Summary
The First Descendanthas had a troublesome launch experience, but despite its mixed reviews, it’s been reaching considerable player count milestones in the short time since it’s been released. While the future ofThe First Descendantis currently uncertain, for better or worse, it will likely continue to follow in the footsteps of some of the popular games that came before it within its genre.
As modern, third-person looter-shooters,The First DescendantandWarframenaturally share many similarities, both in a general sense and in minute-to-minute gameplay. Through this comparison, and in knowing thatThe First Descendanttakes inspiration fromWarframe, it may be possible to determine the direction thatThe First Descendant’s endgame experience and gameplay loopwill be heading. However, concerning in-game monetization,The First Descendanthas already put itself in a similar boat asWarframe.
The First Descendant’s Similarities to Warframe Are a Double-Edged Sword
The similarities betweenThe First Descendantand games like it are part of the appeal for some players, as the new hero-based looter-shooter from Nexon offers players a fresh start at a cross-platform game that players can jump into with their friends, for free. Some of the developers behindThe First Descendanthave even revealedDestiny 2andWarframehave been a big source of inspirationforThe First Descendant. When comparing the gameplay loop of these games side by side, these inspirations are quite plain to see, especially in regard to mission structure, shooter mechanics, and the hero-based gameplay in these games.
However, this inspiration can be a double-edged sword, as despite all the goodThe First Descendantcould learn fromWarframe, it has also adapted some of its undesirable features as well. Specifically, there is already some backlash regardingThe First Descendant’s monetization practices. More specifically, howThe First Descendanthas set itself on a path to follow the same controversial monetization scheme asWarframe.
Overall, monetization via microtransactions is a divisive element of modern games, though it’s typically a justifiable aspect of ongoing live-service games, especially free-to-play games, as a way to fund maintenance and the development of future content. A such, it shouldn’t come as a surprise thatThe First Descendantfeatures microtransactions, given that the base game andfuture updates forThe First Descendantare all expected to be free. However, the implications that these microtransactions have forThe First Descendant’s endgame experience is already starting to become apparent despite the game being less than a month old.
Microtransactions aren’t inherently controversial, but Warframe and The First Descendant have received criticism for offering progression shortcuts to bypass certain repetitive gameplay loops.
The First Descendant’s Microtransactions Could Put it in the Same Boat As Warframe
InWarframe, plenty of endgame activities and meta weapons are so far out of reach for most players, that despite this type of content not having an explicit paywall, some of this content is often inaccessible for free-to-play (F2P) players who don’t have the newest meta weapons and gear. While all of these prerequisite items can technically be earned naturally while playing, they can more often than not be obtained much more efficiently by purchasing progression shortcuts or outright buying the gear itself via microtransactions.
The First Descendantadding a trading systemlikeWarframe’s could potentially remedy this situation, but the limitations of this upcoming trading system are still unclear. Not to mention, a trading system will only go so far to combat the heavy approach to monetization the game has already taken. WithWarframebeing such a prominent source of inspiration forThe First Descendant, Nexon’s new looter-shooter could meet a similar, controversial fate regarding the role monetization plays in endgame content.
