So, I suppose it’s time to talk about the newest battle royale, Apex Legends, and you already know how it’s going to go…

A bunch of players jump out of a ship, onto a map, pick up gear and be the last one standing, right?

WRONG!

Apex Legends is taking the gaming world by storm and for all the right reasons. Literally changing the way we see battle royales and having one of the smoothest multiplayer game launches of all time, this is certainly one to look out for.

Now before we jump in (no pun intended) let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, it carries the cursed EA brand. Naturally, microtransactions from day 1 is no surprise. But they are purely cosmetic so before you start hurling the controllers and tomatoes towards us, skins do look good, but come on, it’s a first person game, you’re not really going to see them. Plus, everything can be earned in game as their loot box system ‘guarantees’ no duplicates, and personally I’ve yet to get a duplicate.

Want to improve your overall experience? Why not try apex boosting.

But leaving that aside, let’s talk game play. This is a battle royale, with a difference. There is no accidental vehicle betrayal, annoying dances or any other gimmicks, so let’s take that out of the frying pan (yes pun intended) and focus on what really makes this hot.

Everyone loves overwatch. Okay some people love overwatch. Maybe. But it’s character abilities being used together to form a formidable team hasn’t been unnoticed and helped make it become one of the most successful multiplayer games of all time. Apex has taken a leaf out of that book. With the different classes, cliché as they are ( attack, defence, support etc) they work really well.

When I first checked out the support character my heart dropped. A healer, in a free for all? But no, it’s different, whether it’s being able to determine where the dreaded circle will be next, or dropping in a vital armour and health supply package, they’re very very good to have on every team. All characters of all types have their own abilities, all of which are useful, and I’ve yet to see one with a single downside. No character is useless.

At the time of writing this, it is forced squads of 3. Be it with randoms or friends, you’ll never be alone. As for dropping in, you all drop together so no risk of accidentally being left behind. That being said you can go off in your own direction, If you want.

There’s already 8 characters to choose from, all with their own benefits and methods to help dominate the battlefield. Some may even help you and your team travel faster. The circle, as seen in every battle royale ever has its own unique twist. Now there’s audio clues and calling – each decrease a ’round’ along with a timer to tell you when and how far to travel. Your characters will also speak out loud to alert you if you’re close, far or safe.

No need to worry about not having a mic either, the ping ability is what’s really turning heads, audio and visual clues to alert teammates of where to go, where you’ve seen someone or maybe to let them know the place they’re heading towards has already been searched. This really is built for playing together.

Best part, it’s free! Now we all know fortnite is free, but surely you must be tired of losing that victory over someone who can build faster or maybe found that legendary assault rifle first. This is fair, fun and fantastic.

Each game begins with the character selection, letting you see your teammates stats and badges they can proudly show off, whether it’s kills or victories. Then before loading you’re given the chance to see the ‘champion’. The squad with someone who won the previous game. Maybe one day you’ll see your name on that banner, I know I have. Frantically dropping in you’ll soon get alerted to a kill leader too, the current big scary player who’s taken out more opponents than you. Kill them and earn more to send your gamer tag across everyone’s screen.

And if they kill you first? Well, it’s okay! Your teammates can actually pick up your banner, and respawn you in at certain points, a first for a battle royale game! Though this is slow, and you can’t do much during the 30 second or so action to bring them back. But hey bring back the dead! (Muffled yay).

Though from this description it seems hectic, I can tell you it runs so smooth. I’ve experienced minimal lag across both Xbox and PlayStation, with the graphics using a clean and crisp art style, similar to the companies famed Titanfall series. The HUD itself isn’t too cramped or ‘in your face’ as in some other multiplayer games, and what makes this unique is not only player count, but squad count. Very handy if you’re down to the finals but unsure if you’re against a team or a few last remainers.

Though lacking the titans, this is certainly in the same universe (officially confirmed and obvious by the visuals) with even the same weapons being flaunted. It feels just as great, the controls will suit any player.

This could definitely make a great contender for game of the year, and it’s only been out for a few days. If you haven’t started playing yet, why not? Again, IT’S FREE!

However, even with masterpieces there can be flaws. This isn’t an exception. But I can say with confidence they’re easy fixes. The fact there’s only 8 characters to begin with and no option for solo or duo, can put a battle royale veteran off. I’m fairly sure these options will come out soon though, so keep your eyes peeled!

I’ll see you dropping down soon players. If you see me about, don’t be afraid to say hi.

Will you be a legend?

George Shine
A Nerdy Dwarf
@DwarfsDigs