Previews:
Gamereactor
It has all the right elements in place to do so, and I wouldn't rule the game out being a major success, especially in Asia and South Korea where its developers harken from. But at the same time, I think it lacks a bit of refinement and overcommits to complexity a tad too much for it to be challenging for the throne right now. You won't find many competitors that look as good as this game and have a similar breadth of content, but at the same time you won't find many that are as complicated as this game is either. Hits and misses. Swings and roundabouts. That's probably the best way to look at The First Descendant right now.
Fandomwire
While I had a good time playing the early preview build of the title, I have to admit that it lacks in only one area, which I highlighted in the previous subheading. Apart from that, it has great potential, and since it will be free-to-play at launch, it will be easy to recommend the title. This might also make people excuse its lack of a concrete narrative.
However, all of the above only stands on the shoulders of the game’s optimization, which still needs work due to the gorgeous but incredibly demanding Unreal Engine 5. It would have to be a playable experience and not be incredibly jarring, even on mid-range systems crossing the minimum requirements mark, for it to impact the genre truly.
When the game comes out, I highly encourage readers to try it. Especially with friends, it might be a lot of fun shooting down Colossi and using all of the game’s incredible mechanics.
The Loadout
So far then, I’ve ultimately found The First Descendant lacking. Between its empty zones, generally flat gameplay, and mixed Descendant design, Nexon is going to have quite the challenge when it comes to keeping players engaged enough to actually make it to its endgame content – no amount of glitzy, M83-soundtracked CGI trailers will achieve that.
Though its presentation is neat and its narrative beats offer enough to hook you in, the developer is going to need to present a robust post-launch roadmap if it’s to survive the unforgiving live-service landscape it’s about to jettison into beyond its first few months. As always, I hope to be proven wrong, but right now I don’t think The First Descendant will make it.
PCGamesN
The First Descendant isn’t GOTY material, and that’s why I like it. Its core gameplay loop is fun, it’s easy to play but hard to master, and it’s a seamless, quick experience that you can weave in around the myriad other things occupying your day. I’m excited to dive back in when The First Descendant release date rolls around.
Digital Trends
The gameplay is tight, there’s strong co-op potential, and it feels a bit more international than its competitors. That could elevate it and turn it into a surprise hit. A free-to-play launch certainly won’t hurt either. It also feels like the kind of game that could hit its stride over time, mounting a Warframe-style arc in the long run. The foundation is there; it just needs to find its personality fast.
VentureBeat
There are a total of 11 weapon classes from hand cannon to launchers. The loot stands out as different colors rising from the loot on the ground. You can fly through the air and escape enemies that are closing in on you. There are 560 different modules for customization. The core loop involves players creating their own strategies to reach the endgame, which includes instance dungeons where you take down enormous bosses in co-op play. At launch, there are a total of 16 dungeons available.
MMORPG
The First Descendant reminded me a lot of Warframe — at least in terms of characters having unique skills, and I wouldn’t really call this a “hero shooter” by any stretch of the imagination. Players are able to more or less select the load-out they want before jumping into missions or traversing the various zones available in The First Descendant.
I also had the opportunity to ask Lee more about content updates, and if they would be rolling out simultaneously worldwide, or would launch in Asian regions before making it to North America or Europe. “The content updates will be rolling out at the same time across all platforms and regions.” However, Lee said that this was a first and that this approach has been difficult. He also stressed that once The First Descendant is released, and updates continue to roll out, that he and the team would love to receive feedback from players, as their intention is to hopefully continue service the game for the foreseeable future. “We want to be able to share each different story, and make more new characters.”
GodisaGeek
You can also customise your guns with skins and mods, or unlock a ton of cosmetic skins for each character. The rub, of course, is that The First Descendant is monetised up the wazoo with skins, emotes, banners, one-use paints (did no one learn anything from Destiny?), and various boosters. It’s not pay-to-win, however, and you can always opt to grind for everything instead, so it’s not totally egregious.
A character modding system borrowed almost wholesale from Warframe makes adjusting your Descendants’ stats and abilities pretty straightforward, as you can opt to auto-assign mods to your limited slots. When you achieve a “Mastery Rank” you’ll often increase your capacity for mods as well as other stats across all your characters. Handily, your loadout will transfer when you swap to a different character, saving you the trouble of moving your best guns back and forth.
Launch content
Powered by Unreal Engine 5, The First Descendant is a next-generation looter shooter that focuses on the fun of grinding and growth. It’s a game where you collect and enhance various characters, unique-effect firearms, external components that boost character and skill performance, and modules to tune the performance of characters and weapons, presenting you with the challenge of creating your own unique build.
At launch, five new fields that have not been previously revealed will be added, along with 16 types of new end-game content called Instance Dungeons. Additionally, 16 types of Void Intercept Battles – large boss raids considered the highlight of The First Descendant – will also be introduced.
Additionally, Descendants, who are central to the game, will be added. In total, 19 Descendants will be introduced, including 14 original Descendants and 5 high-performance versions known as Ultimate Descendants.
Our most popular Descendant, Bunny, is known as an iconic mascot with a helmet resembling rabbit ears. Bunny wears a unique suit that can charge and discharge electrical energy, allowing her to run at incredible speeds. This suit not only enhances Bunny’s agility but also enables her to release stored electrical energy around her or concentrate it into a powerful focused beam, making her a formidable force on the battlefield.
Valby is my personal favorite character. She has a special ability to transform into water and create puddles at will, anytime and anywhere. While on water, Valby can use skills with reduced MP, allowing for more efficient use of abilities. This ability enables Valby to create puddles among enemies for quick movement or to liquefy and pass through obstacles, providing advantages in both offense and defense.
Our creative director’s top recommended Descendant is Ajax. As a tank dealer, Ajax provides a unique strategic element to the team. He possesses the incredible ability to distort physical space and summon protective shields for allies. These shields effectively block enemy attacks while allowing allied attacks to pass through unhindered, protecting allies and providing a tactical advantage. He ensures the safety of teammates on the battlefield while enabling them to launch attacks without interference.
PS5 Graphical features
Additionally, we are pleased to introduce the graphical features available at launch for the first time, specifically for PS5. Since last year’s Crossplay Open Beta, we have invested significant effort into optimizing and enhancing graphic quality for PS5.
Firstly, we added a Balanced Mode to the graphics settings, which was unavailable during the Beta. PS5 users can now choose from three modes: Fidelity, Balanced, and Performance, offering a variety of options to suit your preferences.
Additionally, we have implemented the high-resolution shadow mapping technique, Virtual Shadow Map (VSM), provided by Unreal Engine 5 after extensive optimization efforts, enhancing the overall visual quality.
Furthermore, we added options for Ray Tracing and AMD Frame Generation, offering choices for those who desire higher visual quality or improved performance.
The First Descendant’s development team is always listening to your feedback. Therefore, we invite you to the continent of Ingris to explore and share your valuable insights with us.
Developers give insights into Bunny, Valby, and Ajax gameplay, plus details on new PS5 graphic features.
blog.playstation.com
I seriously can't wait for this game. I loved the betas so much.
