The Art of Anthem is a collection of concept art images depicting the long and interesting development cycle of Anthem – BioWare’s newest IP – a looter shooter Action RPG set in a brand new fictional world, where humanity lives in constant fear and danger! this book will take you on a wonderful journey, but be warned – it contains some minor spoilers. You may want to hold off getting it until you are done with the main storyline.
The Art of Anthem is a collection of art images and brief descriptions from several of BioWare’s developers and artists, who worked for over four years on the game and are responsible for this brand new world that players can explore in Anthem.The book was officially released on March 12th. I got the digital edition, because… you know… it’s significantly cheaper and I only really wanted to learn more of the behind-the-scenes secrets and not get a collector’s edition hardcover. The art inside is absolutely stunning. If you are a fan of Anthem, and if you read this, you probably are, you definitely should get The Art of Anthem in one form or another.
The book is just shy from 200 pages and consists of five major Chapters. Each one of them details different aspects and parts of the game, but they all go from way back in the days when designers had not yet settled on the final details up to the more recent days. You get a wonderful view of how things changed and in some cases evolved, while in others… not so much.
Each heading in the article is an overview of a chapter from the book. The last one is not. It’s labeled “Conclusions” and is my summary or “TL:DR” if you prefer.
Origins
BioWare has been working on Anthem for a significant amount of time. The book makes a note that it represents the last four years of the game’s development process, but it is rumored than Anthem has been in the works for over six years now.
In this first segment, called Origins, Derek Watts, Art Director and one of the main writers for The Art of Anthem, shares early concepts of the world the studio wanted to create. It was always supposed to be alien, but humans were supposed to crash from space onto this raw and weird planet, where they would have to overcome great obstacles and overcome great challenges to survive.
The first ideas the team played with were about spaceships crashing on the surface and this is how the human settlement were established. The first “crashers” would settle and start helping new ones that arrive.
The environments of Anthem’s world were always supposed to be a combination of things we know in our world and some strange alien technology from the Shapers – the ancient gods, who left this world unfinished and disappeared unknowingly where and why.
The first Javelin designs were a lot different than what you see in the game today. They were more of a mech and machine that the pilot “rides” rather than a suit… an exosuit.
Pretty much everything in Anthem is inspired by the triangle. From the javelin suits, to the Shapers’ instruments all the way to the weapons and even casual clothing. Not to mention the diagonal menus in the game. BioWare is going full triangle in the game. If you had not noticed that, I bet it would be pretty hard to “un-see” it from now on.
A New Breed of Hero
As we know from the game’s cortex, the Freelancers are a group that split up from the Sentinels seeking more freedom. The Sentinels are the ones that keep the order in the human settlements. They are the protectors of the people, but they obey strict rules.
The second chapter of The Art of Anthem tells many story of how the Freelancers became what they are in the final version of the game. A lot of attention is paid to the main crew that you work with throughout the store. You can see many and different versions of Haluk, Owen, Faye and others. The book shows how much the studio values the story of Anthem. Yes, it’s not on par with Mass Effect or Dragon Age, but if you go deeper, you will undoubtedly notice the finer touches and the typical BioWare style all over the place.
Here is where you will also see how the designs for the different Javelin types evolved over the years. The Interceptor, for example, used to be quite different in the earlier stages of planning and development. It was always supposed to be the most agile one, it’s just the appearance that seems to have been changed a lot over the course of these four years.
It was a big surprise to learn that BioWare’s first idea was for the javelins to not be able to fly, but rather have tools and equipment to climb. Traversing the world of Anthem was quite different before flying was implemented as a natural ability. The book has some amazing art images to show you of Bastion’s earlier versions.”We were more interested in climbing than flying” – Derek Watts says.
The Storm Javelin is unique in that it is the mage type of an exosuit. The design is similar to the ones the Dominion is using, because it is exactly from where this suit originates. It was reverse-engineered from Dominion javelins and technology. That is why many different javelins on their side have these iconic seals, but it’s only the Storm that has them on this side of the conflict.
The Colossus has always been a tank. Design of the suit has changed to make it more of a human shape that we know today, rather than a true tank mech, but it’s still bulky, heavy and incredibly powerful. It’s interesting to note that the Colossus alternative on the Dominion’s side is a lot more agile and lighter. The militaristic Dominion faction is a lot more advanced and knowledgeable in general.
