In comes The First Descendant, the brand new free-to-play looter shooter from Nexon Video games aiming to stake its place within the stay service zeitgeist. Over the course of 45 minutes, I had the prospect to go hands-on with the sport and really feel out if it certainly units itself aside. And whereas there’s lots to reward with The First Descedant’s aesthetic and content material roadmap ambitions, its capturing and overwhelming class-building programs finally left me unconvinced if it’ll discover an viewers to resonate with.
A Sci-Fi World
When it comes to stay service shooters, The First Descendant isn’t making an attempt to do something revolutionary, as an alternative leveraging acquainted programs and mechanics and marrying them to a grand sci-fi narrative. On this regard, Nexon makes an fascinating pitch, with the aesthetics of the world, and in flip its character designs, visually putting. Environments are a visible deal with with sufficient biodiversity between areas to maintain issues fascinating. However it’s the person character designs that really draw the attention.
Whereas I didn’t get to immediately have interaction with any of the principle story quests, the setup is seemingly bold, with most important missions tied to particular person descendants. It’s an honest sufficient hook, with 19 separate characters obtainable at launch to play as. Time will inform if the standard of the storytelling finally comes collectively.
Treading Acquainted Floor
Gameplay, nevertheless, is a very separate dialogue. Briefly, Nexon’s determination to design The First Descendant round programs from different established looter shooters finally makes the sport look and play like less-than-inspired variations of higher video games.
Followers of MMOs, significantly Future, will likely be accustomed to many of the core programs in place in The First Descendant. The core loop facilities round a big social hub, the place you possibly can discuss to in-game distributors and use in-game currencies to craft builds earlier than heading off to the subsequent encounter. There’s a wide selection of weapons to select from, 11 lessons in whole, with every akin to one of many 4 separate ammo varieties. There are additionally modules, chips you need to use to tweak a personality’s stats, modify abilities, weapon ranges, cooldowns, and extra. And whereas it might really feel a bit overwhelming to type by means of a number of totally different menus, I’ve little doubt that preliminary development will introduce gamers to those programs in a manner that is smart.
When you’re able to enterprise out on this planet, you possibly can select from a variety of encounters, every with a tough mode problem the place you’re free to allow a variety of modifiers to beef up the quantity of problem – and an opportunity for larger tier loot.
One of many two obtainable throughout my demo had been the Infiltration Operations, dungeons the place you and your group filter waves of enemies from room to room till you attain a remaining boss with some form of easy but participating puzzle mechanic. The opposite had been the Void Intercept Battles, a raid the place you struggle a tough boss in a singular area meant to problem how effectively you’ve crafted your construct.
If that is all sounding much like different in style looter shooters it’s as a result of it’s, as Nexon’s mission is to marry the “enjoyable of grinding” by means of dungeons and loot with creating competent builds that match the playstyle of your chosen descendant.
Right here is the place the sport actually stands out probably the most. Aside from the grappling hook, which may be hit and miss relying in your outfitted module, every particular person descendant has 5 totally different abilities: one passive that may affect how the character performs, and 4 energetic abilities you could activate to both self-buff or deal injury to enemies. It’s sufficient of a standout, with cooldowns a lot shorter than video games like Future (are you able to inform that is my looter touchstone?) and one thing nearer to that of a hero shooter. With regards to fight, choosing the proper descendant for the encounter actually does make all of the distinction. To my shock, it was really fairly participating.
Fingers-On with the Descendant
Sadly, most of my reward ends right here, as the general really feel of the moment-to-moment motion as soon as I acquired into an Infiltration Operation left me significantly underwhelmed. Briefly, capturing in The First Descendant simply feels stiff and off, with energetic abilities appearing because the one main saving grace.
In my time with the demo, I performed as Valby, the plug-suit, house helmet, and bomber jacket-wearing character you’ll have seen from the current trailer at this 12 months’s Summer season Recreation Fest. The first function for Valby is dealing aquatic area-of-effect injury, both by activating jets to slick up the ground and inflicting standing impact build-up, teleporting through puddle, and consequently dealing splash injury, or capturing a big bubble out of a launcher that pulls enemies in and causes steady injury.
Whereas I used to be solely in a position to play by means of my mission solo, you possibly can inform the degrees are designed with a full group in thoughts, with every member of your get together using their very own distinctive abilities in tandem with yours. In that regard, I’ve little doubt taking part in with others can result in a way more fulfilling expertise.
My main concern, nevertheless, is that particular person ranges appear to be they play equally to 1 one other, with the majority of the core loop revolving round working into the subsequent room, preventing a horde of provides, and repeating till you get to the boss. To not point out {that a} bulk of my expertise was confined to an indoor setting, rendering my grapple hook ineffective as there was little verticality at my disposal to actually transfer across the house in any significant manner. And with out the struggle modifier, there simply isn’t any enjoyable technique to make the most of what’s in any other case one of many core staple mechanics.
Fight was much more regarding. Aside from the sound design of particular person weapons, which I’ll admit was a selected spotlight – every gun sounds unimaginable and highly effective – capturing finally felt like a bland copy of video games The First Descendant is impressed by. If it weren’t for the crunch of the hit marker sound impact, capturing at enemies would really feel like I had been aiming at partitions, as most weapons left them largely unresponsive. It’s no shock then that closing the hole for a melee assault was not solely ineffective however borderline ineffective. Hopefully, Nexon is ready to make significant tweaks right here at full launch.
The First Descendant has potential. It’s a brand new looter shooter that’s not simply free, however particularly averse to any pay-to-win programs and wealthy with a 12 months’s price of updates able to go from the content material roadmap post-launch. To not point out its sci-fi story, accompanying aesthetics, and distinctive characters are sufficient to attract an preliminary viewers. However the true check will include how Nexon responds to degree selection and ensuring each its fight and motion mechanics finally really feel good. As of proper now, sadly, I’m unconvinced.
You may take a look at all of our protection from this 12 months’s Summer season Recreation Fest proper right here
