Anthem is the latest BioWare game that players can enjoy, but the team best known for their incredible work on franchises such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age is doing things a little bit differently this go around. Though definitely not BioWare's first rodeo with online play, their action-RPG does carve out a new niche for the studio - one in which many couldn't help but to refer to as a "Destiny Clone." I've recently gotten a chance to the play the game, as well as sit down with the developers of Anthem, and I just have to get this off my chest: Stop calling it a Destiny clone. It has so much more to offer than that.
Let me preface this hands on impressions piece by saying I do understand why people would jump to that conclusion, but this "insult" has been hurled around since long before we even got a glimpse at the gameplay. A lot of the slander comes on the heels of the Mass Effect Andromeda controversy, with many die hard Mass Effect fans blaming the lack of attention on the upcoming online title. Since the majority of the original Mass Effect team was pulled from Andromeda to work on Anthem, the concern is noteworthy but it does lay down a breeding ground for maybe not the most helpful critique. Now that I've gotten to play a little bit about it, I hope to discourage the knee jerk comparison in hopes of showing that there seems to be much more to this game than just a Bungie copy.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with Anthem. I think that if gamers go in prepared NOT expecting it to play like Mass Effect than it will be an enjoyable experience. Solo play is encouraged, as is being a team player, and as long as you go into it with knowing that it is what it's meant to be - a brand new IP - I think others will enjoy it as well. I'm anxious to play more!