The Finals Revolts With Unique and Mind-Blowing Closed Beta

This week got off to a highly explosive start – with The Finals. The free-to-play FPS started yesterday with a closed beta and is about to turn the entire shooter genre upside down. And the element of destruction plays a central role.

After Red Faction, AAA giants like Battlefield joined in and offered destructible environments on a grand scale. However, this feature was rather limited to spectacular effects, which were less relevant for the actual gameplay. Now a Swedish developer studio proves with its game that it can be done differently…

The Finals blows everything apart in the Playtest, especially our minds

According to the developers at Embark Studios, the shooter genre has stagnated and is no longer as fun to play. There is an evident lack of innovation. The result is The Finals, a project that also involved former Battlefield veterans from DICE.

The game uses the fluid movement and hero elements of Apex Legends and combines them with the destructive potential of Battlefield. But with less restrictions. Something that has somewhat fallen by the wayside in games over the past few decades. The result is an incredible dynamic first-person shooter that gets under your skin. But the best way to see for yourself is to check out the new trailer below:

Fast large-scale arena fights and a convenient class system meet colossal destruction

The gameplay is explained pretty fast: in a quick play of only 8 minutes, four teams of 3 compete against each other. You and your squad must find cash canisters, activate them and bring them to cashout stations. Your mission is to defend these stations until the money arrives in your account. But as long as the money is flowing, the other teams can take these stations away from you very violently.

Your team has three main classes available, including sub-classes, each with specific weapons and gadgets. Certain pieces of equipment are also cross-class. It is advisable to have a short chat before the game to complement each other for the fight in the best possible way.

Light class

Has faster weapons and mobile gadgets such as a grappling hook. The lowest amount of health.

Medium class

Comes with medium weapons like assault rifles and support gadgets. Mediocre amount of health.

Heavy class

Includes heavy weapons like a Sledgehammer, flamethrower, and MG and can break walls with a punch attack. The largest amount of health.

The dynamic impact on the environment makes the difference

We already know arena battles, fast movement, and the hero aspects from many other shooters. However, Embark Studios managed to take the thrill to the extreme with The Finals by delivering super short 8-minute battles and adding the destructible environment as a critical strategic element.

In The Finals, you can not only take apart cabinets and tables with your Assault Rifle. With a C4 bomb, entire buildings can be destroyed and brought down. The ruins will continue to exist in the match. This forces you as a player to rethink situations entirely and, at the same time, offers you new tactical possibilities. But it also creates incredible tension in the match: a comparison.

You have successfully placed your C4 in CS:GO as a terrorist and can already see your victory in front of you in optimal cover during the countdown. In The Finals, you can’t be sure your cover won’t be completely torn apart by a sledgehammer (or enemy C4) in the next moment. This can also be highly confusing at first because, from one moment to the next, you no longer find yourself on the third but on the ground floor. But it’s all the more exciting and varied for that!

The graphics are also a feast for the eyes, and the optimization for performance is already very advanced. The gameplay feels buttery smooth. Only the game’s audio needs a bit of tweaking by the developers before release.

Take part in The Finals Closed Beta

Sounds and looks great, right? You can still participate in The Finals playtest until March 21. All you have to do is request access to the closed beta via Steam. However, there is no guarantee for participation, but we wish you good luck in any case.

A Verdict for The Finals’ Preview-Version

You can feel that behind this project, ambitious developers don’t just want to release an indie game with extensive features. This team seeks to deliver significant added value to the gameplay experience of next-gen shooters. A completely refreshing gaming experience that provides incentives for entertaining rounds and long tournaments alike. The graphics are beautiful, and the style is distinctive. I feel reminded of the color-accented worlds of a Mirror’s Edge. Not too much, not too little – just right.

The destruction component simultaneously provides a lot of adrenaline and variety. This gives birth to a whole new way to experience and play shooters. It’s a breath of fresh air that has been missing from the genre and eSports for quite a while.

However, our preview-verdict remains without a rating here. We will do this after the game’s official release and are curious to see what the developers can come up with until then. Nonetheless, we are more than excited about this title. See you in-game.

Other shooters are also a lot of fun

Are you still dizzy from the epic The Finals trailer, or do you want to come down after the intense playtest? For example, you’ll find the right medicine in our rankings of the Best Free FPS Games or Best Stealth Games.

The new shooter Atomic Heart also features heavy, imposing weapons. Or, in May, you can join the impulsive team in Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League.

What do you think of The Finals’ gameplay? Will you participate in the closed beta playtest? Feel free to leave a comment below.

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