At the large-scale game event “G-STAR 2022” held in Korea from November 17th to 20th, Nexon『The First Descendant』conducted a media joint interview.
This work is a third-person looter shooter where up to four people can enjoy fighting together. Set in a sci-fi worldview, players will fight against enemies who invade mankind as a “successor”. in OctoberStory trailer videowas published, and the introduction part of the story was shown.
This work is also on display at the “G-STAR 2022” Nexon booth, and the Game*Spark editorial department has experienced the PS5 version.Briefly describe the play feel“Light and comfortable third-person gun action”I was able to enjoy speedy battles using double jumps, grappling hooks, evasive actions, and so on.
However, the range I experienced in this interview was only solo play. One of the attractions is the sense of unity, and due to the limited time, I didn’t get to experience the “collection of weapons unique to looter shooters”. It was a little disappointing, but the action of using the vibrations when shooting the gun and the grappling hook/dodging was exhilarating, and I was completely satisfied with the 15 minutes of play.
From here, we will deliver a joint interview with Mr. Lee Bum-joon of Nexon Games, who is the producer of the same work. The Game*Spark editorial department also asked us some interesting questions.
――I participated in the trial play of “The First Descendant”. The optimization for PS5 is an impression that is well done. Please tell us about an episode during development.
stomachWe focused on optimization for this G-STAR 2020. We received a lot of feedback from users about the sound effects, so I think we were able to fine-tune it in a short period of time. In this work, you can choose “Resolution Priority”, “Frame Rate Priority”, “Balance Mode” and graphics options, but the balance mode was exhibited.
――What kind of opinions did you get from the customers who came to the trial booth?
stomachI didn’t hear from the visitors who played the PS5 version that they had a bad impression. However, it was also pointed out that mouse + keyboard operation is easier to get used to. However, we have received many positive comments.
――What is the degree of completion at this stage?
stomachWe are currently in a development situation where we can say that there is a lot to be done. I see the next problem to solve. In a way, you can say, “It’s finally starting now.” We have to increase the amount of content, but the end content includes character collection and training, and battles with giant bosses. In the future, I would like to expand the range of playing and build an environment rich in variations.
――The looter shooter is a genre that requires a lot of adjustments, and we have to continue to provide content. It seems that there are many things that need to be done in the future, but please tell us about your future management plans.
stomachIt’s a very difficult question. First of all, the goal is to secure a sufficient degree of perfection and release it. I’ve seen comments on the internet saying, “If you release it like this, it’ll go out of business…”, and we’ve been able to determine where the problem lies. We can’t be sure about the schedule, but we will continue to develop and live update, and prepare the team structure.
――How will you differentiate yourself from other router shooters?
stomachI think what we need at this stage is perfection. It’s not yet solid enough to make a big difference. And the point pointed out by many users is also the low degree of perfection. Yesterday, I had a dream where a user told me to release the game as soon as possible. Some people want traditional looter-shooter gameplay, but they also want a unique approach. Also, in the user survey, we received feedback from people who played for more than 3,000 minutes. Those people are English-speaking users, and they especially appreciate the battles. It may not be an interview answer, but we want to meet the expectations of these users.
――Compared to other works in the same genre, I felt that the element of collecting items was weak. Also, I have the impression that the balance of character skills is uneven.
stomachAs for the characters, we would like to adjust them so that they have their own uses while maintaining the same number of characters. I think there are various approaches, such as one that is weak in certain content, but makes use of its strengths in another content. Also, regarding the balance of skills, it was a policy to make a vivid difference for each. However, I also feel that what we are currently offering is wrong. I think the direction we are aiming for is right, so we will continue to make further adjustments.
――What do you think is the most important thing in the development of a looter shooter?
stomachWhen making a router shooter, three development skills are required: “gun combat elements”, “RPG elements”, and “online elements”. However, no development team can start off with all three in place. Starting with Destiny, we also heard about the experiences of various looter shooters. We conducted research from various sources and listened to experts to develop the product, but there were many difficulties that we only realized after actually proceeding with the project.
The free-to-play TPS action RPG “The First Descendant” is available for PC (Steam) / PS5 / PS4 / Xbox Series X | S / Xbox One will be released with basic play free.
Provided by: Nexon
