Surprise! Embark Studios’ free-to-play first-person shooter (FPS), The Finals, just got its release date announced at The Game Awards 2023. The best part? That date is today. Like, right now.
The Finals is a multiplayer FPS that has players step into the shoes of a game show contestant and “compete for worldwide fame and the support of our discerning and stylish sponsors.” They must battle it out in virtual arenas inspired by real-life locations, such as Seoul and Monaco, where pretty much everything can be destroyed, adding to the immersion and dynamism of the action.
Modes include the frantic 3v3v3 Quick Cash, which tasks players with breaking into a vault and then transporting the loot over to a cashout point on the map while fighting it out against other trios of players. There’s also the more casual-focused Bank-It mode, which has four teams of three duke it out while attempting to collect as many coins as possible.
Back in October, gamers on all major current-gen platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC) were able to try out a number of different modes and maps in an open cross-play beta. It was incredibly successful, too, with around 7.5 million players logging on to see what all the fuss was about.
Here at TechRadar Gaming, editor-in-chief Jake Tucker was a big fan of The Finals during its open beta period, noting that it’s “the most fun I’ve had in a multiplayer shooter all year.” He added: “The Finals deserves to be huge, and the frenetic combat is genuinely incredible.”
Really, the only major issue that players noted in the open beta was the use of awkward-sounding AI-generated voice lines for The Finals’ commentators. The developers previously described AI as an “extremely powerful” tool, which turns recording and adding voice lines into “a matter of hours instead of months.” However, at the time of writing this article, it’s not clear if these AI-generated clips have been included in the final version of the game.
For more games like The Finals, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best FPS games, as well as the best free games.
