Highlights
- Despite initial criticism for its generic nature and many microtransactions, “The First Descendant” was a surprising success.
- Compelling narratives play a crucial role in the success of live service looter shooter games like Destiny 2.
- To improve the future prospects of The First Descendant, Nexon must prioritize meaningful narrative content.
The recently published The first descendant has been a little more successful than many initially expected. The game was written off by large parts of the player base upon its first release, as it was heavily influenced by titles such as Fate 2 And Warframenot to mention the connection with Nexon, a company notorious for its releases with lots of microtransactions. Nevertheless The first descendant has garnered quite a bit of attention, reaching a peak of 265,000 concurrent players on Steam.
One of the most interesting aspects of The first descendantThe success of is that, according to many reports, critics’ initial impressions of the game were largely confirmed in the final product. The first descendant is indeed full of microtransactions and grind-centric gameplay, and everything from the art design to the lore has been criticized as generic and uninspired. But it seems that the groundbreaking live service’s basic gameplay loop was strong enough to help it gain a foothold in the gaming market, although accusations of generic writing and design may yet come to haunt it later.
Related
The first offspring could be the stormy waves of looter shooters
Despite a rocky start, The First Descendant could prove to be a game with a similar success story to Wuthering Waves, another recent live service game.
First Descendant’s lackluster campaign could be his death blow
A strong campaign can make a big contribution to the success of a live service
Live service games like Fate 2 have a compelling story that keeps players hooked for a long time. Even something like Watchwhich is admittedly less plot-heavy, has a colorful cast of charming characters that keep audiences sticking with the series for several years, sometimes even past the point where the gameplay becomes boring. Essentially, fun gameplay can help a live service game gain momentum in its first few weeks or months, but a good, engaging campaign is often what keeps players going.
As already mentioned, The first descendant has been accused of copying other franchises, not only with more superficial ideas or aesthetic choices, but also with generic storylines. The game’s rough narrative, which focuses on a futuristic military’s resistance to an invading alien threat, feels unoriginal and contrived, as if it were simply the simplest framework for endless gameplay. Its generic nature, coupled with fairly two-dimensional characters and a jargon-heavy, expository writing style, makes it hard to get invested in the story.
The first descendant could strengthen his campaign in the long run
Nexon was transparent about The first descendantNexon’s long-term plans were revealed just a few weeks ago. Right now, it looks like the game will focus primarily on adding new descendants to play as well as new cosmetics and gear. This is quite normal for live services, but if Nexon continues to show this commitment, The first descendantAdding new content beyond mere cosmetics and equipment could be beneficial for the further development of the campaign.
If The first descendant If it continues to take inspiration from other live service games, it should also adopt their approach to storytelling. Fate 2 has told a story spanning seven years, with premium expansions serving as new chapters of a larger, epic narrative. The first descendant doesn’t have to follow this exact framework, but a focus on narrative content in future updates would be a boon, especially since many players have already completed the main campaign and aren’t overwhelmed by it.
One could easily think: The first descendant as just another free-to-play looter-shooter, and many players are doing just that. But it has a strong foundation in its gameplay and graphics, so doubling down on its story could be the deciding factor in keeping audiences hooked for years instead of just months. An injection of a little more personality, perhaps through those theoretical narrative extensions, wouldn’t hurt either.
The first descendant
The first descendant is a free-to-play third-person co-op action RPG shooter with high-quality graphics. Experience the fun of strategic boss battles in 4-player co-op with various unique characters, exciting gunfights and looting. Growth requires a variety of equipment, which you can obtain by completing in-game scenario missions or in the world missions where cooperation is key, and during battles with huge bosses.
Action RPG
Third-person shooter
- Released
- July 2, 2024
- developer
- Nexon Games
- Multiplayer
- Online multiplayer
- Motor
- UnrealEngine5
- ESRB
- Ages 17 and over // Violence, blood, explicit themes, strong language
- How long does it take to beat
- 36 hours
