With the sudden release of The Finals during The Game Awards, Embark Studios made a bold statement in the competitive online shooter landscape. As a gamer who's typically immersed in Call of Duty: Warzone, I found myself surprisingly captivated by The Finals, especially since its intriguing open beta that took place last October.
Embark Studios, which is populated by several former Dice developers, has drawn from the spirit of classic Battlefield games to create an experience that prioritizes destruction and cooperation. The gameplay revolves mainly around teams of three, where players can select from three distinct body types for their characters. These choices affect their equipment, weapons, health, and movement speed. You could opt for a build that lets you fleetingly move around the battlefield with a grappling hook, or a tank-like figure who smashes through barriers with a sledgehammer.
Once in the arena, you are immersed in a dynamic map riddled with ziplines, vertical structures, and explosive barrels. Depending on the game mode, the objective includes gathering money and securing it at various points. The main mode, Quick Cash, tasks players with holding a capture point against other teams who have the ability to secure your accrued cash if they take over before the countdown ends—even if it's the final second.
Then there's Bank It, a mode where players earn coins not just by banking cash but also by eliminating opponents. This mode accelerates the gameplay and involves four teams as opposed to Quick Cash's three teams. Though Bank It increases the pace, Quick Cash stands out as the heart of The Finals and is the mode chosen for Ranked Play. It offers an addictive cycle of locating cash drops, taking them, rushing to defend a banking location, and attempting to outlive other teams who are plotting to hijack your hard-earned money.
However, what truly sets The Finals apart is its level of destructible environments. Nearly every surface is vulnerable to damage, providing players with a myriad of options such as RPGs, C4, grenades, and stray barrels to manipulate the combat area. This means that objectives can be engaged in countless ways: a surprise attack from above, a breach through a wall, or even collapsing the floor beneath an objective to upend opponents. As strategies evolve and defenses become more inventive, the gameplay continuously feels fresh and unpredictable.
To complement the action, the aesthetics of The Finals are clean and vibrant, echoing the stark contrasts of Mirror’s Edge with bursts of color amid the steel and concrete. This visual clarity, together with a smooth 60 frames-per-second performance, makes tracking enemies a simpler task.
The game also offers map variations, including different weather conditions and nighttime settings that significantly alter tactical approaches—an obscured sight line due to fog or the cover of darkness for stealthier moves.
A standout feature of any Battlefield-inspired game is the sound design, and The Finals does not disappoint. The sounds of collapse and booming explosions are satisfying, while location-based audio cues are critical in pinpointing footsteps and gunshots, albeit a quality headset enhances this experience greatly.
One aspect where The Finals stumbles slightly is in the use of AI for announcer voice lines, which at the time feel out of place. However, it’s hoped that in the future, Embark Studios might integrate professionally recorded lines to add a more authentic feel.
As expected in a modern game, The Finals offers a Battle Pass, currently in its first season. Thankfully, the system is limited to cosmetic items, ensuring no pay-to-win mechanics. Players earn in-game currency for new weapons and equipment through normal play, and the progression feels fair and rewarding.
While The Finals is still fresh, the true measurement of success for any live-service game is its longevity and player engagement over time. Yet, as of its launch, it stands out as a fantastic new entry in the online shooter genre, particularly attractive to fans of Battlefield seeking a tactical, high-energy alternative for their play sessions. Whether The Finals continues to captivate gamers and evolve remains to be seen, but its initial impression suggests a bright future. Have you tried The Finals yet? Your thoughts and gaming experience with this promising newcomer are welcome.
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