But according to Anthem’s executive producer Mark Darrah, BioWare chose to focus more on systems that let players personalize their Javelin suits in the game instead of the human pilot underneath:
To BioWare’s credit, the customization systems available to adjust the cosmetic look of Javelins in Anthem is remarkably detailed, which includes options to change the color (including the ability to create custom colors), finish, sheen, and texture, of many individualized portions of the Javelin armor. BioWare also plans on offering more cosmetic items (and only cosmetics) through its microtransaction system.
Considering that players are forced into a first-person perspective when they are outside of their Javelins in the Fort Tarsis area, it makes sense that BioWare did not dedicate a lot of resources to making that human character model a major focus of customization. Plus, even the social hub in Tarsis puts all characters into their Javelins, so that’s even more reason to focus on Javelin customization.
However, there are players who highly value the ability to individualize their human character models in games, especially in RPGs like Anthem, so there are bound to be some who are disappointed with the news. Although BioWare has yet to show off what this simple character editor looks like, it sounds like a very similar system used in Destiny, offering a few faces and some minor cosmetic options. Players will have to wait and see just how many options Anthem offers once the game launches later this month.
Anthem releases on February 22, 2019 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
