The First Descendant

NoobFeedJay Claassen

90/100

The First Descendant was shaping up to be great during its beta stages, and it’s just getting better now with its full release. There have been some major improvements and one or two horrible additions to the mix, like the dreaded microtransactions.

Analog Stick GamingJeff Young

8.5/10

The First Descendant may not come to the table with terribly original ideas, but it conveys what is there into one gorgeous and entertaining package. As humanity is on the ropes, a collective of attractive super-powered individuals is all that stand in the way of their complete annihilation.

The Nerd StashSid Natividad

7/10

The First Descendant does well with borrowing some tried-and-tested mechanics. At times, it can sour its own captivating grind with the initial forced repetition, but the endgame is worth it. For now.

MonsterVineNick Mangiaracina

The First Descendant seems like a fun lark at the moment. Even after completing the lengthy campaign, which took me around 45 hours, I’m still looking forward to more of the gameplay. All I can really do is review what’s currently in the game now. I look at games like Anthem and Babylon’s Fall and worry about recommending a live-service game to anyone. However, being free-to-play at the onset seems to have done well for the community. While I was ahead of the pack I found it a little difficult to find groups but, overall, found myself playing in fairly helpful company. I haven’t had to wait lo...

MMORPGKazuma Hashimoto

6/10

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, the full 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...

VideogamerAntony Terence

5/10

The First Descendant is a bland dish presented on exquisite plating, whose stunning boss fights and interwoven upgrade systems are overpowered by shallow missions and grim monetisation. Nexon doesn’t invite you to a power fantasy, it sells you one by letting you pay to skip tiresome progression mechanics.

ShackNewsJosh Broadwell

5/10

Either way, I’m more than ready to put The First Descendant down and not come back for a while. Its character playstyles are fresh and interesting, but underbaked gimmicks, overly familiar ideas, and underwhelming encounters make it hard to recommend. I’m hopeful that The First Descendant can outgrow its need to imitate other games and eventually turn into something interesting in its own right. It’s a live service game and Nexon’s first shot at making something in this style, so there’s every chance it might turn around in future updates.

GamingBoltRavi Sinha

5/10

On the surface, The First Descendant feels like an unoriginal but otherwise competently put-together looter shooter. Dig deeper, and its flaws, from the mission design and the story to the awful monetization, become more apparent.

GameSpotRichard Wakeling

3/10

The First Descendant's monotonous mission design and asinine grind is all in service of a malicious free-to-play model that puts monetization above all else.

GameLusterAxel Cushing

3/10

Artistically impressive, mechanically abusive, and narratively bankrupt, The First Descendant is (and likely will be for years to come) the defining example of how not to create a loot shooter.

Push SquareIssy van der Velde

3/10

In The First Descendant, Nexon's new looter shooter, each character has their own set of abilities and gimmicks. Bunny, the first one you can unlock, has to keep moving to charge up her electricity which she can then use to fire off attacks. She does more damage the quicker she runs, so you barely shoot your gun, relying instead on her area of effect pulse ability. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the kind of playstyle the game encourages. Run past enemies, through levels, away from your teammates — go fast and skip as much as you can to get to the good stuff. The problem is there isn’t enough ...

The EscapistAidan O'Brien

Unscored

I do not think The First Descendant is generating the interest it currently is by luck. There is a fun game here and an interesting system for the grind-obsessed; it just needs to be polished up and made a little fairer. Instead of chipping away at every possible angle of monetization, it might be better to ease up a little, especially around areas that invoke player expression, and let goodwill carry the day instead of a feeling of need. Nexon would be wise to lean into the idea that this title might just be able to have a long life if it can keep the playerbase interested instead of being ju...