The First Descendant Reviews
The First Descendant has all the building blocks of a fantastic looter shooter, but they’re buried under a pile of monotonous quests, a terrible story, and an infuriating free-to-play model that has influenced its game design in the worst possible way.
For now though, I’ve had a great time grinding the game, and even though there are two other games releasing the same week as The First Descendant that I also can’t wait to get stuck into - both Zenless Zone Zero and Once Human - I feel like this is the one that will soak up my time.
The First Descendant is a bland dish presented on exquisite plating, whose stunning boss fights and interwoven upgrade systems are overpowered by shallow missions and grim monetisation. Nexon doesn’t invite you to a power fantasy, it sells you one by letting you pay to skip tiresome progression mechanics.
A depressingly generic free-to-play looter shooter that steals shamelessly from other, better, games but never has the nerve to try and create anything of its own.
I am nothing but conflicted regarding The First Descendant. It’s a Modern Prometheus of parts and ideas that looks and plays wonderfully when it works. However, the Dr. Frankenstein who assembled it is clearly profit-driven and has a bit of a reputation for its microtransactions. Throw in the equivalent of a Dell Dimension 8400 for a server and things look grim. I don’t expect The First Descendant to get a lot of support in the time it’s around, and I’ll enjoy it for what it is, but I won’t make the mistake of believing it will hold much attention outside of a small, dedicated player base.
Either way, I’m more than ready to put The First Descendant down and not come back for a while. Its character playstyles are fresh and interesting, but underbaked gimmicks, overly familiar ideas, and underwhelming encounters make it hard to recommend. I’m hopeful that The First Descendant can outgrow its need to imitate other games and eventually turn into something interesting in its own right. It’s a live service game and Nexon’s first shot at making something in this style, so there’s every chance it might turn around in future updates.
It’ll probably be dead within a year like so many of its sordid ilk. That would be a genuinely good thing for the industry and for the players it’s trying to scam. I hope it dies on its toxic vine.
The First Descendant is still not Destiny at its best or a new revelation in the genre, a very pretty time eater. The game is able to attract the audience with cute graphics and beautiful character models, but it doesn't offer anything radically new. In an era of high competition, this is clearly not enough.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Destiny is grindy, but it has an immensely satisfying gameplay loop and a rich story. Outriders doesn't have the best plot or visuals, but each class has a wide variety of powers that synergise brilliantly, meaning each build is unique to how you want to play and combat is worthwhile for its own sake. The First Descendant has the stand-out Colossi battles, but everything leading up to them is so mind-numbingly tedious that they don't justify the time or monetary investment you'd need to spend to enjoy them. It's the gaming equivalent of playing with a fidget spinner while on a Discord call - something to keep your hands occupied while you catch up. It's a game designed to get you to pay to skip it, not play it, so what's the point of it?
The First Descendant is a game that could be great, if it wasn’t for its localization, monetization model that wants you to spend money to speed up timers or skip the long grind to unlock characters, and various performance issues. It’s a game that I have a lot of fun with, but it certainly won’t be for everyone due to its variations in quality. However, I hope the development team rectifies what issues they can, because The First Descendant could become a staple in the looter shooter genre if given enough time.
Net of a forgettable story and a fluctuating art direction, The First Descendant is a solid and fun looter shooter, whose content is accessible to everyone, even those who don't want to spend a single penny.
Review in Italian | Read full review
On the surface, The First Descendant feels like an unoriginal but otherwise competently put-together looter shooter. Dig deeper, and its flaws, from the mission design and the story to the awful monetization, become more apparent.
If you're bored of Destiny 2, you now have an alternative, albeit it's not as good.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The First Descendant isn’t shying away from where it’s inspired. Destiny has been a called-out game by its fans and the studio and for good reason, it set the bar. Warframe as well has been a go-to for many in the live service catalog, and by using both as a base and creating something in between, it creates a game that while not terribly original, is an absolute blast to play. Each Descendant has a wealth of skills to make them stand out with a design and graphical fidelity to them that makes this one of the best looking games out there.
It’s clear that they focused much more on fidelity than performance, which is a major pet peeve for most gamers. There’s nothing wrong with putting a lot of emphasis on the graphics, but the gameplay needs as much attention—even more would be better. The silver lining is that this game is free, so there’s no harm in giving it a shot. The game has something there, but it will need more improvements to get the best out of it. Plus, plenty of The First Descendant updates along the way will feature more characters, weapons, adjustments, and so on. So, hopefully, The First Descendant will become a more interesting game in the future.
The First Descendant offers an engaging blend of story, gameplay, and audiovisual splendor. The detailed world of Ingris ensures there's always something new to discover. The tactical combat and strategic boss fights keep the tension high and require smart decisions. Visually and audibly, it's also spot on. The presence of 'pay2win' elements might affect the experience for some players, which is a downside. Nevertheless, the game remains appealing due to the promise of future updates and content. If you're a fan of looter-shooters like Destiny and Warframe, then The First Descendant is definitely worth trying. You really have no good reason to skip the game since it's free! But if you're not into these types of games, then The First Descendant may not be your cup of tea.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The First Descendant was shaping up to be great during its beta stages, and it’s just getting better now with its full release. There have been some major improvements and one or two horrible additions to the mix, like the dreaded microtransactions and pay-to-win aspects, but there is still hope for this release. There’s a whole world to explore and a story to discover, and all it takes is a little willingness and some creativity, and it’ll be worth every second in the end.
The First Descendant is a solid looter shooter with some exciting moments that falls into repetition due to its grind, something that is somewhat expected but still tiresome. It could easily be a premium title if the monetization had been worked out in other ways, so now we have a free-to-play game that offers many hours of entertainment, but that could also potentially outstay its welcome faster than it should. It looks terrific at times, with good character design and some interesting bosses, although the downside is that it can often be another one of those advocates for the “grey and dull” environments. Gunplay feels fast and enjoyable, but grind and monetization may end up being the factor that will keep it from ascending to the next level.
Artistically impressive, mechanically abusive, and narratively bankrupt, The First Descendant is (and likely will be for years to come) the defining example of how not to create a loot shooter.