Featured Image Credit: Embark Studios
Topics: PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, ARC Raiders
Topics: PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Steam, Xbox, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, ARC Raiders
Everyone is talking about ARC Raiders, the new extraction shooter from the team at Embark Studios, and if you find yourself missing out because of the price point, then you have an alternative.
Made by the very same people, with a similar vibe, is The Finals, a free-to-play shooter which came out in 2023 and saw huge success for some time.
Available on Steam, but also across consoles, The Finals is a first-person shooter that places you in the shoes of a contestant on a thrilling game show where players fight in highly destructible environments for stacks of cash.
While very different in gameplay to ARC Raiders, you can see the bones of the extraction shooter in its predecessor.
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The Finals became a runaway hit for many at launch, and for a while it was being streamed to thousands of people on the likes of Twitch.
Of course, as time moves on, so do the players, and The Finals isn’t quite as busy as it once was, but that doesn’t take away from what a great experience it was and still is.
Pitched as a chaotic shooter meets cinematic heist, no two rounds of the game ever felt that same, and the destructible environments added to that, with new paths through each level opening up when walls were blown up or buildings got knocked down.
Whether you’re aiming to go it alone or play as a team made up of friends, there’s always fun to had, juggling weapons and abilities to see if you’ve got what it takes to swipe the jackpot of cash.
There’s a lot of style here, in its outlandish art direction, bold colours, and brash ‘in your face’ aesthetics - there’s certainly no confusing this with your Call of Duty or new kind on the block, Battlefield 6.
The Finals being a free-to-play adventure means that everyone can get in on the action, and though the developers have moved onto the much hyped ARC Raiders, there’s still a lot of joy in their previous game.
Ignore the FOMO and give this older game a bit of love, or use it to tide you over until you can finally get into the extraction shooter that is within the fingertips of millions.
In a world where so many shooters lean into the military simulation or become cookie cutters of everything else, The Finals does stand out, if you’ve got the time to put into it.