Apex Legends - unique among many

There are a huge number of shooters by the rules of "battle royale", where the participants of the match fight in a narrowing arena to the last survivor. But only a few have become truly unique. Among these representatives of the genre is and Apex Legends. The developers from the studio Respawn Entertainment, known for the series of Call of Duty and Titanfall, have relied on the dynamism, ease of teamwork and relatively compact maps. Coming out without a big announcement, the game almost immediately interested the public and became a sales hit. Let's find out why it takes the gamer to heart.

The basic principles of the action game are familiar to anyone who has ever run a "battle royale" like PUBG and Fortnite. Participants in the match land at a selected point on the map, collect the guns, supplies, and armor scattered around, and then fight on the range, which becomes increasingly smaller over time. The final battle is crowned by a shootout of the last survivors on a tiny patch of land. But if that were all it took, Apex Legends wouldn't have become so popular. And the developers from Respawn Entertainment wouldn't be themselves without a trump card up their sleeves.

Despite the standard rules for the genre, the game demonstrates a lot of distinctive solutions. The most notable is the choice of characters, which are called legends, before the start of the battle. There is no single-player mode, but only two- or three-man squads that complement each other with their unique skills. At the same time, the heroes in the group are not duplicated: for example, taking the medic, you will block it for your partners - and they will be left with some other options. The benefit of combining diverse fighters is great, while a loner who has lost comrades has a hard time in combat. Because the TTK (time to kill - the time it takes to kill an enemy in the aimed fire) parameter is high here, and even if you've managed to take out one rival, you'll almost certainly be killed by his friend. In addition, the fallen character is able to cover himself with an energy shield for some time and crawl towards his friends, where he will certainly be healed.

The second trump card of the game is the frantic pace of battles achieved through the structure of the maps. They are small in size compared to "king battles" like PUBG, but abound with corridors, bridges, shelters, hills to climb, and ropes that allow you to quickly move around the location or soar to the balloon to airdrop from there again. Unnecessary guns are simply not here. The entire arsenal, from pistols to sniper rifles, can be useful at any stage of battle. And the guns are set automatically as soon as you pick them up. Therefore, events are always evolving rapidly - no one is sitting for a long time behind the rocks, screwing rifle scope and flame thrower, not crawling in the bushes and waiting for a third of the match in an ambush. Dynamism is added by the mechanics of reviving dead partners, for which it is enough to pick up a badge from the body and take it to a special device.

Great thought and interaction within the team. To connect to this voice chat is not necessary - through the usual mouse clicks and pressing the F button on the keyboard can convey to your friends any information: to point at the enemy, to put a marker, where all move, to report on found supplies and even on their variety, ask your partners to give you certain objects. If the desired item is found by one of your comrades, nothing prevents you from "securing" it for yourself - it will only be visible to you and will disappear from the radar for the rest of the squad. Together with automatic weapon dodging and other simplifications, this makes Apex Legends, if not the most convenient "battle royale" at the moment, then certainly one of them.

A total of 60 people fight on the map, that is, depending on the mode, 20 or 30 teams. During the landing the group flying down in jetpacks is controlled by one person - it's a sensible decision, because this way the squad is not atomized and everyone covers for each other from the start. But if you want you can at any time "unhook" from your comrades right on the fly to avoid crowding in one and the same building after landing. Just remember: the farther your allies are, the harder it is to survive a sudden enemy attack. Especially when you consider that due to the small size of the maps, the battles start almost immediately after landing - there are almost no places to sit until the middle of the match.

The circle outside of which the characters take damage does not stand still either. From time to time it narrows, driving those who have landed on the outskirts toward the center of the area. It works in exactly the same way as in the already mentioned PUBG: with each new phase of reducing the combat zone, its boundaries hurt more and move faster. That is, closer to the final match, the already dashing pace increases more than ever. For a team to win, at least one of its members must be the last survivor. And, unlike most games of the genre, Apex Legends allows everyone to feel like a triumphant. After all, the matches in the shooter are made up of people with approximately the same level of skill. If you can't handle it either, you can improve your skills in Shooting Range mode - a training session where you get to shoot with different guns and practice using special moves.

An important feature of the game is that it is constantly changing. And the main innovations brings a change of seasons every three months, when they add to "Apex" map, hero, mode and various items of equipment. For example, the ninth season is now active - it's called Legacy, or Legacy, and is dedicated to a legend named Valkyrie. She knows how to hit the area with missiles, uses radar during landings, and flies over locations with a jetpack, consuming fuel. In other words, it's a kind of fighter analog that can soar over rooftops, inspect the area, and air strike a group of enemies. The Legacy also features the Botsec bow and the Arena mode with three-on-three battles - in order to win this mode, you must defeat the opposing team three times or achieve a point advantage.

