Free-to-play co-op looter shooter The First Descendant will swing out this year
With an August beta to hook you in
A solid grappling hook can redeem many a videogame sin, so it's my earnest hope that the The First Descendant's laser ropes can make up for its bullet spongey bosses. Both are on display in a new gameplay trailer, which also reveals the full game will swing out later this year following a week-long open beta in August. Both the full game and the beta will be free to play, and both will have crossplay - so maybe you can rope in yer Xbox and Playstation pals too.
It's got big Warframe vibes, with smatterings of Anthem and Destiny. You play space fantasy soldiers, either solo or in four-player co-op, fending off alien menaces as one of thirteen characters with their own abilities. This trailer reveals two new ones: a chunky flying man who swoops about bashing people with his magnetic field shield, and an acrobatic lady who freezes folks and splashes about the battlefield with water powers. The shooting looks 'eh', but the swooping looks 'yeah'.
The trailer also shows people whittling away at giant bosses that do a good job of letting Unreal Engine 5 strut its stuff, but also might not be terribly fun to fight. You can destroy bits of 'em and the trailer mentions "various gimmicks" to liven up those showdowns, but I'm not sold yet.
I am sold on the grappling hooks, though. Developers Nixon say they've been much improved since a beta last August, and now let you properly swing around while conserving momentum. I'm disconcerted that I can't catch any glimpses of them being used in combat, however. Would be a crying shame to not let me Spiderman in battle.
The crossplay beta will run for a week from August 22nd - 28th, and you can register to join it here.