The Finals
Developer(s)Embark Studios
Publisher(s)Embark Studios
Director(s)Gustav Tilleby[1]
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
ReleaseDecember 7, 2023
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The Finals is a free-to-play first-person shooter, developed and published by Nexon subsidiary Embark Studios.[2][3] The game focuses on team-based matches on maps with a destructible environment, where players are encouraged to use the dynamic environment to their advantage.[4]

Gameplay

The Finals revolves around people competing in a televised virtual combat game show.[5][6] This is reflected in the holographic crowds which are seen during gameplay, as well as the commentary provided by the game in the form of various hosts making observations about the status of a given team or the game itself. Developer Embark Studios have stated that the game is partly inspired by The Hunger Games and Gladiator (2000).[7]

All game modes feature 3 or 4 teams, each competing against each other in a "free-for-all" competition. The players choose their characters based on a "Light", "Medium", "Heavy" scale, with the character model changing to reflect that.[2][5][8] Certain weapons, moves, and features are class specific and each class has a different movement speed.[2][8] Light builds are faster and smaller but are weakened by a much lower health amount. Medium builds are a traditional soldier class, with median speed, size and durability, while Heavy builds are the most durable class, but have limited maneuverability.[9]

Each class is privy to different equipment and abilities, balancing the game. The Light class is given an abundance of abilities related to speed and movement, such as the Grappling Hook or Evasive Dash. They also have tools to evade and hide, making them a viable option despite their low health. The Heavy class is given powerful destructive tools, such as the RPG and C4, as well as protective measures like the Mesh and Dome shield. The Medium class features several "support" items, including the ability to heal teammates, instantly revive them and place turrets.

The game mechanics encourage emergent gameplay by the way of the many free variables present.[5] These include the highly player modifiable terrain (both destruction and limited construction), varied weather conditions and time of day (which change between matches), and team compositions.[2][5][8] The arenas contain items which are suspended from ropes, as well as items on the ground that can be picked up and thrown by the players, such as barrels and plant pots. Some of them are explosive, meaning they will explode on impact.[5] Entire buildings are potentially destructible if the correct supports are targeted.[2] The game does allow for limited construction, though this takes the form of temporary structures (such as barriers the player can shelter behind), as well as through use of the "Goo Gun" and "Goo Grenade", which both create a solid, though destructible barrier, which has the appearance of foam insulation.

Players who are killed are turned into statues which their teammates can carry and use to revive them.[2] If the reviving teammate has a defibrillator the process is nearly instant, otherwise it takes approximately five seconds. If enough time elapses, a player may choose to respawn themselves, though this consumes a so-called "Respawn Coin". In Tournament game modes, players have a limited amount of Respawn Coins.

Game Modes

Cashout

In the base mode (referred to as "Cashout"),[2] 3 teams each with 3 players compete 1v1v1 to complete objectives that consist of opening vaults and transporting them to a "cash-out" location. At the cash-out location, players must defend the point until the timer expires. Other teams can "steal" the cashout in progress, claiming ownership of the point and the potential payout.[5] Aspects of these objectives take inspiration from traditional capture the flag and king of the hill game types, requiring teams to have a control of the area to perform the desired action.[2][5][8] The ultimate winner of the round is the first team to successfully complete 2 cashouts..[2] Other metrics based on kills, assists, deaths and objectives are tracked and shown to the players at the end of the game. The players earn in-game currency by eliminating players, completing objectives, and other combat maneuvers.[8]

Bank It

A second game mode, Bank It, focuses more on player vs. player combat and individual play. Scattered around the map are various caches filled with coins, which 4 teams compete to collect, 1v1v1v1. The currency is held by players on their person, but is dropped upon their death. Additionally, any time a player is eliminated, they drop additional currency, even if they weren't holding any otherwise. This currency can be turned in at temporary locations that appear on the map periodically, forcing teams to occasionally congregate in the same place to "bank" their coins. The first team to bank 40,000 in currency wins.[10]

Tournaments

Tournaments feature a modified version of the Cashout game mode, occurring in consecutive rounds with a bracket of 16 teams. Rather than competing to be the first team to complete 2 cashouts, tournament rounds are timed and teams compete to have the most currency before time runs out. Unlike the quick-play version of Cashout, each consecutive vault contains more currency than the previous one, and teams lose 30% of their total currency if all team members die at any point. Unlike the quick-play game modes that have unlimited respawns, players in Tournaments each have a limited number of respawn credits, requiring them to play more conservatively and focus more on manually reviving their teammates.[11] In the early rounds, 4 teams compete in each game, with the top 2 teams advancing. In the final round, the top 2 teams face off head-to-head to determine a winner.[12]

Development

The Finals, along with Arc Raiders are the first two titles from Stockholm-based Embark Studios.[13] A producer noted that destructibility changed the way the player approached the game, saying "we're constantly surprised by the new and inventive ways players utilize the freedom the game grants. Why open a door when you can use a rocket launcher to blow a hole in the wall, right?".

