Written by Peter Karleskint
Battle Royale games have been at the center of gaming ever since Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds was released in early access sometime in 2017. Though this was the point in which BRs became popular, it is not the first BR game. However, ever since its release, the genre has exploded to a point that even AAA games like COD or Battlefield have decided to make their own versions of the popular game type. For a long time, Fortnite has held the title overwhelmingly for the best BR on the market. At least in terms of popularity and accessibility for many, making its way to the Nintendo Switch and sparking the beginning of cross-platform gaming.
Now, though, a new competitor enters the mix. And that would be APEX Legends. A free game released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The game was published by EA and developed by Respawn Entertainment. You may know Respawn Entertainment by their previous work in the Titanfall series and it shows in APEX Legends. APEX Legends is a Battle Royale that takes place in the Titanfall universe about 30 years after the events of Titanfall 2.
For qualification’s sake, before we begin, I have never been a fan of BRs. My first Battle Royale was PUBG in which I begrudgingly played many hours with a handful of friends on PC. The concept of a BR was great despite the fact that I could never get into it. I felt myself excited to be eliminated in my squad just so that I could pull up a word document and start doing work during the ten-minute increments of time I would find myself with before my team died or made it to the end for that sweet win. Then the shift to Fortnite took place, taking over most of the market in the process. Anybody who was anybody was playing. Its popularity mostly due to it being free and accessible for everyone. Still, it brought in building mechanics and a much simpler armor system that changed the way the game was played. Again, I found myself tired of the game fast. Victories were sweet, but not sweet enough to keep me going. Eventually, I fell off of the wagon, even detesting the current market’s obsession with the genre. Game after game coming with it the big B and R that kept everybody talking. It led to a lack of focus on things I found more important in gaming. Fast forward, after about 20 failed experimental BRs released on the PC and we come to the next title in the BR repertoire, APEX Legends.
So then, let’s talk about gameplay. APEX, like its many predecessors, is a battle royale where a large amount of players are dropped into one big map and forced to kill each other to be the last ones standing. Running from a massive ring that closes to make the map smaller every few minutes to bring everybody together until all are eliminated. You start with nothing and must find loot on the ground to arm yourself and get a proper defense to engage your enemies. And much to my surprise, it is FUN. I have never had so much fun playing a BR in my life. I have a group of friends that I play with and we all seem to be enjoying it, even those of us that have never been a fan of this type of game before. The game is just refreshing.
Each legend you can select has a different set of passives and abilities that allow them to be proper support, offense, defense, or etc. Coordinating with your team the best lineup of legends is part of the fun! I tend to go support with Lifeline who can heal people faster and with a shield blocking, call a drone to heal health, and call in a support pod that drops 3 items that can be higher class than the defensive gear already equipped. Then I usually have a team consisting of either Pathfinder, Bangalore, and/or Wraith. Each again, with their own distinct abilities. One can grapple from place to place to get a flank, or maybe one can send smokes out and call airstrikes, while the other can summon portals and go invisible to mess with the enemy team and get them distracted. Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses making the team play a must in this. I should add that there are eight characters at release that can be played though more are to come in the future. Two have to be unlocked by the slow process of collecting in game credits or they can be bought outright. The choice is up to you.
As of right now, the game only has one game mode which requires a squad of three. Usually, this would be enough to deter me from playing without all of my buddies online, but APEX has introduced something that has increased nonverbal communication online. And that, is the ping system. Pinging is when you point where you want to go, hit a button, and then the map is highlighted with the point. This allows you to tell your teammates where you want to go so that they can follow along. It also gives the ability to ping weapons, armor, medkits, etc. as well as parts on your weapon that you are looking for or even to mark enemies on the map. Each different ping has its own look and color, making it easy to decipher what is being communicated. It makes a world of difference when you are playing with randoms and really helps the game keep its squad-based style of gameplay even amongst people without mics. The idea is so simple, but it completely changes the game. The ping system is integral to APEX’s identity.
