Cast your mind back to when the Battle Royale genre in video games first came about. You’ll probably first find yourself thinking back to the beginning of 2017 whenPlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsgrew in popularity, perhaps the first game to really kickstart this whole Battle Royale craze off. Of course, you’ll also probably think aboutFortnitetoo, which not onlybrought millions of players togetherbut did so by being the first game tosuccessfully enable full cross-platform play on consoles.
If you want to separate yourself from the usual crowd and be different, you’ll probably say you remember even further back when games such asDayZ,or mods forArma 2andGarry’s Modintroduced Last Man Standing modes. Heck, even I rememberCrash ‘n’ Burnfrom the PS2 years, and even innocent littleBombermanwas a Last Man Standing game.
[pullquote]“As popular as Battle Royale is, it can make games focusing on the genre somewhat alienating to those who don’t favor this style of multiplayer gameplay."[/pullquote]
Either way, it’s no lie that Battle Royale has been successful of late, andApex Legendsis the newest game to come outthat is dedicated to the game mode. It does feature the usual elements from many other Battle Royale games, as ithas microtransactions to purchase cosmetics, legendaries, or the two characters behind a paywall. Although, it’s possible to unlock these items through just earning them through non-cost methods.
As much as I’m enjoying my time withApex Legendsso far, I feel as if it needs to do more to survive in the long run. Specifically, I’m concerned about how long this genre is going to last despite it being popular now thanks to hits in the genre such asPUBGandFortnite. Even EA has stated that they believeBattlefield Vdid so poorly because they failed to launch with a Battle Royale mode, asthey said in their most recent financial call. They themselves stated that they “made the decision to prioritize other features, including a single-player experience, at launch over a Battle Royale mode.”
As popular as Battle Royale is, it can make games focusing on the genre somewhat alienating to those who don’t favor this style of multiplayer gameplay. I know many players who stay away from the genre because they don’t like the idea of constantly having to matchmake if they only survive for 2 minutes. I also know those who don’t find joy in Solo or teaming up with strangers in Duos or Squads. As it stands,Apex Legendsis predominantly a Battle Royale game, and that, in itself, is fine for those who enjoy this style of gameplay.
But after spending several hours withApex Legends,I’ve come to realize that the intuitive controls, the smooth gameplay experience, and the wonderful optimization leave it open to being so much more, bringing in a larger audience.Fortnite,as an example, has introducedvarious game modesto add some form of diversity outside of its standard Battle Royale modes, giving players a bit of abreak from the tough-going survival theme. But whatApex Legendsoffers so far still doesn’t feel different enough.
With all that being said, here’s what I think Respawn Entertainment needs to do withApex Legendsto make it appealing beyond the current trend of Battle Royale games.
The first step I think is to introduce the usual slate of multiplayer modes to bring in more players that can enjoy the title. By this, I mean sectioning off parts of the map into levels and introducing standard game modes such as Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, and Search and Destroy. It might be adding more work onto the development team, and possibly hold backa newTitanfallgame later this year, but it has the principles in place to succeed.
[pullquote]“We’re reaching a point where it’s going to become too oversaturated that people are just going to grow bored of playing a game that only allows you to play just Battle Royale."[/pullquote]
The gameplay ofApex Legendsfeels remarkably polished, and the diverse Ping feature—andAccessibility features—allows you to communicate with your team without the need to type or speak. This can all be carried over into other game modes, should they be implemented. I also think that the Legend abilities would work in other modes too, as they’re not entirely game changers, but more so for tactical purposes.
There’s no knowing how long the Battle Royale craze is going to last, asFortnitekeeps on bringing players back with events such as theMarshmello concert that took place for the Super Bowl earlier this month.Fear the Wolvesbrings a spin on the genre byintroducing wolvesand more obstacles for players to overcome, so it’s not like the Battle Royale genre is running out of ideas.
But I do feel as if we’re reaching a point where it’s going to become too oversaturated that people are just going to grow bored of playing a game that only allows you to play just Battle Royale. I’ve already removed myself fromFortniteas a player now because I just can’t seem to enjoy it anymore—I also suck at the building—and I only find myself not playingPUBGbecause of how long it seems to take to load into the next match, and because of its clunky controls.
[pullquote]“Apex Legendsis certainly a good contender for becoming the next big Battle Royale game in the long run, and I’m hoping it has what it takes to survive."[/pullquote]
Apex Legendsis the first Battle Royale title to really grasp my attention sincePUBGdid back in 2017, and I feel like I want to continue enjoying it. Since it launched a few weeks ago, it had already hit1 million players in under 8 hours, and then the total went up to2.5 million players in under 48 hours.
Of course, the game is setto continue to growaccording to the CEO of Respawn Entertainment. This no doubt means future characters, perhaps a new map to explore, and more weapons. Hopefully, the plans for the future will introduce new game modes, but as it stands right now,Apex Legendsis certainly a good contender for becoming the next big Battle Royale game in the long run, and I’m hoping it has what it takes to survive.
If you do want to grabApex Legends,it’s available for free on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Now, who wants to be Jumpmaster?
