Somewhere, just about everyone at Respawn Entertainment is smiling right now. Their recently released Battle Royale title that takes place in the TitanFall universe, has done something that I’m certain that no other BR game as done. In less than 8 hours and on its release day at that, Apex Legends has managed to hit 1 million players.
Not bad at all.
I’m so overwhelmed right now, @PlayApex broke a million unique players in under 8 hours. ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for showing up and being part of this with @Respawn you are amazing!! pic.twitter.com/lvNgfwwKhl
— Vince Zampella (@VinceZampella) February 5, 2019
That’s definitely not a small feat in the least bit. Especially with several huge battle royale games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty’s Blackout and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds currently available to play. So what is it that makes Apex Legends stand out? To me, it hits several hit notes and I haven’t been this excited over a BR game in quite some time. Well, actually, I haven’t been this excited for BR, since ever.
After getting in a few hours with the game, a few things stand out. The character diversity is a huge thing, especially having to black females from the start. Sorry if that sounds petty, for someone like me, that’s huge. I’m also a fan of the characters having their own individuality. They aren’t just the same character with different models. Instead, they have specific characteristics and abilities that make them stand out. It’s like a cross of Battlefield and Overwatch when comes to that. More so when you factor in the unique and ultimate abilities.
Then there’s the fact that you can’t play this game solo. Again, just like the games I just mentioned, you’re put on a 3-manned squad as soon as you start. There’s no lone wolf mode and while I initially wasn’t a fan of that. It’s grown on me and it makes sense. It forces you and the other two people on your team to play together or you won’t last very long. Should you pick characters that complement a team, things tend to go a long way for you. Ah, yes, you also level up those characters, so it pays to play with more than just one. Go experiment with them all.
The gameplay is also really interesting. The weapons have some interesting designs that definitely make you feel like you’re in the Titanfall world. They’re also not overpowered, so getting shot isn’t the end of the world. The map is large, though I feel it’s possible to large for the number of players that are on the field. Movement is quick, though the wall running that was a favorite of mine in Titanfall isn’t available. Hopefully, that gets implemented in the future. I’m also a huge fan of how they implemented the pinging system, which lets you id and notifies your team on various things. Such as sighting an enemy, pointing out gear you found on the ground, to telling your team to move to an area. It’s so useful and great for team communications.
But more importantly, I really like how the game handles deaths. Just like another BR games, if you take too much damage, you get knocked down. Take more damage after that and you die pretty standard stuff. However, before that happens you can apply a shield to reduce that extra incoming damage. You’re also still able to move, to take cover and approach your teammates. Death is a constant, and should that happen, you’re not completely out of the game. All that needs to happen is for your teammates to loot your stuff and retrieve your banner. Then they can take it to a respawn dropship and get you back into the action – I love that.
Yes, there are microtransactions – however, before you go ballistic. They’re merely cosmetic. Skins and that’s it. We’ll dive into that in another article.
There are also some pretty huge plans for the game going forth. A battle pass is planned, as are new characters, weapons, and loot such as cosmetics/skins for the characters and gear. Commitment to the game had already been pledged, so don’t expect this to flounder out anytime soon.
I’ll be spending a lot more time with Apex Legends, it definitely has all the makings of a game I can see myself playing for a long time. In fact, you’re going to be hearing a lot about this game over the current weeks, if not months. Has Respawn Entertainment just introduced the next big BR title? I definitely think so.
Apex Legends is currently available for free on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
