Nexon’s free-to-download looter shooter The First Descendant has loved an enormous launch on Steam however gamers have hit out at extremely aggressive microtransactions.
The First Descendant is a Warframe-esque motion recreation designed to be performed co-op with mates, with development tied to a deep-rooted grind that entails finishing missions and defeating bosses. Take a look at IGN’s The First Descendant assessment in progress to seek out out what we consider the sport to date.
But it surely’s the monetization that has sparked debate through the early days of The First Descendant’s launch, in addition to points giving gamers rewards they’re owed which have compelled Nexon into providing compensation.
Korean firm Nexon, which is behind different multiplayer-focused free-to-play video games similar to Kartrider: Drift and Maplestory, launched The First Descendant with a packed money store that sells every part you’d anticipate from a recreation of this sort: a premium battle go, new characters, premium character and weapon skins, and even expertise boosts and elevated stock capability.
New characters, referred to as Descendants, are bought for real-world cash, however the premium digital foreign money, Caliber, is bought in bundles that are available in slightly below the price of a brand new character itself, forcing gamers to purchase extra digital foreign money than they want and, thus, having some left over.
Caliber can solely be obtained by shopping for it with real-world cash or by shopping for the premium battle go. There’s at the moment no strategy to earn it via gameplay alone.
Whilst you can grind (so much) for brand spanking new characters, it can save you time by spending cash to purchase them. It’s also possible to pay to realize rapid entry to an ‘Final Descendant’, which is a Descendant with higher stats and an unique pores and skin. Anticipate to pay upwards of $55 for one.
The First Descendant additionally locks a paint to a pores and skin, which implies if you wish to re-use a paint you’ve already obtained, maybe from the premium battle go, it’s a must to spend real-world cash on it once more.
Some gamers have referred to as The First Descendant “predatory” due to its monetization, whereas others have mentioned it’s par for the course with regards to video games from Nexon. On Steam, The First Descendant has a ‘blended’ consumer assessment score, with lots of the unfavorable opinions specializing in the microtransactions, however others are additionally delivering their verdict on the gunplay and mechanics. One Steam consumer referred to as the First Descendant “microtransaction hell.” One other mentioned: “This recreation launched with extra actual cash purchasable gadgets than precise gameplay mechanics.”
Even those that have spent cash on microtransactions are having a troublesome time, Nexon apologized to gamers who’ve but to obtain gadgets they paid for by providing compensation. “We’ll proceed to try to supply a extra secure service,” Nexon mentioned.
Listed below are the compensation particulars:
- Gold Acquire Increase +30% (Length 3 days)
- Kyper Shard Acquire Increase +30% (Length 3 days)
- Descendant EXP Acquire Increase +30% (Length 3 days)
- Weapon Mastery EXP Acquire Increase +30% (Length 3 days)
- 2 x Matte Crimson Paints
Regardless of all this, The First Descendant hit a Steam concurrent participant rely of 229,257, which was sufficient to place it within the prime 5 most-played video games on Valve’s platform. The sport additionally launched on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, however Sony and Microsoft don’t make participant numbers obtainable.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You may attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.