One of the biggest surprises from Electronic Art’s EA Play conference at E3 2017 was the reveal of Anthem (2018), a brand new intellectual property from BioWare. The new game was first teased at EA’s presser before getting a full on gameplay reveal during Microsoft’s E3 showcase.

Anthem’s gameplay reveal was shown running in glorious 4K on Microsoft’s Xbox One X. In my opinion, it was one of the highlights of the Microsoft conference because Anthem is absolutely gorgeous. With this in mind, it is one of the first clear showcases of just how capable the Xbox One X console is, and how it is able to maintain graphical fidelity at high resolutions.

The trailer shows a post-apocalyptic world whereby humanity continues to survive within a massive walled city (think Attack on Titan). Within this city are Freelancers (that is you, the player), people who don exosuits and venture into the lush outer-wall terrains to fight monsters and villains. It is your job to protect the city and its citizens. Regarding the exosuits, the gameplay trailer makes it quite clear that they are called ‘Javelins’ and that they will be completely cusomizable, complete with unique playstyles and “superhuman capabilities”. Even better, the Javelins have Iron Man like thrusters for traversing and travelling throughout the expansive open-game world. 

Unlike previous games from BioWare that have an intense focus on the singeplayer narrative, it appears as if Anthem is a multiplayer title with role-playing game elements. The trailer indicates that the open world is somewhat persistent and that players are encouraged to play with friends. In fact, it is quite clear that Anthem has taken quite a bit of inspiration from titles like Destiny and The Division. How the multiplayer aspect will affect the game’s narrative and story elements is not yet clear, but given BioWare’s pedigree it is safe to assume that it will be rather excellent and encompassing. 

Anthem is, without a doubt, one of the games I am most excited to learn more about. Alas, EA has confirmed that the game is only scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2018 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows. That is roughly 18 months before anyone will get to explore this fascinating new game world.

Owner, founder and editor-in-chief at Vamers, Hans has a vested interest in geek culture and the interactive entertainment industry. With a Masters degree in Communications and Ludology, he is well read and versed in matters relating to video games and communication media, among many other topics of interest.