Fans of Anthem are worried about the depth of the story, as Anthem only has two dialogue options. However, they overlook some things …
From time to time, there is new information about Anthem, the upcoming co-op shooter from BioWare. But not all info is received well by all fans. It has now been revealed that in dialogues with NPCs, players only have a choice between two response options. This is much less than in other BioWare games.
“Games are getting dumber”
At PAX West, BioWare talked a bit more about Anthem and the decisions players can make. A large part of this story takes place in Fort Tarsis, where players can also make decisions in dialogues. The choices are always limited to two options. Players can’t really make “wrong” decisions, as every mission is supposed to be playable in multiplayer.
On Reddit, some players see this situation as proof that games are becoming increasingly dumber and simpler. In just a few years, “there will be RPGs where you can’t make any decisions at all”. This is what critics fear.
BioWare has always had 2 options
In discussions on Reddit and various forums about the game, the comparison with Mass Effect or Dragon Age often comes up. In those games, players often had “four or more options”. While that may be true on paper, it’s not necessarily the case in practice.
Mass Effect always basically had two options you could follow: Paragon (“good”, friendly, righteous) and Renegade (“evil”, brutal, merciless).
- Do I shoot the enemy or persuade him?
- Do I storm the base or sneak in?
- Is this my favorite shop on the Citadel or not?
- Do I sleep with Liara or do we have an animated discussion about Biotic Explosions?
If there was a third choice, it was almost always “Let’s talk more about this, I’m a lore freak and would like more info” – this is exciting for fans of a series but not a real choice.
Everything was better back then – in other genres
In contrast, there were significantly more choices in older games like Knights of the Old Republic. Numerous response options existed, many were even tied to specific character attributes. Those with high intelligence could expose a murderer. Those with high charisma could persuade him. Those who are particularly strong could threaten him.
But that is precisely the crux: KOTOR was a solo RPG. Anthem is not, even if it has a story with single-player elements.
Personally, this discussion about whether “games and players are getting dumber” is getting on my nerves a bit. Anthem is not Mass Effect, not Dragon Age, and not KOTOR. It is a cooperative action shooter that places a clearer focus on the story than other shooters. But it is not a “pure RPG”. Therefore, we should not apply these standards to Anthem.
What is your opinion on this matter? Were the response options more complex in BioWare titles back then? Or is this just a romanticized view through rose-colored glasses?
