Anthem Hands-On Beta Review: 5 Ups & 5 Downs

3. Gorgeous Graphics, Art Direction & Mech Design/Customisation

Props to Bioware's art department and the endless financial money pit of EA. Anthem looks stunning.

The vast chasms and waterfalls of the overworld; the imposing stalactite formations inside dank cave systems where insects flutter by and the general idea of a post-post-apocalypse where nature has overtaken the land once again is executed beautifully. You really want to see what's atop the next outcrop of rock, or around the next body of water. Problems annoyingly come with how Bioware restrict some of your overall movement, but I'll get to that later.

There's clearly a mandate of making combat and exploration enticing through aesthetic alone, and that factors nicely into the Javelins themselves.

Though the beta only lets you pilot two of the available four, each is an Iron Man-style walking tank of whirring components and armoured accessories accentuating different limbs or the human body overall. In terms of customisation you've got everything from the full loot system applying to head, arms, legs and chest, to a colour/texture swapper so you can paint and rework whichever parts you like.

Anthem suffers from repetitious combat almost immediately, but its customisation options are fantastic.