First Impressions of The Finals: A Fresh Take on FPS Games
Embark Studios is gearing up to launch The Finals, a new first-person shooter that hopes to stand out in the crowded FPS market with innovative features, including a highly immersive environment.
I recently participated in the game’s Closed Beta 2 to see how it’s shaping up. Can it compete with games like Valorant? Could it fill the void left by Hyperscape, or even grab some market share from Apex Legends? Here are my thoughts.
Visuals, Music, and Audio
One of the standout features of The Finals is its stunning visuals. The environment looks amazing, and the customizability of character designs is a great touch. Raytracing technology really makes the game a visual treat, easily outshining even the impressive graphics of Apex Legends. While it’s hard to compare it directly with Valorant due to their different art styles, I’d say The Finals is currently my top pick for visuals in an FPS.
The game also prides itself on its responsive environments. Throw a grenade, and you’ll see the surroundings crumble. Bombs can even create new escape routes. Although the explosions look fantastic, sometimes the sheer amount of visual effects can be overwhelming, making it difficult to spot enemies, especially when their character skins blend into the surroundings. Fortunately, enemies glow red after being hit, which helps.
Despite my admiration for the game’s visuals, the music feels a bit lackluster and repetitive. The announcers can get annoying too, but they do sound like genuine sports event commentators, so props to the developers for that. On the bright side, the audio quality is top-notch. I could clearly hear enemy footsteps, although occasionally confusing them with teammates’ steps. So far, no audio bugs have been encountered.
Characters and Design
The Finals offers three character classes: Light, Medium, and Heavy, each with distinct designs and abilities. The Light class specializes in stealth with cloaks and grappling hooks, the Medium class serves as an all-rounder with healing abilities, and the Heavy class is a tank who excels at defending areas.
Customization options are plentiful. You’re not stuck with default skills, as you can unlock new abilities like swapping the Light class’s default grappling hook for a cloak or zip line.
Each class has its own unique role, adding depth to team strategies. However, the Heavy class seems a bit overpowered. If an enemy team stacks three Heavies, they can set up a nearly impenetrable defense.
Gameplay Impressions
The gameplay objective is straightforward: three teams of three players each compete to reach a vault, grab the cash, and make a cashout. Defending the cashout is crucial, as other teams will try to wipe out your squad and steal the cash.
While the goal sounds simple, executing it is far more complex. The Finals introduces a variety of elements beyond just gunfights, such as orbital lasers and low-gravity zones, adding layers of challenge and excitement to the game.
In summary, The Finals is shaping up to be a strong contender in the FPS genre with its impressive visuals, responsive environments, and diverse character options. While there are areas for improvement, especially in music and class balancing, the game shows a lot of promise.