aredesigned Anthem Next built atop fan feedback, perhaps this sci-fi creation fable still deserves a second chance. Yet only with intensive overhaul addressing deep rooted systemic flaws can Anthem ever reach its intended vision. For now, witness both monumental achievement and folly etched into the towering unfinished monolith – a studio Icarus flying tragically close to brilliance only to narrowly fall short. Here’s hoping they somehow rebuild Anthem from the ashes towards redemption.