The rating of Anthem is rather poor in tests. The game has been criticized a lot in recent days. However, Leya does not agree with one criticism: For her, Anthem is not soulless.
I often read in articles and hear in personal conversations that while Anthem has a beautiful world, it comes across as soulless. This refers to both the open-world map and Fort Tarsis, the players’ home, where we meet the inhabitants of Anthem.
It says, for example, in the Anthem review by PC Gamer:
This is the problem with Anthem: It lives entirely off the moment of its stunning first impression. Once the initial shine wore off, I began to see Anthem as a derivative, buggy, and sometimes annoyingly soulless world that fails to unite BioWare’s unique storytelling with a co-op RPG shooter.
PC Gamer, Steven Messner
I see it differently. For me, there is a big heart with a multifaceted soul at the core of Anthem. This soul is evident in the many loving details that Anthem is brimming with.
A world without a soul?
After countless hours of exploring Anthem’s world, I simply can’t get enough of it. Yes, not even enough to listen to it. Everywhere I discover caves through which the wind whistles, waterfalls that rush down with a mighty roar, and ruins where bats squeak.
This world continually draws me in, so that I sometimes stop, forget my mission, and simply watch the play of sunlight on my Javelin.
It is a wonderful feeling to fly through this world with the Javelin and absorb it. I love maneuvering through the numerous ruins and practicing my flying skills.
But those who dig deep and stroll through the world with open eyes will be rewarded with exciting sights.
For instance, I encountered a huge termite mound at dusk, from which a menacing swarm of insects arose and circled around me. The buzzing of the creatures even makes me a bit uneasy.
Such details were not necessarily needed for Anthem. BioWare did not have to place this termite mound. Just as a butterfly did not need to be in the home base Fort Tarsis, fluttering around my nose as I walk down the stairs.
The ruins did not have to be filled with mysterious statues that might originate from a past civilization. I wonder what happened there, who might have once dwelled there?
This is a way to tell a story that speaks through images and for itself. More importantly: It stimulates my imagination and senses.
To function as an action RPG or loot shooter, Anthem did not necessarily need these details. Still, these details are there and make the world breathe, giving it a pulsating soul.
A story without a soul?
Anthem often hears the criticism that its story does not reach the forefront of single-player RPGs like Baldur’s Gate or Mass Effect.
Even with the story, there is talk that it lacks a soul and is unworthy of BioWare. The reasoning often lies in the studio’s past. In the GameStar review, it states:
GameStar, Michael Herold
We cannot influence the story either. In many conversations, there are dialogue options, but they basically limit to two rather uninformative responses (for example, “Sure” versus “Not really”). In this way, we at most influence the fate of unimportant side characters, but never the course of the actual story. The developers squander the entire story potential because we do not experience a memorable BioWare story in Anthem, but simply a series of rather trivial events.
Anthem is not a typical BioWare game. In earlier games from the studio, the story was clearly in the foreground. Gameplay is merely a means to tell and drive the story forward. There are significant decisions for the player, romances, and a strong linear plot.
With Anthem, it is exactly the opposite. Anthem is an online multiplayer action RPG with strong loot shooter elements. For such games, longevity is crucial. In this regard, gameplay and the loot spiral play a significant role. The story takes a back seat here and supports the gameplay.
Anthem is more comparable to games like Destiny 2 or, if you will, with the genre-related Monster Hunter World. That is where I also set my expectations for the story.
Anthem offers a deeper story than I expected. I never anticipated the grand epic in Anthem and was nevertheless pleasantly surprised. It may well be that the contact with the NPCs often has no impact on the bigger picture. The story is still open and somewhat vague here and there.
But how I have fallen in love or simply been annoyed by some characters!
I don’t want to spoil anyone, so I won’t go into detail. With the NPCs, I tend to take on the role of the listener; I enjoy listening to them. They speak of losses, fears, love, and war, and are sometimes even shady.
So, there is a man who told me that he himself committed a terrible act to ensure his survival.
A lot of heart and soul must have gone into the backgrounds of the characters. I’m just as crazy about the radio broadcasts consumed by the people in Fort Tarsis as we watch Netflix.
These stories are exactly what give Anthem’s story its soul. If I draw another comparison to Destiny or Monster Hunter World: My hero here doesn’t even have a voice. There is also no grand, epic story. In this regard, Anthem is simply ahead.
Anthem still has some construction sites, but not regarding its soul
There are many critiques with which I completely agree. I also see a significant need for improvements.
My two biggest thorns in the eye are still the technical deficiencies and the loot system, which needs work. The first major loot update for Anthem is already live. When the technical problems will be resolved is still somewhat up in the air.
However, I cannot stress enough that Anthem is just a graphics blender without a soul. I feel the world too much breathe, and I delve too deeply into the numerous small stories and details of Anthem.
I see a lot of potential to expand these hidden little details and make them even more meaningful. I would especially love to see more hideouts in the open world that reveal secrets and new places.
Anthem already has its heart in the right place for me. I am already excited about what is still to come in the future:
