The First Descendant, the proven third-person looter shooter powered by Unreal Engine 5
The First Descendant
A hundred years ago there were a series of unfortunate events that brought mankind to the brink of extinction. The Vulgus entered our dimension, began to sow death and destruction, and agreed that humans performed better than hamsters as laboratory animals. Seeing as things weren't dramatic enough, the behemoths also appeared, and began to wreak havoc on whatever was left to wreak havoc. It seems that in line there were at least three other alien races ready to eliminate us in the most creative ways in the universe, but given the competition they changed destination. Despite everything, the humans survived and gathered in Albion, a charming place where, between a cocktail and a potato chip, they began to organize the resistance, in view of the final battle. They were joined by some repentant Vulgus, endowed with prodigious technical skills, called Magisters, who gave our species access to very advanced technologies. They formed the Descendants, a group of warriors chosen by the prodigious abilities, direct heirs of the Ancestors, of the legendary figures who seem to be able to finish Freddy Hardest without using cheats.Guess who is responsible for saving everyone? To find out, we tried The First Descendant, a cooperative third-person looter shooter with role-playing elements from Nexon, developed using the Unreal Engine 5. Let's try to understand its potential.
The heroes
The initial heroes of The First Descendant To test the beta of The First Descendant, the development team gave us an access code to a character of maximum level, the fortieth, and already well supplied in terms of equipment. So we had very powerful weapons and considerable armor. It is right to specify it because some considerations that you will read surely derive from the particular conditions with which we had access to the game. Incidentally, the descendant, as the playable heroes are called, with whom we played is Sharen, a fighter who prefers close-range fights, basically an assassin, with a hyper-technological mechanical body. Her abilities are all related to close combat. So he can become invisible to carry out powerful attacks, has electric swords that inflict enormous damage, can launch shocks that stun enemies and knives that hit multiple targets at the same time (all those visible and within range when using the skill. ).Of course he can also use the normal weapons that are on the battlefield or that can be purchased from traders in the hub area, the initial one where the heroes gather and decide what to do, whether to leave on a mission from alone or cooperating with someone, but not before shopping in what appears to be a large futuristic mall.
As you may have guessed from Sharen's description, The First Descendant is a hero-based game, meaning it allows to select one of ten (actually 9 + 1, considering the Lepic variant) strongly characterized characters, all with unique abilities and a personal story. In this sense, however, do not expect the variety of an Overwatch, because here the developers have chosen a somewhat more uniform approach from a stylistic point of view. In fact, looking at them all together, the heroes look like a group of models, they are so flawless and uniform in appearance. We'll see if there will be more customization options in the final version. But now let's stop the chatter and let's start playing.
Shoot, Collect Loot, Shoot
Shoot a lot in the game In terms of gameplay The First Descendant looks like a fairly traditional title. As mentioned, in the hub area you can manage all the general aspects of our character and make the necessary purchases. So you can select a mission and go on an adventure, alone or in company. The first area that can be visited did not give us major problems. Having a high-level character with legendary weapons, we melted enemies like fire melts butter. In terms of shootings, Nexon's title certainly offers some interesting elements, which will however have to be checked in the final version of the game. Sharen's personality did not emerge that much, especially due to the fact that we did not feel any need to use her as a killer, as the imbalance of forces on the field was evident (in our favor). We tested her abilities, but in general it seemed to us that she pays a lot more for the direct approach than the playing up, at least under the given conditions. In the following areas she did not go much differently, despite a few more difficulties. After all, the game structure seems to be specifically designed to chain the shootings, rather than to give the player the space to explore or meditate.There is also a story to follow As soon as we entered the area we took a mission. The classic indicators then appeared on the map (read satellite navigator icons), which told us exactly where to go and what to do. In general the objectives are fairly uniform: reach area A and kill everyone; then move to area B and kill everyone; defend area C and kill everyone. If we want there is also just "killing everyone", but they are details. It is as if the game invites us to change arena from time to time, presenting us with enemies of increasing strength and variations on the theme such as the aggression of waves of increasing strength or the taking of some specific object.
The enemies at the beginning are very weak, the classic cannon fodder that comes down without putting up much resistance and without trying who knows what defense or offense tactics. Some seem to actively seek cover in order not to succumb immediately, but nothing more. Continuing, armored creatures appear, which you have to flush out from behind shields, perhaps coming behind them from invisible, which add something in terms of variety of shootings and tactics to be used to fight, but nothing that has not already been seen elsewhere. Slowly, bigger and very bad beasts are also introduced, which look like the classic bullet sponges. However, once all the enemies have been killed, you can finally collect the loot, mostly weapons, ammunition and resources that can be spent in the hub area, and then continue towards the next shooting.
The characters are all models To make the pace of the game faster we think the classic grappling hook, which gives good mobility and allows you to make the most of the composition of the maps, which become highways in which to run around. side to side. At certain times you almost want to stop fighting and get to the most remote places with the grappling hook. Too bad it doesn't make sense to do so in terms of play. Be that as it may, running around and shooting at everything that moves is rewarding in the short term, but it remains to be seen how satisfying it can be in the long run. It is true that looter shooter enthusiasts get easily caught up in the progression of the characters, because basically what they really crave to feel alive is to see the DPS numbers increase and the damage suffered decrease, so the duration of the game will be more one. a matter of loot management and balance in microtransactions that of variety of missions or narrative refinements.
Technology and past are mixed in the game's imagination From a technical point of view, we avoid making judgments on The First Descendant, having only tried it in beta. The use of the Unreal Engine 5 can be seen and the impression is that of one of the best MMOs on the square, at least from a graphic point of view. However what we experienced was still largely incomplete and provisional, so it is not properly judged. We'll be able to say again.
The First Descendant seems to be the classic online looter shooter, only technologically more advanced than the average, thanks to the Unreal Engine 5. For the rest it seems to offer solid mechanics as far as the system is concerned. combat, but also a notable repetition of the missions, which follow one another all similar to each other. In short, it is the classic game focused on collecting loot and strengthening your characters. Whether or not it is successful, a lot will depend on the amount of content available at launch and the monetization system. We'll be able to tell you.
