Anthem is now in the first release phase in Early Access. Meanwhile, the first player feedback has come in. We summarize what is well received and what isn’t.
The background: Anthem launched yesterday (15.02) on time at 4:00 PM for Early Access. After initial connection issues, most players were able to log in without any problems and dive into the adventure.
Many have been able to test Anthem for a few hours now, which is why we summarize the first conclusions here.
What players currently like about Anthem
Overall, the reviews shortly after the launch of Anthem are mostly positive. Many issues that were problematic in the demos of Anthem were fixed at launch.
The controls have noticeably improved
In the demo, many players criticized the controls. Especially the flying with the Javelins felt clumsy and led to some crash landings. Diving was even more difficult. PC players felt this particularly strongly.
However, the movements are now much smoother, and players can make settings to adapt the controls to their needs.
The controls are reportedly set to be improved again before the official release of Anthem on PC, according to a tweet from the Lead Producer.
The characters have depth
Some players have quickly built relationships with the characters. The lively and engaging faces are praised. This has nothing to do with Mass Effect’s “pancake face” Andromeda.
The dialogues actually influence the bond that players build with the characters. You can quickly upset someone. This creates a deeper interest among players in the characters.
The game world is perceived as breathtaking
The map of Anthem resembles a mystical jungle, where tall mountains stretch across the landscape. There are ancient and towering trees, and water flows everywhere. Small passages and caves create the feeling that a secret could be hidden somewhere.
This is well received by the players. The combination of this with the effect storms of the Javelins and enemies creates a well-rounded science fiction fantasy.
Those who say goodbye to flying and explore the ground also find a few cool details. For example, the author found a gigantic termite mound, buzzing ominously.
The gameplay with the Javelins
Javelins are the combat suits in Anthem, each having different abilities.
Players appreciate how the suits significantly differ in gameplay. They harmonize with their abilities, leading to strategic team play.
MeinMMO-leader Zabulon states: “The abilities of the classes complement each other quite well. The Storm with elemental damage takes down shields quickly, and the Colossus with its flamethrower is excellent against crowds. The Interceptor can then quickly take down large enemies with its close combat weapons.”
This is also related to the combo system of Anthem. The Javelins can prepare attacks for each other that become more powerful through a combo. This also creates a certain synergy.
Reddit user gratethecheese especially highlights the abilities: “As a former WoW player, I’ve always loved games where abilities play a bigger role than weapons.
[…] In the last 5 years, I’ve found shooters really great, but games like Destiny became boring over time because you have superhero characters, but 99% of the time you’re shooting and maybe throwing a grenade.
Anthem, on the other hand, encourages you to use the abilities [of the Javelins] instead of the weapons.
I love how the abilities account for most of the damage and the weapons support them.”
The 4 Javelins in Anthem – Which class suits me?
What players criticize about Anthem
The problems in Anthem are mainly of a technical nature. But there are also design flaws for players.
Endless loading times
The biggest point of criticism about Anthem is probably the many loading screens, which are also quite long.
Reddit user Striker01921 describes it like this:
- You start a mission, loading screen
- You have to teleport to the team, loading screen
- You die and have to respawn, loading screen
- You need to teleport back to the team, loading screen
- You finish a mission, loading screen
- You go to Fort Tarsis, loading screen
Our MeinMMO reader Tobi also reports the issue: “The loading times are really terrible. If you don’t have the game on an SSD, the other team members have already completed half the mission by the time you finally land. Then you go back into another loading screen because you’re being teleported to the team. “
Players find this highly disruptive, stealing a piece of immersion.
The sound bug and other problems
Even though the bugs have been significantly reduced compared to the demo, some are still present. For example, there is an annoying sound bug that either speeds everything up, slows it down, or completely cuts out the sound. Some players still encounter the same bugs and technical problems as in the demo. Our MeinMMO reader Patryk Schulz reports:
“I’ve had everything so far, server crashes, sound bugs, long loading times, doors that won’t open, flickering, having the same Javelin standing in the forge, almost overlapping, frame drops that just happen after two hours of playing, the game simply crashes, rubberbanding, etc. So customers are once again being made to beta test.
You can only hope they fix it quickly; then it really is a nice game. I’m only level 12 and curious about what the endgame is.
Unfortunately, Anthem doesn’t seem to want to cooperate with me.” – Such severe issues seem to be the exception.
There are also some amusing bugs that are bearable:
Being teleported to other players is annoying
When you are on a mission with other players, you are automatically teleported to them if you stray too far from the group.
Suppose two players fly together to a yellow mission marker. One player lands to collect resources while the other continues flying. Now the player collecting resources gets a 20-second timer to move to the next yellow marker. If he does not make it in time, the game will automatically bring him there.
This means that the player who has distanced himself will be stuck in a loading screen.
Mixed opinions on the story
The negative: Opinions divide on the story of Anthem. Some players find it too shallow and say it doesn’t meet the standard of a BioWare game. Players complain that there are no real backgrounds, and it doesn’t feel like an RPG.
The positive: Others see it exactly the opposite. They find the characters charming and the dialogues in the cinematic scenes well-written.
Reddit user team56th praises the team: “Oh my god, I had no idea Anthem would be the game in which BioWare generally rethinks its dialogues.
The cinematic scenes in first person are so well staged, and everything feels great. […] The cinematic scenes in the open world remind you of Lord of the Rings, but with jetpacks and fast, dynamic shots.
The dialogue scenes have a much more natural flow than in Mass Effect or Dragon Age. BioWare seems to have improved the facial expressions down to the last minute, and they look much smoother than a few weeks ago. Big compliments to the cinematic team.”
First summaries from the MeinMMO newsroom
A few authors and editors have also become freelancers and were able to get a taste of Anthem.
Gerd Schuhmann: “The story is better than I expected. The PC controls are noticeably better than in the demo, I feel. I still had the disaster images from ME: Andromeda in mind during the cutscenes. However, they are really smooth. They have exciting characters with cool facial expressions, something I’ve noticed with Owen.
I play Storm. You can also tell that the different skills allow for different gameplay styles. The Normal difficulty feels too easy in a four-person group. But on “Hard” there are also longer battles where you don’t mow everything down.”
Leya Jankowski: I haven’t been able to play Anthem as long as I would like. Because it has a certain addictive quality when I slash through enemies with my Interceptor like a crazy space assassin.
I am particularly fascinated by the game world in Anthem. I want to explore every corner of this biotope and discover its secrets. There are many little details that make Anthem just charming for me. For example, there’s a radio in Fort Tarsis that only reports about Klauninchen.
What I particularly like in gameplay is that the fights are ability-based. The combo system and modifying the Javelin skills allows for a lot of leeway for crazy builds. I’m already curious to see what the community will come up with.
I have little trouble with bugs, but the loading screens are annoying. They keep pulling you out of the otherwise beautiful world.
What are your impressions of Anthem so far? What do you like and what don’t you like?
The prices in the cash shop are also well received so far. Many find them “acceptable,” even if they are not quite cheap for a full-priced title.