But changing seasons is only one of the varieties of events in Apex Legends. There are also collectible and themed events. The first allow you to get new costumes for your heroes, weapon jewelry and other reasons to stand out. Such bijouterie does not add to the power, but looks very impressive. As for the thematic event, it is almost the same, but associated with a particular mode, which are obtained and unique items. For example, the developers tied to the ninth season themed event "Genesis", which returns to the game the classic "Canyon Kings" and "Edge of the World" maps, as well as the location of "City of Skulls" for the "Arena" and 24 jewelry, which can be obtained in this area.

Dressing up the hero and coloring the cannons is a noble thing, but it's slow. You can't get everything in a couple or three victories in matches. In addition, to collect all the current decorations give three months, that is exactly a season. After that, the available rewards change. But that's okay, because in Apex Legends there is a faster way to get external types of characters and their equipment. We are talking about the "Battle Pass", which can be purchased for in-game currency. And this, in turn, is earned in fights or exchanged for real money. So you decide what you're more comfortable - to put out on the battlefield or to put out a ringing coin. If you want, you can have fun without cost, because the game is completely free.

It is easier to see a white crow outside the window than to discover the plot or history of the world in a "battle royale". Indeed, the genre rarely spoils its audience with additions to the main course, because it requires time, resources, and the involvement of additional writers and artists. However, Apex Legends breaks the mold: here you'll find a detailed fantasy universe, an explanation of why the characters fight each other, where the maps where the matches take place came from - in short, answers to many questions. It's nice when the developers give credit not only to the marksmanship, but also to the curiosity of gamers, because usually interesting details remain behind the scenes.

The events of the game unfold in the Titanfall universe, which was invented by the staff of Respawn Entertainment studio. The plot is as follows: in the distant future, centuries after our days, industrial corporations have gained enough power to send expeditions to distant worlds in search of resources. And the most powerful of these companies was IMC - Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation. It built its empire, produced enormous military robots known as titans, and began mining the remote worlds of the Frontier. It would have been all right, but even in such an outback there are colonists - they, of course, were not happy with the unceremonious invasion of their home. To assert their rights, the inhabitants of the Frontier assembled a militia of volunteers from all walks of life, from ordinary farmers to mercenaries and pirates.

The war between the IMC and the Militia swept across the Frontier and was devastating for the corporation, which was eventually defeated at the battle of the planet Tiphon. Nevertheless, the conflict undermined the economies of Earth's far-flung colonies, where epidemics broke out time and again, laws were no longer in effect, and power fell into the hands of thugs left without profit after the fighting ended. Then the free people moved to the Outer Lands, the very edge of the Frontier and the known universe. It is here, a few decades after the battle at Tiphon, that the events of Apex Legends begin. Since no one wanted a new war, the settlers and gang leaders established a "battle royal" where representatives of different factions could clarify relations and at the same time earn valuable prizes. The participants in these gladiatorial battles of the future were nicknamed legends.

By season nine, the game introduces 17 characters, including the newly arrived Valkyrie. The next season will bring another hero - and so on. All of the fighters are unique both in appearance and skills and in terms of biography. The latter point is important, because each of the legends represents one or another side of the conflict, and the gamer in choosing can be guided not only by the abilities of his ward, but also by the ideas that he defends in battle. Don't like acting as a mercenary or IMC soldier? You're welcome, there are options to suit all tastes. However, the newcomer from the start is not available to all, but only six of the list. The rest are opened over time, in exchange for legendary tokens received in battles, and coins Apex - this is the same virtual currency that is needed to buy jewelry.

It's worth noting that the heroes only to be unlocked don't have any special advantages over the legends available immediately. They all have the same amount of health, can use the same guns, and move at about the same speed. Therefore, unlocking characters for tokens or coins is more of a game variety than a movement from wimps to strongmen. Let's describe in more detail the fighters that we get for free use right after installing Apex Legends:

Of course, as time goes on, other interesting legends are revealed. Trap and poison specialist Kaustic, Mirage, who creates his own holographic copy to distract enemies, reconnaissance expert Crypto, agile cyborg climber Revenant - each has tricks useful for the team. That said, there is no ultimatum death machine among the characters. They are all good or bad, depending on how exactly their abilities are applied. For example, Bangalore's smoke mines can hide traces of Rift's application, so Rafe doesn't get caught exiting the tunnel. And Gibraltar could use close-combat support when enemies burst under the protective dome - it's impenetrable from the outside, but no one prevents you from starting a firefight from the inside. Not to mention the medic, whose reaction sometimes determines the life and death of his comrades.

And since Apex Legends is a shooter, the size of the hero is important here. After all, the larger the carcass, the easier it is to hit it. With the same amount of health points, legends have different size hitboxes - these are invisible areas around character figures, hitting which causes damage. Therefore, matchmakers are more likely to choose the graceful Rafe, Lifeline, and Bangalore over the big guy Gibraltar.

