BioWare Talks About What Inspired 'Anthem' And Its Beautiful World

BioWare is doing things a bit differently this time around with their newest IP coming out this February and as many have seen in the trailers revealed so far, the world of Anthem is one filled with both beauty and tragedy. We recently had a chance to talk to the team over at BioWare to learn more about the online game just before The Game Awards, including what inspired many of the architectural looks seen so far.

When asked about what what inspired some of the stunning architecture seen in Fort Tarsis and the surrounding areas, Mike Gamble mentioned that the team was particularly fond of many of the looks seen in Middle Eastern structures.

Since this is a setting where people are under constant threat of attack and on the mend after a huge hit already, the team at BioWare really wanted to make everything look and feel authentic. Part of that was having everything hand-made, since this is a place of survival - one that is without mass production - and this was something that was very important for the creative team to portray to characters.

As far as mythology and that sort of inspiration, the developers mentioned that it was less mythology and more a monarchy. Less mythical, yet still inspired by many of the ideals seen in common religions. When asked why they went a more universal route, Gamble said this was to make Anthem feel both familiar and brand new at the same time.

In the same interview, we also talked about the game's customization options where Gamble promised that there are "a lot of options" when it comes to how players can create their own character but that they chose not to go as full-on with it as they have in the past for two reasons.

The first reason being that the focus on customization really does fall on the Javelin suits. We've seen a few livestreams in the past of all of the incredible ways players can make their Javelin suit for their freelancer, and that's a getup that will be equipped for most of the game.

The second reason is that many of the cutscenes in the game will be seen in the first-person to give the feeling of personal experience. When talking to an NPC, you are literally looking through your player's eyes at eye level for a more immersive experience in between battles. Because of that first-person narrative choice, however, that means less time oggling those stunning characters.

Thoughts on Anthem and what we've seen so far? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below, or hit me up on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy for even more game-age!