The First Descendant (PC / Steam Deck)

Nexon’s The First Descendant is a “slutty Warframe” clone that prioritizes flashy Unreal Engine 5 assets over functional game design. While the marketing promises a high-octane looter shooter, our audit reveals a predatory “monstrosity” built on recycled Gachapon mechanics. If you’re looking for a PC title that respects your time, this “punch-down” mobile port isn’t it.

Gameplay Feel

The loops are unapologetically grindy and rely on a shallow M+1 combat cycle where you spam skills at bullet-sponge enemies. Most critically, solo play is a miserable, unintended experience. Because the game is heavily dependent on server population, areas without a crowd of “drop-chasers” become insurmountable brick walls. You aren’t playing a game; you are surviving a lonely, frustrating slog where the “artificial barriers” punish you for not having a pre-made squad.

Content and Depth

The game forces a “chase-the-new” cycle where you must grind for character classes you have zero interest in just to bypass specific content gates. This “forced diversification” is a twisted design philosophy meant to drive shop visibility. Animations are flashy but floaty, and the hit registration feels inconsistent during boss fights. The depth is purely artificial, gated by “research” timers that can last days, mimicking the worst retention loops of the developers’ mobile history.

Technical Performance

This is a resource hog that demands mid-to-high level specs for stability. More importantly, the dependence on server population creates a “ghost town” effect in mid-tier zones. Even on a bleeding-edge rig, you cannot “out perform” a networking failure that requires four bodies to make the combat feel fair. The gamepad mapping is the clear focus here; much like the old Assassin’s Creed ports, the PC experience feels like a clunky, console-first afterthought.

Fairness and Monetization

Nexon has weaponized the grind. By forcing you to collect drops for classes you don’t care about, they ensure you are always “just one item away” from progress. It is a mobile game interface forced onto a PC monitor, where the “dull” parts are made intentionally unbearable to sell “Skip” buttons. It does not respect that you have a life.

Price to Value

The entry price is “Free,” but the value to time ratio is abysmal. You are paying with your hours for a game that actively tries to frustrate you. When the enjoyment of a product is entirely dependent on the presence of strangers in your server instance, the true value of that product is zero.

Final Verdict

The First Descendant is a beautiful but hollow tech demo serving as a front for a Gachapon trap. It is a masterclass in how mobile mechanics can distort a PC title until it becomes a chore. Unless you enjoy being a cog in a high population machine designed to milk your wallet, stay far away.

Rating Thumbs: 👎 👎 Toes: 🦶 🦶 🦶 🦶 🦶 🦶 🦶 🦶 (Clenched in financial terror)