Next, the gunplay. The gunplay in this game is smooth and feels really good. If you are a veteran of Titanfall 1 or 2, you will feel right at home here as did I. Coming from Titanfall, the gunplay feels fantastic and familiar, helping me to stay competitive throughout. You will need attachments for weapons to get the best loadouts and overwhelm the other teams, but thankfully each piece of gear is color coded to its rarity and advantage, making finding the best attachments a cinch. There is bullet drop that increases in its intensity the farther enemies are, even for snipers, but it helps to keep the game competitive. You can’t simply pick up a sniper and use hit scan on an enemy miles away. It takes patience, lead, and skill to land your shots. Every weapon feels unique and you will quickly find which ones are your favorites.
While the gunplay in combat is fantastic in this, the real part of the game that sets it apart (aside from the ping system) is the legend abilities. Learning when to throw an airstrike beacon on your enemy as a squad mate flanks from the rear on another team takes tact and is dependent on the array of characters being used in a match. If you’re wanting a new way to play, simply switch up the legends that you are using, and everything feels completely different. It keeps the gameplay from getting too stale for those of us that need more than simply the point and shoot aspect.
Movement also feels really nice, akin to Titanfall while taking away the wall running and increased speed. Still, every step and slide is as satisfying as ever, you can even use downward slopes to increase speed and get away from an enemy as they come toward you. It feels nice and with a map so varied in layout, it leads to a lot of moments that feel fast, fluid, and special.
The map is smaller than some of the other BR variants, only fitting about 60 players (20 teams) overall. But despite its smaller size it feels large just because of how much the land varies, from desert land to swamp with forest and military bases fit into the mix. Everything about the map feels detailed and an excellent center for combat. Plus, it is nice not needing vehicles to get from one end of the circle to the next one that forms when the map shrinks. I have played a ton of matches and have still feel as though the map is fresh despite the familiarity I now feel with it.
The music is exactly what you would expect coming from this type of game, epic in the beginning before things start and sometimes hilariously loud, but it is pleasant and fits in with the feel of the game and its legends. Once the game starts, all music subsides so that you can pay attention to the footsteps and whatever else his happening on the battlefield. The sounds of the weaponry are great and definitely feel good or powerful depending on what you are using. Explosions sound great and everything fits together, keeping things tight and complete feeling for a new free-to-play game.
The game is beautiful, vibrant with different colors and environments. Every legend and their various cosmetics also show a lot of differing styles that allow for a distinctness from legend to legend, though loot boxes are again very prominent for this. Granted, it is only for cosmetics and so I think that makes it fair. You can play the game to get loot boxes slowly, or you can pay out of pocket to get instant loot boxes.
The graphics are a little bit more cartoony than realistic, but it allows for everything to look better and brighter without the cost of extra power. And it’s not so cartoony that it might take away from how good the game looks. It very much has a Titanfall vibe upon viewing the game initially, which of course makes a lot of sense. Overall, I think the style and graphics of this game were chosen well and look great.
I have never expected to love a BR this much, or even have the motivation to play another one. I find that I think about playing it even when I’m not as long as I know I’ll be playing with my squad. It doesn’t overwhelm me with addictive behavior like I’ve seen in many, but it’s certainly a good time and one I will continue to enjoy until my squad burns out or another, better game releases of this type.
With this being only the beginning of a game with so much potential, it’s incredible to see where it already is. There are already talks of solo or duo ques for players to dip their feet into and a whole lot more with new legends and who knows what else. If you enjoy a BR without the building mechanics of Fortnite or if you were a big fan of the Titanfall entries, you will feel at home here. And if you have never really gotten into BRs like me, I urge you to give this one a shot. Maybe you’ll enjoy it as much as I have.
| GAMEPLAY | Out of 40 | 36 |
| MAP DESIGN | Out of 20 | 16 |
| SOUND DESIGN | Out of 15 | 12 |
| VISUALS | Out of 15 | 14 |
| OVERALL ENJOYMENT | Out of 10 | 10 |
Final Verdict
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