Apex Legends: Final Review

Apex Legends is something of a zeitgeist stew, checking all of the boxes of recent trends all the way down to its grandiose but nondescript title. It’s one part by-the-numbers battle royale, complete with the descent from the sky, emphasis on scavenging for loot, and shrinking playable area. It’s another part hero shooter, featuring eight characters called Legends with unique ability sets built for steadfast teamwork. It comes decked out with all the modern free-to-play, games-as-service fixings, including weapon skins, emotes, seasons stretching throughout the rest of the year and (hopefully) years to come, and even the much-maligned loot boxes. None of those borrowed ideas scream originality on their own, but here they come together as something totally new thanks to a roster of personable Legends, a single lavishly designed map, and a smart approach to its mandatory three-person squads. Add great gunplay, a groundbreaking communication system, and a degree of polish that’s all but unheard of in this genre, and Apex Legends has burst onto the scene as one of the most refined and entertaining battle royale games I’ve played.

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