THE FINALS, an upcoming free-to-play multiplayer shooter from DICE veterans, is in its closed beta test. And from what we’ve learned, it’s not just the destruction that sets it apart from other games in the genre.
Set in the future, THE FINALS takes place in a virtual game show where players compete for fame, riches, and the favor of sponsors. But unlike other battle royale or military sim games, THE FINALS is a tournament-based game with elimination in an arena setting.
One of the standout features of THE FINALS is its level of destruction. Almost everything you see can be destroyed, and it’s entirely physics-based. Buildings won’t crumble just because you apply enough damage to them, as you need to destroy critical support points. But with different weapons causing different levels of destruction, players must develop and use strategies to win.
But destruction isn’t just for eye candy. Players can use it to their advantage, such as breaching any wall they want or creating additional coverage when there is none. The heavy build is one of my favorites since it has the unique ability that lets them charge and demolish everything in their path.
As for the graphics, they are simply incredible, rivaling even some AAA games for visuals. The destruction looks good, and the overall graphics look stunning.
Information on Loadouts, Gameplay, World and Narrative and Visuals
In the game, players can choose between three builds: light, medium, and heavy, with six build slots available for customization. Builds loadouts consist of
- 1 specialization (ability)
- 1 weapon
- 3 gadgets.
- Additionally, there are 4 slots called reserve slots, which let players slightly change their loadout before the start of each round.
THE FINALS includes all the archetypes of weapons, from pistols to assault rifles to even a sword! With signature abilities unique to each build, players can choose who they want to be and how they want to play.
With two game modes available to play in the beta, cashout, tournament, and a ranked mode confirmed, there are plenty of modes available at your fingertips. And with arenas based on real-world locations, like Monaco and Seoul, players can experience different weather variants and times of day. Overall, The Finals closed beta left us impressed. And with its release slated for later this year, we can’t wait to see what else this game has in store.
Gameplay
- The Finals is a tournament-based game with elimination in an arena setting, not a battle royale or military sim.
- Players must develop and use strategies to win, taking advantage of everything the environment offers, including destruction.
- The level of destruction in The Finals is physics-based, and buildings must be destroyed at critical support points.
- There are three builds – Light, Medium, and Heavy – with customizable loadouts consisting of 1 specialization, 1 weapon, and 3 gadgets.
- All builds have different mobility, HP, gadgets, items, weapons, and signature abilities.
- The Finals includes all the archetypes of weapons: Pistols, SMGs, LMGs, assault rifles, automatics, RPGs, and even a sword!
- The cosmetics in The Finals lean into the silly side of the game, with customizable outfits, body types, faces, hair, headwear, and more.
- The game modes available in the closed beta are Cashout and Ranked Tournament, with additional in-game events activating in the second half of a match.
World and Narrative
- The Finals is the name of a popular virtual game show set in a bigger world with two spaces – Meatspace and the Virtual World.
- The VR world in The Finals is hyper-realistic and takes place 75 years in the future.
- Players join The Finals via VR tech and play as contestants in search of fame, riches, and the favor of sponsors.
- Sponsors want exposure to the massive audience for their brand and products/services, and sponsored gear is a sign of success for contestants.
- The show’s mascot is named Nama Tama, and the commentators provide info on the match to viewers as it’s being played out.
- The game takes place in virtual reality, and no one is actually getting hurt, as evidenced by players exploding into coins upon elimination.
- Arenas in The Finals are based on real-world locations, and there are different weather and time-of-day variants.
Visuals
- The destruction in The Finals is more than just eye candy, as players must use it to their advantage to win.
- The graphics in The Finals look incredible, with RTX global illumination and dynamic lighting and shadow reacting to the environment.
- The game supports NVIDIA DLSS frame generation, AMD FSR, and Intel XeSS.
- The game’s visuals and performance have improved since the alpha build, with a range of different customization options available.