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Anthem feels like an easy game to categorize: It's BioWare's take on Han Yi-seul-I (한이슬) ArchivesDestiny.

That's how it's been viewed since the initial announcement at Electronic Arts' E3 2017 showcase. Anthem's subsequent appearance at E3 2018 only reinforced that thinking. But when you pause to really interrogate the idea -- BioWare's take on Destiny-- a simple question surfaces.

SEE ALSO: Take a longer look at 'Anthem,' EA's answer to 'Destiny,' with an extended gameplay trailer

What does that actually mean?

"What we really wanted to get to with Anthemwas a platform where we could deliver experiences more easily, for a longer period of time," executive producer Mark Darrah said during an E3 interview.

There were story add-ons for BioWare's Mass Effect and Dragon Age games, but making them happen was a time-consuming and sometimes fraught process. Anthemis built from moment one to be a living, evolving experience driven by continuing support from the developer.

"We wanted to have something that was a more ongoing relationship with people that includes storytelling, that included things like the living world and the world evolving," Darrah said.

"And then also the desire to get into something that was more shareable. So the more social experience where you're playing with other people and having experiences together that you can talk about without worrying about necessarily spoiling the entire story of the game."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

So far, so Destiny. There's still the question of how Anthemwill manage to stand out. Darrah has some thoughts on that.

"Because you have a suit that can fly around and swim, the level of mobility you have in the game is really high," he said. You play a pilot in Anthem, and any given gameplay sessions allows you to choose between four different kinds of powered armor, called Javelins.

"That [freedom] gives you an experience that's just different," Darrah continued. "It feels really good just to move around the world. That's allowed us to do a world that's bigger than you sometimes see."

Darrah is circling around one of the toughest ideas to communicate in video games: Feel. Without picking up a controller and playing the thing, there's no way to gauge it. Both Destiny games have been hailed for how they feel in combat; the movement and the gunplay is just fundamentally satisfying.

From all the reports coming out of E3, the feel of Anthem's movement does line up with what Darrah has to say about it. The Javelins are the foundation of this game's mechanical heart, and those that have gotten a chance to try it have had good things to say.

"It feels really good just to move around the world."

There's another differentiating factor, though. One that is more uniquely BioWare's to own. In Anthem, the studio aims to deliver a story that can measure up to a resume that includes RPG classics like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicand Dragon Age: Inquisition.

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"This is still a BioWare game," Darrah said. "We still have a commitment to characters that are interesting to get to know and form friendships with, and I think that's still something that will set this game apart from the things spanned around it."

Of course, none of this addresses the finer details. What kinds of things can players look forward to doing when they play Anthem? While there's a whole chunk of live service and "endgame" stuff to do that BioWare isn't ready to talk about yet, Darrah ran through some of the game's basic activities.

"Free play is a mode that you're going to go out in mostly by yourself. There will be other people on the server with you, but you're mostly on your own," he said.

From the way he described Free Play, it sounds as if it's somewhat analogous with Destiny's "Patrol" mode. You visit an area of the world with no specific objective, and you're free to do whatever. Fight enemies you encounter for loot, discover new bits of lore, gather crafting materials, or simply explore.

Next come the Missions, which serve to drive the story forward with specific objectives dictated by the plot. "Here, you're driving the story forward but you're also going to get more loot drops," Darrah said.

"So it's less about crafting, less about learning about the world, more about getting loot and also getting experience that levels up your pilot. So you're getting stuff that makes your Javelins better but you're also making your pilot stronger."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

After that we have Strongholds, which Darrah described as Anthem's dungeons (or Strikes, if you prefer the Destiny parlance). These activities will factor into the endgame as well, but they're not strictly for that level of play.

"Here you're going to play with four players, and this is going to be the highest difficulty [while you're leveling up]," he said. "So this is going to be largely focused around loot drops to drive your Javelin [development]. You will get some experience and probably very little crafting materials there."

There's also a fourth vector of play that happens when you return to Anthem's story hub, Fort Tarsis (and potentially others, though it's not clear). Here, the game switches to a first-person perspective and gives you a chance to really dive in on the story side of things.

"Fort Tarsis is much more about storytelling," Darrah said. "Here is where you are talking to people, building relationships up, becoming friends with people, learning about the world, deepening relationships, changing people's life experience and outcome."

One thing Anthemisn't built for, at least at launch, is PvP. There was discussion about delivering a mode that would let players face off against other players, but BioWare ultimately decided that including such a feature would place constraints on other aspects of the game.

"Anything around story ultimately gets consumed. We'll provide more story, but it's always just a little snack."

"The primary reason is because it allowed us to have a more varied degree of gear," Darrah explained. "It allows us to have a deeper progression curve, and it also lets us have more kind of wacky and out there gear without having to worry so much about how it would be balanced in the PvP experience."

There was an active conversation at BioWare about including it, and PvP may still happen down the road. Perhaps as an added Javelin that specifically balances gear around a competitive game experience. But it won't be there at launch, and Anthemwill be better off for it.

Hearing Darrah talk about all of this, it's clear that there's been something of a philosophy shift at BioWare. Maybe it happened as a result of Mass Effect: Andromeda's disappointing launch, but it's much more likely that the studio is just evolving to keep up with where many popular blockbuster games are headed -- toward more social, more shareable experiences.

That's the intent with Anthem. No one at Electronic Arts will make the direct comparison, but this isa game that's meant to take on the Destinys and Divisions and Warframes of the world. How it will deliver that while still retaining the uniquely BioWare vibe remains to be seen.

It certainly sounds like the story that's written is still of paramount importance, even if story missionsaren't a central piece of the game. Story guided the development of the world, and it's going to influence how things evolve over time.

"Because [Anthem] is this world left unfinished by the gods, it allows us to come in and change the world in pretty dramatic ways that shifts the meta and really causes you to have to rethink ... the way you use your suits and the way the loot and gear you already have [affects them]," he said.

"I think that's really where incredibly long-term engagement comes from. Anything around story ultimately gets consumed. We'll provide more story over time, but it's always just a little snack. It's things around gameplay and shifting the meta that really keeps people engaged long-term."

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