The more and more ofOutridersthat get shown, the easier and easier it is to draw comparisons between it andAnthem. But no, not theAnthemthat launched, theAnthemthat was promised. Of course, the obvious caveat here is thatAnthemhas launched, thatAnthemis getting a re-work, and thatOutriderswon’t see the light of day until February 2021, but it is remarkable nonetheless.
OutridersandAnthem 2.0are both loot-based Sci-Fi RPG shooters. Both revolve around the exploration of a deadly planet, although the story ofOutridersis more comparable toMass Effect Andromeda, yet the environment of bothOutridersandAnthemrevolve around a deadly mysterious force.
InOutriders, that’s the Anomaly; inAnthem, that’s the Cataclysm. It all remains to be seen, but asAnthem 2.0looks to take the game to the next level,Outridersmay have stolen that thunder in another way.
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Outrider’s Expeditions
In a looter game, there’s two clearly important things: loot, and endgame content to acquire even better loot. This is something thatAnthemfamously dropped the ball on, as not only did its loot do less than impress, its endgame content were its “Strongholds.” However, there were only three of them, one of which was a repeat of the final story mission. In other words,Anthemhad a lot going for it with the flying Javelins, but it didn’t make the landing.
Outriders' landing does remain to be unseen, but what it promises is something unique, mostly, in the looter-shooter genre: a complete day-one package.Outriderswill have Expeditions, its endgame content, but it will have 15 of them available upon beating the main campaign. What’s more, beating them will require some challenge but will unlock a special mission called Eye of the Storm, a subtle nod at the environmental effects of the Anomaly but also reminiscent ofAnthem’s Cataclysm.
WhilesomeAnthem 2.0details have been shown, it’s really not a whole lot go on in terms of what the game will look like afterward. However, BioWare seems dedicated to bringing it back from the brink, whatever it takes. But perhaps the biggest folly was how a famously single-player RPG studio attempted a games-as-a-service looter-shooter RPG. Indeed, adopting Outriders' complete day-one package approach may have cured a lot of what ailedAnthemand could be a huge boon toAnthem 2.0.
The question becomes what BioWare intends: is Anthem 2.0 simply the games-as-a-service title that it was meant to be, or is it something that’s meant to make up for what was? It all remains to be seen of course, butOutridersis serious competition forAnthem 2.0. Time may eventually distance the two enough that they aren’t, butOutridersshows all the promise thatAnthemdidn’t deliver upon. It may help ifAnthem 2.0looks toOutridersas the leader of the Sci-Fi RPG pack, but still, a lot is in the air.
Outridersreleases June 17, 2025, for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X, with a Stadia version coming later in 2021.Anthem2.o is in development.
