If you felt a quiver in your loins during the final moments of Microsoft’s Xbox E3 press conference, there’s a good reason for that: your brain was processing the wonderful sci-fi jambalaya of BioWare’s newly revealed game Anthem and realizing that it looks like a bonkers hybrid of Iron Man, Destiny, Attack on Titan, and Mass Effect. With stunning graphics, compelling combat mechanics, and what looks like the Jericho missiles from 2008’s Iron Man, Anthem‘s first gameplay demo delivered in a major way and looks like it will deliver on the futuristic action-RPG promise made by Mass Effect: Andromeda.
In the world of Anthem, you are a mercenary known as a freelancer, who lives behind the walls of a city protecting what seems like the last vestiges of humanity. Wearing customizable exosuit armor suits called Javelins, players will be able to equip themselves in a variety of ways that suit their play style. For example, the Ranger is a balanced class suitable for all kinds of combat, whereas the Colossus is a beefy, hulking suit of armor equipped with heavy-duty weaponry like mortars capable of taking out large groups of enemies in explosive fashion.
The shared-world action RPG allows for a cooperative online experience as you and your teammates undertake different missions in order to stave off the human race’s imminent demise at the hands of all manner of creepy-crawlies. Based on what we saw in the gameplay demo, Anthem looks like it will be a strong competitor for titles like Destiny 2, which launches September 8. Those looking to fly around the weird, wild world of Anthem fighting megafauna, gazing at bioluminescent underwater life, and launching all manner of tiny missiles at enemies will have to wait until it launches in spring 2018, though. We will learn more about Anthem, previously codenamed “Dylan,” at this year’s E3, so keep your eyes on this space for updates to come later this week.
What do you think of Anthem? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Is Anthem the Mass Effect Sequel we deserve?
Images: BioWare
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).
