The latest trailer for Bioware's Anthem, debuting at PAX 2018 today, is full of impressive action and combat, but its voiceover is all about storytelling. "At the heart of Anthem is the concept of our world, my story," begins the narrator. "The unique combination of a dynamic, ever-changing world, and a powerful personal story." What follows is a fun reel of action scenes and the promise that missions you take will develop the stories of characters you meet in the game. Those characters won't be going on missions with you, though—those are for you to tackle solo or with up to three other real live human players.
The trailer also spends a little time on Fort Tarsis, your home base in Anthem, talking about the personal relationships you'll form with your "pit crew" and "shadowy figures with questionable character," depending on the choices you make.
Then it drops a pretty bold claim: "This is real-time storytelling: a reinvention of personal narrative in a multiplayer game."
Also, just in case it wasn't obvious: you hold the fate of everyone in your hands. You'll be able to get out there and save the world in February 2019.