Beyond the Walls
The third segment of The Art of Anthem concept art book is my favorite. I love how beautiful and incredibly detailed the world of Anthem looks. True, I too noticed from the first moment how very down-graded the graphics are compared to the E3 2017 footage, but everything is still very much jaw-dropping.
On a first glimpse the world is mostly jungles. That is true. I am certain the next new regions that will (eventually?!) be added with new content in the months and years to come, will offer diferent landscapes and environment, but what we have now should be appreciated.
The finer details and the small differences are what captures the eye often. While waterfalls are a dominant element of the world of Anthem, they also bring a unique feeling of life and realism to this wild alien world.
The different factions have left their marks on the territories as well. Take Scars for example. The Scars are the most common enemy beyond the walls. They are a scavenging dirty creatures. BioWare intentionally never show us what they really look like under their crazy suits of armor. Scars tend to destroy every last bit of flora and fauna in and around their settlements and camps. It’s very easy to recognize when you are entering Scar territory.
Not to mention the wild life. Anthem is full of all sorts of creatures. Regardless of how hostile they are, each individual is designed with incredible detail and is usually a mix of Earlh-based animals. In many of the creatures you would recognize a bit of rabbit, parts of a cow, elements of a wolf and so on.
Allies and Enemies
The main human settlement and the only one you get to explore in the game for now is Fort Tarsis. It’s only a small part of the game, but is of vital importance. Here the designers have mashed together several architectural styles. Modern is mixed very well with eastern motives and old style architecture.
Tarsis is where you will spend time talking to various NPCs and get to know your crew. The settlement has a few different areas. The most notable one is the Forge. Its looks are intended to remind you of an old garage. Javelins are not coming off a production line in Anthem. They are all hand-crafted.
This living and breathing world has a very rich history. Just standing at the door and looking up, you would see a large number of flags. This is a great way to show the many different groups, organisations and factions that live and work together to survive in this harsh world.
As you probably know already, you get to meet and work with some of the factions in the Fort. The Art of Anthem has a few incredible stories and secrets to tell you about the Arcanists, the Sentinels, Corvus, the Engineers, the Regulators and more. The bad guys – Dominion and Scar – are also present in this segment with more interesting details about how they came to be, but I spoke of both of these factions earlier in the article, so I will leave the rest for you to discover on your own from the book or by playing the game and reading the Cortex.
Myths and Legends
I already said that Chapter 4 (the previous one) was my favorite, but the last segment of the book has its moments too. Here you will learn how the Striders were designed, what their purpose was. I wont remind you that you were supposed to be able to explore the Strider’s interiors… Oops.
These giant machines are available in a transportation and fighting variants. The art designers show some concept images of fallen Striders that could be re-purposed to serve as a hideout or even a settlement. Striders can also be used as guardians of a camp.
Many of the many ruins and tombs you see in the open world have great stories and legends to tell you. If you are careful and look for the clues, you will discover a lot of notes and cortex pages with interesting information of what may have once happened inside this tomb of who this ruin used to belong to, how this settlement was destroyed and what it was used for before that… all sorts of cool stories indeed!
I love the mysteries of Anthem’s world. There’s so much we don’t know about Anthem and it has been a very long time since BioWare has designed a new world for us to jump into. It’s both refreshing and a little scary (if you are a lore-freak) how much there is to learn and how much is still kept in secret by the devs.
Conclusions
This was my not-so-brief overview of The Art of Anthem concept art book. I never usually buy these and today it is a common thing to have “The Art of…” for pretty much every relatively big game, and not only.
Most of Anthem’s lore is still a complete mystery to us all and I wanted to learn more. I did! I advice you to do the same! If you are just starting Anthem or are not a huge fan of the world that you play in, this book may not be for you. However, the art inside is so beautiful, it might actually inspire you to give the game’s lore another chance.
It’s not Mass Effect, but it’s deep and engaging. Checking out these images may also provoke you to spend a bit more time in the Freeplay mode. It is a bit boring to do it solo, but if your friends are not available at the moment and you still need X Freeplay events for your Challenges, mixing the farm with a bit of curiosity and exploration could be just what you need!
The book is available on Amazon in digital, hardcover and special limited edition.
Now it is time for me to go farm my Legendaries! It’s been a few days since the last one dropped for me. D’OH!
ANTHEM Beginners Guides
Are you new to Anthem? Here you will find all the basics to help you get started! This Beginners Guides Collection is always up to date with the latest changes from BioWare!
