Anthem: 9 MAJOR Revelations From Kotaku's Exposé

6. It Started Life As A Dark Souls-Esque Survival Game Called Beyond

Back to Anthem, and besides initially being called Beyond, the hook of gameplay was entirely on survival. The notion of a constantly changing world was still there, but it would be controlled in real-time by Bioware, triggering harsh weather storms or other environmental hazards for groups of players to deal with.

The challenge wouldn't be grinding through loot drops and bullet sponge bosses, but literally staying alive for as long as you could, returning with the spoils of your travels to commune with fellow survivors. Described as a mix of "Dark Souls, Darkest Dungeon and Shadow of the Colossus", a ditched mechanic involved "[attaching yourself] to a giant monster" amongst other things, but all of these ideas would go up against the awkwardness of Frostbite, being ditched one by one.

Honestly, this earlier concept is immediately far more unique and meaty than the generic "bro shooter" vibes of modern day Anthem. Kotaku's report details so many ditched mechanics and even games, that you have to hope there's a future for them somewhere down the line.