How can Anthem stand out from the vast array of shooters? By flying like a superhero, says BioWare. Flight has been one of the major cornerstones of Anthem from the very beginning and was at the start of the development.
Who is speaking? The leading minds behind Anthem that we keep hearing are
- Game Director Jonathan Warner
- Lead Producer Ben Irving
- Lead Producer Mike Gamble
- Executive Producer Mike Darrah
They gave an interview to the major French site Jeux Video. An important topic there: flying.
This idea started Anthem: Mike Gamble explains that the idea was to find a heroic combat style. Players should fight like a superhero. They should always be on the move and do fantastic things.
But how can players feel like superheroes without breaking the game?
The answer to that was flight.
That’s why flight was so important: Even in the first month when BioWare was working on the concept of Anthem, they realized that players should be able to fly.
Everyone loved it – flying is the oldest dream of humanity, says Gamble. And flying is also at the core of every superhero fantasy.
Therefore, BioWare knew from the start: We have to get flight right.
Was there anything against it? As Jonathan Warner says, there was concern that a loot shooter with flying could also cause problems. There was fear that players could miss out on loot.
After all, players in a loot shooter are always looking for more and better equipment.
Additionally, flying in video games is generally dangerous because players could use it to cheat the game. They could fly outside the boundaries of areas, bypass entire regions, and miss loot.
Everyone had to work together to find a flying system that is fun and still doesn’t harm the game, says Warner.
It was difficult to incorporate flying into combat. As Irving explains, flight then had many implications for other parts of the game to make Anthem work. They experimented a lot:
- Initially, there were many situations where enemies blocked flying in combat – but that didn’t feel good because flying was so cool.
- They feared that flying could mean an “Instant Win” if enemies were unable to combat the Javelins from a distance.
- Therefore, they had to set some limitations in Anthem for flight to work.
- Enemies can now force the Javelins to the ground in certain situations, encouraging players to think more tactically.
Flight is supposed to be the thing of Anthem: Warner believes that flight will ultimately set Anthem apart from other games:
“I think flying is one of the big things that sets us apart because it allows us to view the world differently. Instead of just understanding our game world as the flat surface of the world, we see the space in which the player can move freely.
Anthem becomes more interesting at all times and always leaves the player to decide: Where do I fly? How do I get there?”
What’s behind it: The first part of BioWare’s plan worked out. The first reactions and associations players had when they saw Anthem were indeed: Iron Man, a flying superhero.
The plan that Anthem should fulfill a “superhero fantasy” has at least worked at first. Now it still needs to work in the actual game.
In the demo, you can soon convince yourselves whether flying will really be the big thing of Anthem:
