Stay service looter shooters are removed from a brand new idea within the gaming house today. With most looter shooters failing to realize any long-term traction, how does one thing like The First Descendant fare? Right this moment, we’re evaluating TFD to one among its largest inspirations, Warframe, to see how The First Descendant stacks up.
The First Descendant
The First Descendant simply launched to each fame and infamy. This third-person looter shooter borrows many components from the opposite shooters within the house to create one thing new that tries to be greater than the sum of its components. You’ve obtained your loot drops with quite a lot of affixes. Then you have got your 14 playable characters, all with passives and 4 lively abilities which might be fairly numerous.
Then there’s TFD’s mod system that’s straight out of Warframe. The First Descendant additionally combines the shared-world components of Future 2’s patrol zones with dynamic quests. All these components in such a slick Unreal 5 bundle have helped propel this recreation to the highest—at the very least, for now.
Warframe
Warframe, developed by Digital Extremes, is likely one of the first video games folks consider after they consider reside service looter-shooter. One in all Warframe’s most iconic options is its randomly generated ranges in a compelling sci-fi universe the place you discover everything of our photo voltaic system after which some. This has allowed Warframe to repeatedly develop in content material and scope with out vaulting giant chunks of earlier content material.
Mix that sort of replayability with dozens of Warframe characters, over a dozen modes, and a whole lot of craftable weapons, and you’ve got a looter shooter that has stood the check of time.
Spherical 1: Second-to-Second Gameplay
In the case of gameplay, Warframe offers you a lot choices so that you can carry out on a moment-to-moment foundation. Whereas there isn’t a grappling hook, you do get the flexibility to crouch, slide, bullet leap, glide, wall leap, wall run, and cling onto partitions as a part of any Warframe’s fundamental motion gameplay. You may shoot weapons and use talents too, however Warframe additionally offers a much bigger give attention to melee gameplay via fundamental assaults, heavy assaults, combos, slide assaults, and floor kilos.
In distinction, The First Descendant provides double jumps, a grappling hook, and mantling for motion choices (exterior of fight talents). From there, you have got your character’s talents, a melee assault, and gunplay from three totally different classes of weapon ammo varieties. That’s about it although, which I discovered disappointing in comparison with Warframe and even what Future 2 does to provide you mobility and methods to struggle.
I imply, think about my shock once I discovered I couldn’t even crouch. That successfully means there gained’t be any degree design constructed round taking cowl except it’s large enough so that you can absolutely stand behind.
Winner: Warframe
Spherical 2: Visuals and Optimization
Warframe has been round since 2013, and generally that age reveals – how can it not? Nevertheless, Digital Extremes has upgraded the engine Warframe runs on over time, which permits for the usage of newer rendering methods and higher textures. This ends in a recreation that appears surprisingly fashionable however has been optimized all the time. Mixed with DLSS assist, Warframe is assured to run properly on just about any system and any console made within the final ten years.
However, The First Descendant makes use of Unreal Engine 5. Now, Unreal 5 has an incredible quantity of graphical constancy, together with some spectacular ray tracing applied sciences like completely correct reflections, shadows, and world illumination. Honestly, The First Descendant is an amazing-looking recreation with a number of the most spectacular cutscenes I’ve seen in a recreation. That mentioned, there’s a flaw with how TFD performs.
It’s not the worst by far, however in case you attempt to use DLSS 3’s body technology, you’re going to expertise extremely uneven gameplay. It was to the purpose the place I discovered myself selecting decrease framerates with increased enter latency over a a lot increased framerate.
Winner: Tie
Spherical 3: Loot and Development
Each Warframe and The First Descendant function a mod system for characters and weapons which might be practically similar, with the mods themselves being the first differentiator. Each video games even have a mastery rank system that advantages the participant by giving extra stock, weapons, and character slots. Absolutely leveling weapons and characters, and finishing missions, additionally helps improve your mastery rank in each video games.
The place The First Descendant goes above and past is by having weapons and equipment that function randomly rolled affixes. The First Descendant additionally drops weapons and equipment on enemy kills, versus Warframe, which is essentially crafted-only. That mentioned, Warframe does have a number of further development programs like gaining focus to progress your Warframe’s operator talents. Warframe additionally helps you to seize and design your individual upgradeable pets that enable you in fight or make it simpler to gather loot.
In the end, each video games function some ways to grind and progress.
Winner: Tie
Spherical 4: Honest Monetization
Let’s be sincere right here, in the case of The First Descendant vs Warframe, each video games don’t actually have the perfect monetization programs. Working example, each video games have Prime or Final variations of characters that price a ridiculous amount of cash or time to grind totally free. Moreover, each video games ask you to attend hour upon hour for the completion of a crafted weapon or character or make you pay premium forex to avoid the wait.
That mentioned, the place The First Descendant falters additional than Warframe is by having all of Warframe’s microtransaction construction (after which some) with not one of the capacity to earn premium forex through participant buying and selling. Positive, they are saying buying and selling is coming, but it surely ought to have been right here on launch. Particularly since TFD has an terrible beauty system with one-time-use paints that may solely be used on paid skins. No thanks.
Winner: Warframe
Spherical 5: Multiplayer and Matchmaking
Warframe and The First Descendant each have on-line coop and matchmaking. What’s cool about what The First Descendant does is you can dynamically be part of and depart participant squads within the recreation’s Future 2-esque maps. It’s so dynamic, the truth is, that each one it’s essential do is shoot the enemies that had been spawned to affix one among these open-world quests.
Warframe doesn’t have this sort of open-world dynamic quest-joining performance as its giant open zones are instanced. That mentioned, for some time, The First Descendant didn’t supply matchmaking for its dungeons known as Infiltration Operations. Fortunately, Nexon simply went on file saying a hotfix is incoming that can add matchmaking performance to Infiltration Operations.
Such a hotfix is a win for gamers who don’t all the time have mates on-line and don’t wish to go to sure Discord channels to seek out assist. This places The First Descendant a lot nearer to Warframe when it comes to your capacity to seek out folks to play with. Each video games assist you to matchmaker into any mode, and whereas Warframe has Railjack missions that enable for a better depth of co-op play, it’s not sufficient to provide it a win over The First Descendant.
Winner: Tie
Winner: Warframe
The First Descendant does have compelling gameplay, visuals, and options. It’s additionally not the worst method to spend your time. Nevertheless, for borrowing so many components from Warframe, The First Descendant doesn’t do sufficient issues by itself which might be higher than what Warframe gives.
I can and can reduce The First Descendant some slack for simply releasing the opposite week. So, don’t get me flawed. What there may be on launch is fairly good. Right here’s hoping The First Descendant continues so as to add extra selection to its gameplay and tones down the microtransactions going ahead. If Nexon can handle that, then they are going to have a shot at proudly owning a recreation that gamers return to for years to return.
For extra like this, take a look at our different comparability articles Content material Warning versus Deadly Firm, Enshrouded versus Valheim, and Deadly Firm versus Phasmophobia. You may additionally be occupied with seeing what we consider Hoyoverse’s Zenless Zone Zero with our evaluate.
