Admittedly, Anthem is very, very, very cool! In this game, you will wear a high-tech mech and fly like Iron Man. Although in games such as Star Wars and Destiny, it is also possible to escape gravity to a certain extent through cornices or floating skills, but the combat and levels are completely based on three-dimensional space - in the same type of online game, "Anthem" is still the first. But unfortunately, from the current situation, the completion of the "Hymn" is not ideal, and there are many problems.
The process of flying in a mech is a treat. Jumping, jetting, soaring freely, the whole operation process is not only natural, but also in one go. The jet engine on the mech is very powerful, and the air wave from each ignition has a thunderous momentum, which also makes me feel as if I really have great power when I control the mech. Flying freely in the air, I was able to enjoy the scenery along the way in richer layers and angles, deep into caves, skimming over lakes, and crossing canyons—it felt like I was directing an epic blockbuster, with the camera directing and the scenery in full view.
The relatively free flying ability also makes Anthem's fighting style different from most games of its kind. Making good use of flying capabilities to occupy and use the commanding heights to gain a wider field of vision has become a top priority in the battle process. In contrast, conservative bunker shooting, while able to play a role in extremely difficult missions, has limited tactical value in Anthem as a whole. And that also makes the overall pace of the game faster and more flexible.
Yet fragmented maps largely undermine this fast-paced and oneness. The main city of the game, the launchpad that serves as a multiplayer interactive social scene, the open world that can be freely explored, and the larger quest maps are all separated. The long Loading interface is even more common during gameplay. In some replica scenes, there will even be a screen that switches scenes two or three times. Ubisoft's original Division two years ago had achieved a seamless multiplayer open world – with such a pearl in front of it, the fragmentation of "Anthem" seemed a bit outdated
There are four different types of mechs in Anthem, namely Ranger, Storm, Colossus, and Interception. For their main function, you can roughly understand them as "warrior", "mage", "tank", "thief". As you level up, you'll gradually gain access to all four types of mechs. In addition, the game's growth system focuses on the characters themselves, not the mechs – so you can actually switch to your favorite mech whenever and wherever you want after unlocking the respective mech. In terms of play style, "Anthem" gives players a very rich free choice.
However, it should be noted that these four mecha combinations in the game do not form the traditional MMO classic "Battle Pastoral" iron triangle combination. The lack of healers makes cooperation between players theoretically limited to offensive coordination. Coupled with the faster pace of battle in Anthem, each mech is fully capable of being independent - this makes it much less necessary and urgent for players to cooperate with each other. While it may seem like other teammates are always fighting alongside you during gameplay, you're actually just fighting your own game most of the time — the mechanics make it difficult for you to interact and understand with other players like Monster Hunter, World of Warcraft, or The Division.
You can carry two firearms in the game, and according to your needs, you can choose any combination of different gun types such as shotguns, assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, etc. However, what really plays a decisive role in the battle of the Anthem is the skills of the individual mechs. When properly matched, the skills of these four classes will look both powerful and gorgeous. Storms can cast spells with the attributes of ice, fire, and thunder, and output high damage depending on the situation, or control the field. Interception relies primarily on trap and control skills to maneuver flexibly across the battlefield. The Colossus is adept at carrying shields to attract fire in midfield and relies on heavy weapon skills to engage enemies head-on. Ranger's skills are more balanced in all aspects, suitable for assault and short engagement. In contrast, ordinary firearms and weapons, due to their limited power, have become more like toys to pass the time while waiting for skill CDs. This design makes the process of fighting incredibly gorgeous, but in turn, it also makes the part of ordinary gun combat seem very chicken.
Quests and levels are the biggest failures of this current version of Anthem. On the one hand, the game's current missions are very monotonous in terms of gameplay. Even in recent years, there have been seven or eight different types of gameplay derived from the "Ubisoft Formula" - but the task of "Anthem" is only three or four ways to play such as "collecting 12 small balls" and "protecting the secretary who is working". On the other hand, even with such a monotonous and repetitive task, the Hymn is not enough in number. The number of main and side quests in the game is very rare, and even before reaching the full level, you need to repeatedly brush up on the tasks you have already done to earn experience points to upgrade. Such a monotonous and repetitive task quickly exhausted my enthusiasm and curiosity about the Anthem, and the process of playing became more and more utilitarian and impetuous.
From Dragon Age to Mass Effect, Bioware has extensive experience in crafting a grand magical/magical worldview. Unfortunately, this time the Hymn (at least the current version) failed very well. This is partly because massively multiplayer online games have a different environment from pure single-player games, and it is objectively more difficult to build an immersive and grand virtual world in online games than single-player games. On the other hand, it is mainly about the degree of completion. In terms of the plot performance of "Anthem", except for a limited number of key links that are staged positively in a cinematic lens, most of the content relies on monotonous dialogue and background documentation – which makes the game's story performance seem quite cheap. The game's small main city is inundated with flood-like worldview introduction documents. Almost every NPC has endless words to you and tries to nag you with stories that have happened in the world.
The story of "Anthem" is not temperamentally the type of Dark Souls that needs to create a sense of mystery. For a fast-paced online game, it is actually difficult for players to have the patience to actively explore the background of their worldview. Not only will this upset you with the clutter of dialogue texts, but it's also easy to get confused about its backstory. Of course, the story of the Anthem is not finished at present, and there will be corresponding progress with the subsequent content or expansion pack updates.
Vicious bugs and unstable servers are the biggest obstacles I encounter when playing Anthem. Sounds suddenly disappear during gameplay, matches join other people in confined spaces that can't be left, goals suddenly can't interact halfway through the mission... These problems arise very frequently. In addition, even with the accelerator used throughout, dropouts and retraces are still frequent. The vicious bug may be gradually fixed with the official release of the game, as for the network server problem, I am afraid that I can only ask for more blessings.
Overall
The current version of Anthem is only a half-finished product: missions and levels are repetitive and rare, the story is monotonous and boring, there is room for optimization of various types of mechs, and there are serious bugs and network connection problems. However, this game is by no means incurable, at least the basic concept of flying around in a mech like Iron Man is still outstanding in the same type of game. Perhaps "Hymns", like "Destiny", needs a large expansion pack that can turn things around and make itself phoenix nirvana.