Anthem

Anthem is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It launched on February 22 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Players take the role of a Freelancer, a pilot who operates an armored exosuit called a Javelin. Rather than controlling a fixed protagonist, players create their own Freelancer and choose which Javelin to take into missions. The four classes are Ranger, Colossus, Storm, and Interceptor. Each has distinct weapons, abilities, and movement characteristics, but all can fly through the game’s shared open world.

That world is shaped by the Anthem of Creation, a force the ancient Shapers used while building it. The Shapers left behind devices and unfinished work, making their technology both valuable and dangerous. Before the game’s main events, an attempt to control a Shaper relic caused the Cataclysm of Freemark. The disaster destroyed the city and created the Heart of Rage, a violent storm surrounding the relic known as the Cenotaph. Freelancers who entered the Heart of Rage to stop the catastrophe suffered heavy losses. The player’s character was among the survivors, and that failed mission continues to affect how other characters regard them.

The main story begins in Fort Tarsis, where the Freelancer works with allies including Haluk, Faye, and the Cypher Owen. Cyphers help pilots navigate missions by linking their minds to Javelins. The central threat is the Monitor, leader of a Dominion force seeking to control the Cenotaph and harness the Anthem of Creation. To confront him, the Freelancer must obtain a Javelin of Dawn and a protective device called the Dawn Shield. Owen’s decision to pursue the Javelin for himself complicates that effort. The campaign culminates in a return to the Heart of Rage and a confrontation with the Monitor.

Anthem was designed around cooperative missions for up to four players, though much of its story could also be played alone. Its activities included contracts, Strongholds, and free-roaming exploration, with loot used to improve Javelins. Flight was a defining feature: pilots could move quickly between ground combat, hovering attacks, and aerial travel, while overheating limited continuous flight. After release, BioWare added content including the Cataclysm event. In 2020, the studio said it was working on a substantial redesign, often called “Anthem Next,” rather than continuing with its original update plans. In February 2021, BioWare announced that it had stopped work on the redesign. The original game remained playable after that decision, but its planned overhaul was never released.