Stephanie Bendixsen: When Anthem’s breathtaking beauty is only exoskin deep

If there’s an afterlife, I hope it looks like this game’s breathtakingly beautiful landscape. But these sticking points are where Anthem’s core mission design kinda falls apart, writes Stephanie Bendixsen.

As I climb into my javelin exosuit, the worn leather interior fades to black. I get my bearings, stepping out on to the launch platform. This is my favourite moment, staring out over the vast, verdant landscape I call home.

Waterfalls spill over ancient cliffs, dotted with the mysterious ruins of past civilisations — their lost technology a reminder of what we’re fighting to preserve.

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Soft clouds filter gentle sunlight that casts hues of pink and yellow across the rivers and pools that are nestled among lush rainforest. If there’s an afterlife, I hope it looks like this.

Beside me, my fellow freelancers are preparing themselves for the mission ahead.

Together, we make our way to the edge, step off — and fly. It’s a sensation of pure and unadulterated freedom.

We tilt and lean, diving sharply to prevent the javelins from overheating. Sometimes I’ll duck and weave through little tunnels or pause on a rocky platform to take in my surroundings. Then I’m away again.

Anthem is visually stunning in its design.

In Anthem, flying is a sensation of pure, unadulterated freedom. .

— Don’t miss Screen, the new 32-page entertainment guide in your Sunday Herald Sun

I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a system of movement quite like this.

Ahead, we spy our mission objective at the mouth of a cave entrance. I propel myself into the air again, angling down so that I can skim the surface of the water as I make my way towards the cave.

The entrance is dark and unnerving. For a moment, I’m worried that … oh.

It’s a loading screen.

Anthem is an online multiplayer action-adventure title (somewhat similar to Destiny) that has proved rather divisive with players.

While being slightly on the fence, I do have one foot firmly in the pro-Anthem camp — but so much of what I love about this experience is tempered by that same disappointment of hitting loading screens when you’re desperate to stay fully immersed.

It’s not bad, but it could have been so much better. This is a genre that is yet to fully hit its stride.

Let’s talk about the good stuff. First and foremost — as I laid on rather thickly in my intro — the game is breathtakingly beautiful.

Visually, it’s one of the most stunning landscapes I’ve ever had the pleasure of being in, digitally or otherwise, and that in itself makes you want to spend time there.

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One downside is hitting a loading screen when you’re desperate to stay fully immersed.

Anthem’s moving system is undeniably addictive.

And combat is glorious, with four classes to choose from.

Added to that is a movement system that is undeniably addictive.

So much care and thought has been put into the way you traverse this landscape that you can spend hours just messing around in the “freeplay” zone with your friends, enjoying the suits and showing off. You feel a bit like Ironman in an Avatar movie.

Likewise, combat is glorious. There are four classes to choose from: a heavy tank, a ranger, the speedy interceptor, and my personal favourite, the “storm” — a kind of sci-version of a mage class.

The javelins can be kitted out with a range of modifications, and for the storm, this meant choosing between fireballs, explosions of lightning, and shards of ice. I appreciate any class that provides an alternative to gun-focused gameplay (simply because I’m not great at it).

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Story-wise, it’s a little hard to follow (sci-fi lore always means lots of exposition and complicated history).

The gist of it: Long ago, a lost civilisation created structures that harnessed an omnipresent power called the Anthem of Creation. But an evil group called the Dominion wants to snatch up all the tech and use the power of the Anthem to rule the world — so we’re charged with protecting it.

And here’s where it all kinda falls apart. I’ve been reviewing games for 10 years, and I can’t tell you how many signal boosters I’ve repaired, power cores I’ve deactivated, lost allies I’ve rescued or mysterious relics I’ve recovered — all while fighting off wave after wave of baddies.

The breathtakingly beautiful game is a marvel.

 

But all that beautiful combat and movement is wasted if the core mission design is boring.

 

— Don’t miss Screen, the new 32-page entertainment guide in your Sunday Herald Sun

I get it, games need to follow a certain structure — but at the end of the day, all that beautiful combat and movement is wasted if the core mission design is just … boring.

Co-operative play is one thing, but there’s no opportunity for PVP (player v player) with other squads. Also, if you jump in with randoms, they’ll often charge off in different directions, which results in you being teleported rather abruptly ahead. Again, loading screen — and again, you’re pulled out of the moment.

Another pain-point is micro-transactions. It’s not pay-to-win, but a big part of this game is cosmetic upgrades and variations in abilities and gear. The grind to get coin is pretty slow, but surprise surprise, if you want to fork out real-world cash to speed up the process, you can.

In the end, it all comes down to this: I love the freedom, the cool sci-fi combat and spending time in this beautiful world. I’m spellbound by it and yeah, I’m still playing it because my friends are fun to play with.

But I’m just not sure how many signal boosters I’m willing to repair in order to get a cool new decal for my mech-suit.

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