BioWare veteran says “flying is Anthem’s best feature” but also its “worst feature” because it broke the game, and reckons Monster Hunter is a great example of how to add “really crazy things” without the broken part

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Regarding Anthem, BioWare’s previously operational live-service title, it received its share of criticism upon release. However, there’s one aspect that almost every player who experienced it can concur: the flying experience was exceptional. Mark Darrah, a seasoned BioWare developer who stepped in to bring Anthem to completion following a challenging development period, acknowledges that flight is indeed the game’s standout feature. Yet, he also points out that making everything else within the game was incredibly difficult due to the complexity of implementing the flying mechanic effectively.

Darrah expresses that soaring through Anthem is fantastic, as he explains the game’s development process in his latest video. He finds it exhilarating each time, describing it as if you’re diving off a cliff and then managing to prevent a fatal fall by somehow catching yourself. In essence, it’s a thrilling experience that allows you to traverse the world effortlessly and delve into an expansive, captivating environment in a unique manner.

Darrah further points out that although flying is not an issue with its function, it has numerous drawbacks in terms of how it influences other aspects of the game. For instance, the efforts of environment artists are diminished when players soar miles above everything, as they can no longer appreciate the details below. Moreover, enemies require long-range weapons to target players effectively, while the significance of cover decreases significantly.

Since our game is designed for multiple players, this presents a challenge as it means more of the game world needs to be kept ready simultaneously. This is due to the fact that your group of four might be exploring distinct areas, and the game must hold all those separate locations in memory at once.

Initially, flight wasn’t a standard feature in Anthem. Instead, it seemed to go through phases of inclusion and exclusion. According to Darrah, the designers struggled immensely to incorporate flight into combat scenarios. Consequently, the creative director decided to temporarily remove it, hoping that this would inspire them to devise combat within specific environments. Once they had successfully done that, flight could be reintroduced.

Darrah expresses that while flying is Anthem’s standout aspect, it can also be seen as a potential drawback due to the game design not fully considering the repercussions of flight. He suggests that the game could improve by better integrating flight into other aspects of its design. He emphasizes the importance of innovation in games and notes that introducing new features requires a corresponding commitment to adapt existing elements to accommodate the novelty. This is essential for pushing the gaming industry forward.

In simpler terms, it’s not effective to create a game without flight mechanics, then try to add them later because the existing systems won’t naturally account for them. This issue is particularly evident in Anthem, where flight occurs. You might notice a similar problem in other games that introduce new, exciting features. However, these games often continue using the same old methods for features not part of this new addition, which doesn’t always lead to a positive outcome.

Darrah admits that experimenting with novel ideas is important, but innovation always comes with its own set of implications. There are more effective methods for creating a new feature than the approach BioWare took when developing Anthem’s combat system.

Instead of immediately incorporating all new innovations into Monster Hunter right away, our approach could be to gradually introduce them at the edges and gradually merge them deeper into the game with each subsequent innovation. This method allows us the freedom to experiment extensively, testing out seemingly wild ideas that are mainly contained within their own areas for the initial evaluation. If these elements prove enjoyable and successful, we can then progressively move them towards the core of the gameplay experience.

As a gamer, I can certainly understand the need for a sequel, something Monster Hunter has enjoyed numerous times. Unfortunately, Anthem didn’t quite get that chance. However, flight was the unique selling point of Anthem, so it’s hard to imagine what the game could have been if BioWare had opted for a different strategy.

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2025-09-10 19:31