Ever wonder where all the many free-to-play or pay-to-play online games come from? Well, it’s technically an extremely loaded question, but one developer in particular that develops these types of games is Nexon Games. Founded in 1994 in Korea, Nexon got a massive head start with creating free-to-play games and took the accolade of pioneering microtransactions. It’s somewhat understandable to add microtransactions into a game if it’s free to play, but there has to be a limit or a line as to when it’s taken too far, right? Sadly, no… However, it looks like Nexon Games might have drawn a line with microtransactions and what they can do for you.

Lucky for us, we had the opportunity to preview Nexon Games’ latest upcoming MMORPG, The First Descendant. At a quick glance, it looks like Nexon Games is trying to bridge the gap between Mobile and PC by bringing the best features from both into the same release or world, all wrapped up with a rich story. The world of The First Descendant doesn’t start off with sunshine and rainbows, and you are instead introduced to a war-torn land that is constantly contested between the Humans and the Vulgus.

However, the Vulgus also have the Collisi on their side, massive beasts with devastating power. The humans were on the verge of losing the battle for good until they were gifted the power of forgotten ancestors, giving them a much-needed edge against the Vulgus. Though at the same time, the Vulgus got a new leader as well, Karel. Through his dark ambitions and an army under his control, the threat to the world at hand is now even greater than before, and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Now you, as a Descendant, will have to rise up and put an end to Karel, but nothing is as it seems, and the rest of the story will still have to unfold.

Your epic adventure starts with a quick mission brief and getting to choose between an initial three descendants – Viessa, Lepic, and Ajax. Each one has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, along with a few interesting abilities. Viessa might as well be the Ice Queen with her cold personality that matches her cold-based abilities, she leans more towards staying mobile and not being in the line of fire, but her shields give her a slight advantage there. Between her abilities and her passive, she has enough ice to slow down or even outright freeze her enemies, making them easier to turn into Swiss Cheese or shatter.

Lepic, on the other hand, tries to be the life of the party with his overly cheery demeanor, even though he’s hiding a dark past underneath it. Lepic is your typical warrior who’d give all he has in battle to die without regrets; he’ll also fight like one using grenades and overclocks on his weapons. However, even with his righteous drive to fight for what’s right and wanting to die in battle like a warrior, his passive will give him a second chance at the fight instead of letting his HP run out.

Then we have Ajax, a bit of a mystery wrapped in an enigma who also makes a damn fine tank when you one. Like with any tank, this archetype in any RPG is usually also the leader while having a few tricks for some serious damage to draw attention away. Ajax has a mix of defensive abilities aimed around barriers and others meant for massive damage; he’s also a great choice if you’re looking to play on the careful side of things.

Now, before you start thinking that there are only 3 Descendants to pick from, there are many others. You’re just slightly stuck with those three at first until you get to Albion, with a little research or some cash, you can easily get your hands on the others while discovering the secrets the world has to offer. However, like with so many other games like this, you’ll have the opportunity to also pay to look good. Cosmetic microtransactions have become a huge part of games like this one and can sometimes make them less attractive as these cosmetics are usually locked behind a paywall. The First Descendant doesn’t seem to work that way and makes it possible to get the skins you like; all it takes is just a little extra work.

Moving on, exploring the world at hand takes a slightly different approach. The First Descendant is mostly open-world, though you’ll have to run to mission points to initiate them. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but going from one small area to another small area just to explore will have you spending more time than you’d like in loading screens where you could be fighting the good fight. Fully open-world games are a nightmare to pull off because of the optimization requirements to keep them running smoothly, but this would make life a lot easier and the game as a whole more attractive to begin with.

Now that you’ve had some time to explore what you can, you’ll eventually have to take a look at your inventory and gear. Buckle up; it can become a little confusing. In most cases, your typical loadout will consist of 3 weapons, a reactor, and several external components. Naturally, everything has a level attached to it for the sake of progression, or it would become boring and have to keep moving forward. The First Descendant takes a slightly confusing turn with weapons and the Reactor. It seems that both can work in tandem with each other depending on their respective rarities and bonuses, but there isn’t really much to go off as to how they work together.

While gearing up, it would be wise to carry different weapon types for the sake of having options when running out of ammo in the field, even though you can pick up more as you fight. Reactors would be your biggest boosting component as these can boost your skill power and sometimes weapon strength, too. Then we have External Components, there are several types, and they all bring their own extra boost to your stats, like Defense and Shields.

The First Descendant throws one more curve ball at you in the form of Mods for your Descendant and your weapons. The Mods system can be a bit overwhelming at first, but you do get the hang of it eventually. In short, Mods give what they’re attached to different bonuses and extra effects and can even change your Melee attack. However, Mods also come with different slot types that gain bonus effects if their slots match, but using them in a non-matching slot just gives you the standard buff. Though a little caution is advised, you don’t have an infinite Mod capacity, and you’d be surprised at how fast you run, especially when you start upgrading your mods.

To save the best for last, there’s also a Mastery Rank. The benefits you get at first from leveling up your Mastery Rank are a little underwhelming, considering it mostly consists of Mod Capacity and Inventory Capacity boosts, though all good things come with time, and those numbers add up fairly quickly. You’ll eventually be glad for the extra capacities during late-game adventures.

The First Descendant is definitely trying to bridge the gap between mobile and PC, and it’s quite clear just from the visuals alone. The level of detail alone is already enough to keep most people interested and to stop to admire the sights. This does become a little monotonous with the enemy designs as they start swarming, and it becomes clear that you might not see a massive variety at first. You’ll slowly be introduced to new enemy variations; meanwhile, each descendant clearly shows that a lot of attention to detail went into them with their unique designs.

What keeps things fighting against the Vulgus interesting is the fact that The First Descendant is fully voice-acted, a lot of the dialogues you’ll hear reflect nicely what’s going on and match the overall atmosphere. You’ll also hear the Vulgus taunt you and say a few random things here and there, though this becomes incredibly repetitive and annoying after a while. On another note, there does seem to be some background music at times, but it tends to go missing between gunfire or just any fight in general.

The First Descendant is already showing a lot of promise with what’s on offer and its rich story, but it needs a lot more polish before it can be perfect. Overcomplicating what could be a great MMORPG might be what breaks it unless there’s some extra context added to clarify where needed, and no amount of epic storyboarding makes up for that. At the same time, there’s also the ever-looming chance of a game like this joining the ranks of the ‘Pay To Win’, effectively making it exclusive to those who can afford it.

Jay Claassen (@R3GR3T_3NVY)
Editor, NoobFeed