LONDON: The First Descendant (Steam, XBOX, PS4, PS5) is a free-to-play, third-person looter-shooter that aims to carve out its niche in a genre dominated by big names (Destiny 2, The Division, etc.).

Developed by Nexon, this live-service game combines the thrill of shooting hordes of alien enemies with a complex system of character progression, weapon variety, and loot collection. While it has its moments of excitement and visual appeal, it struggles to stand out in a crowded market and can often feel like a grind-heavy experience.

One of the game’s most appealing features is its cross-platform accessibility, allowing players on different systems to join forces and tackle the game’s 30-hour campaign together, although the reality of grind-based looting takes many more hours.

The cooperative play is at the heart of The First Descendant, with players able to choose from 14 unique characters, each offering different abilities and playstyles. This variety is bolstered by a wide range of weapons, from standard firearms to oversized, powerful guns that add a satisfying punch to combat.

Visually, The First Descendant impresses with its richly detailed environments and character designs. The game’s world is a mix of futuristic urban settings and eerie, desolate ruins, providing a visually engaging backdrop for the action. The art direction and graphical fidelity are undoubtedly high points, with each character looking distinct and the enemies, such as the towering Colossi and swarming Vulgus, providing memorable, if not particularly innovative, designs.

Gameplay-wise, the game offers a mix of standard looter-shooter mechanics with some unique twists. The combat feels solid, particularly when using the game’s oversized weapons, and the inclusion of a grappling hook adds an element of verticality and mobility that sets it apart from other games in the genre. Mastering the grappling hook can be particularly satisfying, offering opportunities for creative strategies and quick escapes during intense battles.

However, where The First Descendant starts to falter is in its reliance on grinding and the free-to-play monetization model. The game is heavily built around the concept of grinding for loot, character upgrades, and weapons, which can feel tedious after a while. Players might spend hours farming for a particular item or character unlock, only to come up empty-handed. This grind is compounded by the game’s monetization system, which, while not overly aggressive, is always present, tempting players to spend real money to bypass the grind.

The missions themselves, while varied in type, often boil down to repetitive tasks such as standing in one spot to gather resources or defending an area against waves of enemies. Despite the variety of enemies and the spectacle of big boss battles, this repetition can make the game feel “perfectly mediocre,” with moments of excitement that are often overshadowed by the monotony of its core gameplay loop.

The First Descendant is a visually striking game with solid combat mechanics and a promising cooperative experience. However, it is held back by a grind-heavy progression system and a reliance on repetitive mission structures. For fans of the looter-shooter genre, it may offer some enjoyment, especially in its early hours, but it ultimately struggles to rise above its peers in a meaningful way.

“Economists agree about many things—contrary to popular opinion—but the majority agree about culture only in the sense that they no longer give it much thought.”

So begins the first chapter of “Cultures Merging,” in which Eric Jones—one of the world’s leading economic historians—takes an eloquent, pointed, and personal look at the question of whether culture determines economics or is instead determined by it.