Apex Legends
ANOTHER ROUND OF FUN
Typically the most anxiety-inducing
part of learning a new battle royale
game, the drop gives one squadmate
control while the other two hang on
until they’re ready to let go, which
might be never. And that’s OK,
because every squad leaves behind a
coloured contrail, making it simple to
see which way the competitive wind
is blowing. Calling out where other
teams are landing is more important
to surviving the ensuing gauntlet
than where you land.
Once you land, moving through
Apex’s island is a constant joy, a
playground of jutting cliffs and
gigantic skeletons and clusters of
buildings. It recalls the smaller,
crowded arenas of the original
Modern Warfare and the once
incalculable expanse of Halo’s Blood
Gulch in the same minute.
Sliding is the most reliable way to
get around. Hit C on a downward
slope and you’ll glide like a toboggan.
Apex shows its skill ceiling and
playfulness with this mechanic –
every short staircase provides a hit of
free speed, but sliding is also equally
important as a defensive posture, a
way to change your body profile and
evade while under fire.
And I’m always sliding
somewhere. Apex avoids Fortnite’s
Tilted Tower crowding problem by
marking a random hot loot spot each
match, and sending a supply ship
with even more goodies floating
across the map. As a result, everyone
tends to disperse in unpredictable
directions, and the meta for Apex’s
map feels pleasantly uncertain.
Fights aren’t always fast and
aggressive – there are abilities that
slow them down and allow for
retreats and regroups that allow for a
bit of breathing room before the next
showdown. If things get too hot,
Wraith can go invisible for a few
seconds and retreat. Pathfinder can
create a zipline that spans whole
arenas. Gibraltar can pop a dome
shield to protect a chokepoint or give
the team a second to react when
caught in the open.
But most characters have
blindspots that feed back into team
communication. When Wraith pops
into the void, enemies disappear
completely from her field of vision. A
few pings from a friend can help.
Caustic gains ‘threat vision’ on
enemies moving through his gas
clouds, a good cue to ping away. Not
all abilities are as immediately
effective though. Gibraltar can force
an entire squad from cover with a
mortar strike, while Mirage’s ultimate
just turns you invisible and spawns a
bunch of decoys that stand around
doing a very good decoy impression.
It’s easy to see through.
This isn’t Overwatch – the abilities
add flavour and characterisation, but
are almost never game-winners on
their own. Every character has the
same health and movement speed.
The emphasis is still on precision
aiming and smart manoeuvring, with
a little help from abilities that relieve
or induce pressure.
For those raised on the time-tokill
of Call of Duty and the Titanfall
games, Apex’s health pools might feel
a little big. If someone is wearing
level-three armour, they’ll absorb
multiple shotgun blasts, or an entire
SMG magazine. This is intentional.
The most satisfying kills act
against classic FPS instincts. Slowly
chipping away at an enemy squad’s
health from afar so they use up their
healing items is a valid strategy.
Using your downed
teammate as an actual
shield – Apex makes
this ‘knockdown shield’
an actual item you can
activate when you’re
down but not out,
giving you a more
active role in this
near-death phase.
I’ve seen clips of players filling a
small room with loot only to trap
a squad inside by blocking the
doorways with Caustic’s gas
traps. Weapons are only as effective
as wits in Apex, and deeper health
pools ask the player to think of
what else they can do to gain an
advantage besides shooting.
The elasticity stretches to death,
too, a novelty for battle royale. Pick
up any eliminated teammate’s banner
and you can revive them at any
respawn station. These stations are
rarely located anywhere safe or
convenient, but the lengths to which
I’ve had total strangers go to revive
me never fail to inspire. I’ve been
carried by a demigod, respawned
three times in a single match for a
second-place spot I didn’t deserve
Struggling to keep your team in the
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| Apex Legends |
game can be as satisfying as
confidently gunning for first place.