BioWare showcased how the endgame of Anthem can look in a gameplay stream. The developers play a “Legendary Contract” mission on Hard mode. This is played from the Ranger’s perspective using mouse and keyboard.
Different stream than planned: BioWare originally wanted to show a stream focusing on the weapons of Anthem. The weapons are often underrepresented in the official gameplay material.
The developers quickly decided to showcase a “Legendary Contract” mission. Contracts will be part of the endgame content of Anthem. The legendary contracts are particularly challenging tasks that are described as “repeatable, dynamic, and extremely difficult.”
The stream is played from the perspective of the Ranger Javelin, which becomes the all-rounder among all classes in Anthem.
Highlights of the Stream
Gameplay with mouse and keyboard: Many fans wished that the developers would show gameplay using mouse and keyboard. This wish was fulfilled with this stream. Lead Producer Ben Irving does not control the Ranger with a controller, and it shows. The movements appear faster and more precise.
More weapon usage in Hard mode: In officially shown gameplay, the skills of the Javelins often took center stage. Many streams or gameplay videos seemed to suggest that you could simply spam skills with your Javelin and progress well.
Reports from alpha gameplay indicate that this only applies to an easy level. In the current endgame stream, it is also noticeable that the group operates much more tactically and employs a balanced mix of weapons and abilities.
The environment of Anthem will be relevant for gameplay: Particularly interesting is the interaction with the environment. Anthem consists largely of vertical gameplay, as dictated by the flight capabilities of the Javelins.
In order for Javelins to stay airborne for as long as possible, the suits need to be cooled. In the stream, it rains during the mission, and the rain also cools the Javelins. The same effect is achieved by flying through a waterfall.
Damage numbers adjusted: In the first gameplay scenes that we got of Anthem, many were bothered by the gigantic damage numbers of the enemies. This has now been adjusted. The damage numbers do not seem as overwhelming anymore and don’t hit you in the face.
Flannel shirt of the Colossus is the unexpected star
The endgame gameplay is cool to see. However, the show then stole a flannel shirt. Level designer Emely Taylor proudly presented her Colossus outfit. To match the stream, she gave him a flannel shirt look that matches her own red flannel shirt. The Twitch chat was thrilled.
Emely also suggested that the Colossus would be a great canvas because of its large surface area. Fashion enthusiasts and artists can really go to town on that massive device.
Massive customization in Anthem: Customization of the Javelins is diverse in Anthem. This applies to both appearance and gameplay.
Criticism of the new gameplay stream
Viewers had little to criticize, and overall the stream was well received. However, there is something that fans have been skeptical about for a while, and this also came up in this stream.
Enemies seem rigid: Especially for endgame gameplay, the AI seems a bit rusty. One could expect that even the smaller monsters would initiate attacks more regularly.
Monotony: The missions shown so far seem to hardly differ from one another. Therefore, some fans are concerned about how long-term motivation will look.
Have you noticed any features in the new stream? Then feel free to let us know in the comments!
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