The First Descendant | Review In Progress

Having spent several hours in the campaign of "The First Descendant" I am seeing what a lot of other critics are seeing. Be it repetitive mission objectives, heavy grinding that incentivizes paying real money for unlocks, or the lack of balancing in solo ...

I can tell that this game needs some work to outpace more intricately woven looter shooter experiences like Destiny or Warframe. That being said I still think the game holds promise. I still like playing it and the tedious grind of it, as always, is something that attracts the attention of the OCD side of me. Not all gamers are built the same.

While there are better games in the looter shooter genre out in the wild it is the foundation of "The First Descendant" that holds many players' interest. The visuals by far surpass the competition, and the combat is fast and fluid. All it needs now is more varied boss fights, and more varied mission objectives. It cannot crutch on the same repetitive routines to sell what it is selling. 

Aside from the negatives there are some positives. Gameplay is very impressive for a free-to-play experience of this caliber. The gunplay, movement, and traversal are truly top notch. Even in the instance between where conversation and context are heavy we get character models whose lip sync is on point, and their mannerisms more articulate than that of RPG NPCs from Bethesda. 

Hopes & Dreams ...

Going forward from where it's at I'd like to see more gun variety, a fixed ammo economy, and solo balancing that actually makes solo a viable option. It would also be nice for the developers to create an item/weapon barter system for squad play. Something akin to Diablo 3's mailbox would be good, either that or the POE sales tab that has a base entry fee so that you can sell things for premium currencies or resources. I know that might be asking too much, but at least they'd be making a little money off of the feature while the gamers benefit from the feature for the entirety of the game's lifespan.

Outside of those changes new enemy and Colossi types added into the mix would be good. New areas, and maybe larger events that can allow for matchmaking on an MMORPG scale with exclusive rewards. Some kind of event with limited time weapons, skins, and items would be great! Maybe make seasonal events in blocked off areas or arenas for the committed players.

Those are just some of my current thoughts, and ideas about "The First Descendant" and what it currently has to offer. I do hope the game improves though, and that it turns out to be a worthwhile longtime commitment for adopting players.