The Finals (Steam) will soon open to the public for the first time with a closed beta. MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider has already tested the beta build, shows you matches, his first impression and why less is sometimes more.
What a powerful The Finals playoff event was that, please? There is a clear “wow” from me!
It started quite normally: the developers explained in the presentation that their new shooter “could change the FPS genre”. I’ve heard that before. But I’ve never wanted so badly for people to be right.
The Finals is a new first-person shooter, comes Free2Play on Steam and starts a closed beta on March 7th, in which normal users on Steam can also participate for the first time.
Behind the project is Embark Studios, a software company with some former DICE developers who previously worked on Battlefield, among other things.
They blend the destructive power of Battlefield with the fluid movement and hero aspects of Apex Legends to create a new shooter that provides goosebumps and excitement from the first minute.
I’ll explain what The Finals is all about and share my first impressions. If you would like to see a match directly, then our video starts:
The Finals: Beta Gameplay – 2 full matches
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My colleague Philipp Elsner from GameStar was on my team (here for the play report from GS).
Arena Maps, Class Gameplay, Destruction – All in 8 minutes
How are the matches going? The Finals is played in teams of 3. You have to unlock cash canisters and take them to cashout boxes. You have to defend the boxes until the cash is in your own account. However, canisters and boxes can be taken over by enemy teams at any time.
A quickplay round lasts only 8 minutes and 4 teams take part in a match. Ranked matches run in a tournament format – a total of 16 teams compete and the matches are played seamlessly one after the other. If you don’t have enough points, you’re kicked out. Only the best make it to the final.
Class gameplay is added to complement each other as a team. The classes are defined by their own selection of weapons and gadgets – some equipment is available for several classes. The special specializations are limited to the class.
Each class has 3 specializations and their own gadgets that only that class can use. Agreements when compiling are therefore an advantage.
The Finals wants to finance itself through cosmetic items and offers a Battle Pass and an in-game shop. We could not discover any signs of a Pay2Win system during the try-out event.
Destroy everything else!
What is special about The Finals? Basically, the game principle is very simple and known to each of us. But that’s exactly what makes The Finals so interesting, because it’s directly accessible to each of us:
The emphasis is unreservedly on “destroy everything else”. A well-placed explosive can bring down entire houses. The remains of the explosions remain in the match and are the same for each player. This allows completely new tactics and feels good and dynamic from minute 1.
If an enemy team on floor 3 wants to get their cashout box full, a few blasts will get me to take them down on floor 1. The box tumbles through the new, sensibly placed holes in the floor and lands right in front of me.
The Finals doesn’t try to turn the entire shooter genre upside down. The map destruction feature has been cleverly combined with fast movement, a capture-the-flag mode and class gameplay. There is no complicated extra trick.
For even more variety, however, smaller gameplay events start in every match. For a few minutes, for example, gravity is reduced or damage is increased.
Personal conclusion: I’m in the mood
Even the first trailer of The Finals attracted our attention in the editorial department. We then decided on a very flowery headline: New shooter on Steam shows bombastic trailer – if you don’t get a pulse, you’re dead.
I still thought, “If the game is only half as intense as the trailer, then we have something here”. And indeed, The Finals manages to create a hectic experience with its gameplay that allows unique tactics and is a lot of fun.
My highlight was the heavy class push attack. All doors are forgotten at the push of a button, the right way is straight ahead. And you’re already standing on the other side of the house. A powerful attack, a great feeling, a little hype rising.
I also really like that The Finals doesn’t want to do too much at once. You can tell that developer veterans are behind it, who didn’t want to build an indie hit that scores with its crazy ideas. People wanted to build a shooter that finally put the destruction of the map in the foreground.
And if you ask me, they really did a great job. Sometimes less is more here.
If you want to test it yourself, register now for the closed beta on Steam (via Steam). However, there is no guarantee that you will participate. The beta runs from March 7th to 21st.
Also let me know what you think about The Finals. How do you like the gameplay, do you have any questions about the title? Write in the comments.
If you would rather get to know another new game, then have a look here: Coreborn wants to be the WoW of survival MMOs – We played it