Nexon’s new loot-shooter, The First Descendant, has started off strong on Steam and consoles, reaching over 229,000 concurrent players on its launch day. However, despite being “free” reviews have been mixed, with criticisms over monetization and technical issues.
The First Descendant is a cooperative third-person shooter with role-playing elements, developed in Unreal Engine 5. Players can equip up to three weapons in their loadout and choose from several playable classes, known as “Descendants”, each with unique abilities.
Set in a sci-fi setting, players battle aliens called the Vulgus using a mysterious power discovered by humanity. The First Descendant is available on multiple platforms including PS4, PS5, Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
On July 2, 2024, Nexon released The First Descendant with over 229,000 players, but despite the success in player numbers, reviews on Steam have been mixed.
According to Steam Scout, the game currently has only 43% positive reviews, classified as “Mixed,” but the reviews are coming primarily from players in Asia, with only 23% positive reviews in Chinese and 31% in Korean. In contrast, English reviews are more favorable, with 55% positive reviews.
A constant point of criticism is the game’s monetization. The in-game store allows players to purchase items that can speed up progress, which has been viewed negatively by many, especially those familiar with Nexon’s track record in free-to-play games. Additionally, technical issues in the store, such as players purchasing the in-game currency “Caliber” without receiving it, have exacerbated the criticism.
The developers have acknowledged the current bugs and are working on fixes, which is a positive step towards improving the player experience.
The debut of The First Descendant has shown the potential for a new hit in the loot-shooter genre, although it is not without its challenges. With a strong initial response in terms of players, Nexon has the opportunity to improve the perception of the game and fix the reported problems to ensure its long-term success.
New MMORPG wants to be the World of Warcraft of fantasy, but in the universe of science fiction and sandbox
In a genre largely dominated by fantasy worlds, a new MMORPG promises to shake things up with a foray into science fiction. Led by Raph Koster, an MMORPG legend known for his work on titles such as Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, comes “Stars Reach,” an ambitious online gaming project.
The stated goal of Stars Reach is to create a sandbox MMORPG, providing players with a persistent world where everything can be terraformed and colonized together. Inspired by previous hits like Minecraft, EVE Online, and most notably World of Warcraft (WoW), Koster seeks to replicate the cultural impact and accessibility that WoW brought to the fantasy genre.
