Anthem DEMO Retrospect

After a shaky first demo and now the open demo run from Bioware’s Anthem I would have to conclude that the game is genuinely fun. Why is it fun? Well let me break this down in a #nobullshit manner real quick:

First, you get to fly around as iron man. To start that delicious layer cake of mechanized goodness you start out outside of your suit and climb into it. The entire process is aesthetically pleasing and really set you up to enjoy the free roaming nature of the game.

Second, the social atmosphere of the game does not demand but does encourage team gameplay. I found myself wandering around the free play area with another player. We didn’t communicate verbally at all but managed to watch each other’s back for 2 or 3 dungeon crawls, it was simple and non-invasive. At any point we could part ways. It was mutual.

And finally, the brief snippet of a mission story that we played was intriguing and downright mysterious. It left me wanting to know more. Not to mention (but I will) the few NPC’s around town you could talk to, namely the bartender who’s story had me laughing out loud.

In conclusion I’m left extremely hopeful. Unfortunately the game industry as a whole has a few bad apples that seem to have caused a hesitation when it comes to purchasing games. Although I will say it speaks volumes for Bioware to have all these different types of demos out. As well as the amount of wonderful communication they have with their players. I’m leaning heavily toward pre-ordering but I think I will just a little bit longer for more info from Bioware about the story aspect of the game.