THE FINALS

Last September Embark Studios, a development team founded by former DICE employees, who are the creators of the Battlefield saga, announced THE FINALS, a competitive F2P shooter with the aim of taking this genre to a new level thanks to a key element in this game: it unique focus on destruction, offering a dynamic environment where nearly everything is destructible.

The title revolves around a television show where four teams of three players face each other in medium-sized arenas to capture loot and win.

The concept is straightforward: At the start of every match, various money piles materialize, and players must quickly choose their target. Upon successfully claiming a money pile, players then proceed to transport it to a specific cash register. The critical task following this is to guard the cash register for just over sixty seconds, ensuring the sum of money is securely added to the player's total score. When the game concludes, victory is awarded to the player who has amassed the greatest fortune.

It is a simple but effective approach, with large maps and four teams ensuring constant action. There are relentless battles to dominate both the loot and the cash register, resulting in an intensely fast-paced environment from the very start of each match. This rapid tempo, combined with the game’s brief duration, creates an addictive experience that leaves players eager to jump back in for more, time and time again.

The concept behind this game mode is impressive, yet it's apparent that this alone might not be sufficient for THE FINALS to distinguish itself in a market overflowing with competitive shooters. Therefore, Embark Studios has recognized the need to introduce a unique element—a special feature that sets them apart from the competition. They’ve found this in a facet consistently appreciated by action game enthusiasts: the ability to destroy elements within the environment.

To illustrate with some examples, to infiltrate a safeguarded ATM, you might demolish the roof of a building using a missile launcher to enter stealthily from above—a tactic you can employ effortlessly to catch your opponents off guard and secure the loot. Conversely, there may be times when you find yourself on the receiving end of such destruction, with two teams targeting and potentially bringing down the building you occupy, along with your team. This necessitates a swift evacuation to escape harm and, consequently, leaving the objective unguarded.

These two scenarios are just a glimpse of the numerous other destructive possibilities that can transform the map—ranging from collapsing buildings and shattering bridges to breaking walls. The extensive destruction capabilities in THE FINALS are truly remarkable, offering a breadth of options like never before seen in a game of this genre. Moreover, with all the action synchronized at the server level, every player experiences these dynamic changes simultaneously, ensuring a unified and immersive gameplay experience.

In terms of audiovisual quality, experiencing THE FINALS at its peak performance is genuinely a treat. The textures are on par with any high-end 2023 game, but there’s more to appreciate—particularly the aforementioned destruction, the captivating visual effects, the excellently crafted sound design, and overall, it’s a package that's incredibly impressive from the get-go.

Upon your initial experience with THE FINALS, you can’t help but smile, recognizing its immense potential to rank among the top games of 2023. This delightful revelation, if nurtured along its current trajectory, holds the promise to solidify itself as one of the most impressive offerings we’ll witness in the genre this year.

Now all you have to do is grab loot and destroy everything you wish!