The title was announced in August 2022 for PC,[14] with console ports later unveiled for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.[15] Closed betas were run in early 2023, with the first closed beta lasting from March 7–21, 2023,[16][17] and the second closed beta occurring between June 14–21.[18] An open beta took place between October 26 until November 5.[19][20]

The Finals was released on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on December 7, 2023, during The Game Awards 2023.[21] The Finals features full support for crossplay, allowing players on different platforms to play together.[22] On release, underperforming servers caused the developers to put a temporary cap on player counts.[23]

Reception

According to IGN, poor performance and low frame rates posed an issue during the game's early closed betas.[7] The Finals has also been criticized for the use of the A.I. text-to-speech program created by ElevenLabs[24] to artificially generate the voices of characters, rather than utilizing traditional voice actors.[25][26] Embark Studios responded to the criticism, telling Axios the generated voicework in The Finals is "based on a mix of professional voice actors and temp voices from Embark employees."[27]

The game has been given a 7/10 rating on Steam,[28] although this was highly influenced by review bombers when it was released complaining that movement had been changed to a negative effect.[29] However, Embark Studios has stated that they have not changed the movement, and attributed the perception of such to a change in the default field-of-view.[30]

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2024 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Online Game of the Year Pending [31]
Outstanding Technical Achievement Pending

References

  1. ↑ https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/gaming/the-finals-devs-werent-even-going-to-make-a-shooter-at-first-but-what-else-are-you-gonna-do-with-a-team-full-of-battlefield-veterans/ar-AA1m7Zs7
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Good, Owen (March 6, 2023). "Ex-DICE developers have made a very un-Battlefield shooter". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Yong-Jun, Cho (February 24, 2023). "Nexon's new first-person shooter game The Finals to start global beta test in March". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. ↑ Smith, Graham (August 23, 2022). "Former Battlefield devs are making a shooter with destructible levels set inside a game show". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Franzese, Tomas (March 6, 2023). "The Finals is the shake-up the competitive first-person shooter scene needs". Digital Trends. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  6. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (March 6, 2023). "The Finals has frenetic gameplay full of destruction: hands-on preview". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Chung, Stella (March 10, 2023). "The Finals Preview: This Hunger Games Shooter-Style FPS Shows Promise But Has Major Issues". IGN. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Ramée, Jordan (March 6, 2023). "Why Embark Is Making The Finals, Another First-Person Shooter In A Sea Of FPS Games". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ Erskine, Donovan (March 6, 2023). "The Finals is a chaotically fun first-person shooter". Shacknews. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Finals game modes explained: Quick Cash, Bank It & Tournaments". Charlie INTEL. December 18, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  11. ↑ "The Finals - all game modes available and rules explained". VideoGamer. December 11, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  12. ↑ Stojković, Aleksa (December 8, 2023). "All Game Modes in The Finals Explained". Twinfinite. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  13. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (May 22, 2023). "ARC Raiders Has Changed From a Co-Op PvE Game to a 'PvPvE Survival Extraction Shooter'". IGN. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ Romano, Sal (August 23, 2022). "Game show-themed free-to-play multiplayer first-person shooter The Finals announced for PC". Gematsu. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (February 23, 2023). "The Finals adds PS5 and Xbox Series versions; PC closed beta test set for March 7 to 21". Gematsu. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  16. ↑ Saed, Sherif (February 24, 2023). "Ex-Battlefield devs' destructive shooter, The Finals, kicks off closed beta soon". VG247. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  17. ↑ Wales, Matt (February 23, 2023). "Promising destruction-heavy PvP FPS The Finals gets closed beta in March". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ Kelemen, Luci; Samples, Rachel (June 15, 2023). "When does The Finals playtest end?". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  19. ↑ @reachthefinals (October 25, 2023). "CAN YOU #REACHTHEFINALS? On October 26 (tomorrow!) the arena opens for our first cross-platform OPEN BETA on Steam, Xbox Series X" (Tweet). Retrieved October 25, 2023 – via Twitter.
  20. ↑ Maiberg, Emanuel (November 6, 2023). "The Finals Players In Deep Depression Now That the Open Beta Is Over". 404 Media. Archived from the original on November 10, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  21. ↑ @reachthefinals (December 8, 2023). "THE ARENA IS OPEN! Rolling out on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X" (Tweet). Retrieved December 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ "Is The Finals cross-platform?". Digital Trends. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  23. ↑ @reachthefinals (December 8, 2023). "We're warming things up! We've capped the number of players and will increase that cap hour by hour, ensuring the best experience. Don't worry, we won't stop until everyone can enter the arena" (Tweet). Retrieved December 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Embark Studios (July 4, 2023). "MTM|The Finals: Audio". Meet the Makers (Podcast). Spotify. Event occurs at 08:45. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  25. ↑ Tassi, Paul (October 29, 2023). "The Finals Is Using AI Voicework And It Is Bad". Forbes. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  26. ↑ Jones, Anthony (December 8, 2023). "The Finals players urge others to 'skip' the game over AI voice acting". PCGamesN. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  27. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (October 30, 2023). "Human actors helped make new video game's AI voices, studio says". Axios. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  28. ↑ https://store.steampowered.com/app/2073850/THE_FINALS/
  29. ↑ https://www.pcgamer.com/the-finals-is-getting-blasted-on-steam-for-slowing-the-game-down-except-the-developer-says-it-didnt-change-speeds-at-all/
  30. ↑ https://gamerant.com/the-finals-movement-speed-nerf-fov-slider/#:~:text=Various%20Finals%20players%20took%20to,since%20responded%20to%20these%20concerns.
  31. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
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