In any "battle royal" is important balance of power, so the game does not allow to increase the impact power of the heroes for money. Nevertheless, there is a progression system: it gives new looks of characters and equipment, allows you to unlock gestures, close combat animations, holopreys (tags on the map in the form of a holographic image) and weapon charms, and also provides hard-working players with rewards. This medal will not take away the bullet in the side, but to amuse your ego is quite possible. There are even different forms of landing - with fireworks and circus tricks performed by a legend. In general, any way to stand out against the background of others is available. To get these attributes, you have to collect experience points in battles and earn new levels.

Experience is awarded for any action in the match, even for survival time - as long as your hero is not shot, you get 3 points per minute. Another 200 for reviving an ally, 50 for killing an enemy, and 900 for winning. And if you play with the same friends all the time, it gives a 5% bonus to experience gain. In Apex Legends you are allowed to level up to 500, and each level-up equips you with 500 legendary tokens. For example, it costs 12,000 of these tokens to purchase a locked hero. In addition, the progression is divided into three stages: at levels 2-20 you get an Apex set containing various decorations for each level, at levels 22-300 you get a set for a couple of levels, and at levels 305-500 you get one for a trio. There are a total of 199 such sets. There is a way to speed up their acquisition - the purchase of a "Combat Pass", but if you want you can do on your own. Which option is more convenient, everyone decides for himself.

Even in this part of the game, the developers have done something original. In each season only two maps are available - unless there is an event that adds more locations, as, for example, happened after the launch of Genesis. When the season changes, one of the maps also changes, which either disappears for good or is sent off to be reworked, and instead a new location is brought to the court of gamers. On the one hand, this brings variety to the "battle royale", and on the other hand, it allows you to test all the innovations in practice.

The current season of "Legacy" features two main maps, "Edge of the World" and "Infected Olympus". Both are interesting not only for their architecture, but also for their unique opportunities for battle participants. They also, like everything in the game, have a backstory. "Edge of the World" is a piece of the planet Talos, where the legendary hunter Bloodhound is from. The IMC Corporation once mined rare minerals here: erected mines, factories, houses for workers, and installed coolers to contain lava flows. But one day an explosion destroyed the settlement. Since then, the ruins have been home to hunters, mercenaries, and agents of Hammond Robotics-just the right place for a contest. In addition to the loot that lies on the surface, here you can collect keys to open containers with particularly valuable items. "Olympus", on the other hand, is much less reminiscent of the industrial zone - it is a futuristic flying city, abandoned by its inhabitants after a man-made disaster. A striking feature of this map is transport, which allows you to quickly move around the area.

Orienteering in Apex Legends is arranged in the same way as in most games of the genre: there is an azimuth scale and markers on the map, which is opened by pressing the M button. Here you can also see the current position of the circle, you and your teammates, and there is a revival beacon icon - this is the device where you need to take the token of a fallen comrade to resurrect him during the battle. Another nuance to consider is the inability to choose a map for the match. "Edge of the World" and "Infected Olympus" change each other several times a day - the timer, counting down the time to this castling, ticks in the main game menu. And if you would like to shoot in the expanses of "Olympus" and another card is active at the moment, you must wait for the counter to be reset. Or use what is available.

Success in battle depends not only on the competent use of heroic abilities, but also on equipment. All items that can be found on the map during the match come in four types: common, rare, epic, and legendary. The quality of your find is very easy to understand - just look at its color. Rare items are in blue, epic items are in purple, and legendary items are in yellow. Clearly, the highest quality equipment does not lie on the map - it can be found only in the parcels dropped from the sky (eirdrop) and special containers. At the same time there are legendary looks, gun colors and character gestures that are available right from the start of the battle, if you have them open of course. But such decorations do not give any advantages in battle.

Apex Legends will meet the needs of those who do not want to rummage around in their inventory, looking for the right accessories for their weapons. After all, suitable items are placed on the barrels automatically, and accessories that do not fit the found guns are simply marked with a crossed out circle icon. They are easy to identify and if you want to throw away or pass to your partners. Let's tell more about the types of items available in the game.

It is worth noting that from season to season the characteristics of weapons and equipment items may change - this is due to the search for better balance based on the experience of gamers. However, the same can be said about the whole game: every now and then the maps, modes, and characters are improved, so that the fans get a fresh experience, but do not suffer from a sense of deja vu, returning to the battlefield.

Apex Legends is an almost perfect multiplayer shooter. No money is asked for the game, yet it is very handy, dynamic, offers an interesting entourage and unusual for the genre mechanics, contains cosmetic additions in every way and is presented on different platforms. On top of that, there's default cross-play: you can play on PC in the same match with PlayStation 4 or Xbox One users. Of course, not everyone will like the fact that for the sake of the teeth-grinding action was scrapped survival atmosphere, typical for "battles of kings", and freebies increase the chances of school pranksters and cheaters in the fight. But it is definitely worth trying Apex - this action game became a hit for a reason.