The First Descendant Review: An Exciting Shooter Held Back By its Localization and Monetization

When I got my hands on The First Descendant at Summer Game Fest 2024, I really wasn’t sure what to think. I had played a mission on my own, using a character that had a more support-focused role, and it all felt a little generic. However, thefull release of The First Descendant surprised me. It was fun, the movement was fantastic, and the characters had their own kind of appeal, be it through their design or kits. That said, it does come with some issues that have plagued other Korean MMOs, which holds The First Descendant back from being something truly great.

There are a handful of different mission types for players to tackle. This includes overworld activities such as main scenario missions, instance-based dungeons, instance-based wave clear missions, and instanced boss battles in the form of Void Intercept Missions. The overworld main scenario missions are generally pretty straightforward, with only a handful of variations.

You will always be clearing out waves of enemies for the overworld missions, which will sometimes have you running from point to point to deactivate console terminals and what not. What I did like about this is that if someone else has already accepted the missions, whether or not you are in a party, the game will automatically group you up. Even if they’re at the tail end of their mission you will get the full reward for completion. This makes clearing main scenario missions easy and often quick to do. The same goes for dungeons as well, and if you lag too far behind your group the game will just teleport you to them to catch you up.

Boss Battles Worth Grouping For

The Void Intercept Missions, which are boss battles against massive foes, are one of the more unique aspects of The First Descendant. Each boss has a different weak point, which can be identified through the use of your scanner, and the fight will require you to make use of this knowledge. Weak points will be instrumental in breaking down the shield of a boss or can even turn