When looking at the most popular competitive shooters actively being played right now, the majority of these games are battle royale focused. The Finals brings a unique flavor into the competitive shooter space that rewards preparation and different strategies.

What makes The Finals a 5 star game for me is the uniqueness of its structure. The gameplay itself takes place within the context of a game show with hosts and sponsors. The game show is focused on accruing more dollars than your competitors; being objective based rather than chasing a higher kill count.

There are three different types of builds that characters can choose from - light, medium, and heavy. Each class has a different set of weapons and gadgets that creates a unique playstyle. Light, having the least amount of health receives the most amount of stealth and mobility options. This class acts as the clean up crew for the team. Having other team members damage the opposing team and allowing the light class to be able to flank opponents and wipe them out. The Medium class has arguably the most diverse set of tools. By default you are equipped with a healing beam, and not long after you are able to unlock other tools such as a recon sense and then a turret if healing others is not your cup of tea. The Heavy is your classic tank, they have the most health, the most destructive power, and the most shielding capabilities. The game allows teams to create any team composition desired, so whether you run one of each class or a full team of heavies for massive explosives and shield, The Finals will let you do it.

The Finals weapons range from melee weapons to long range weapons. The guns feel good, and each class has a variety of options, but the guns don't necessarily stand out in regards to other high fidelity shooters. While the feel is about the same, the melee weapons do have a more entertaining aspect to them; being able to use sledgehammers, swords, and throwing knives. The fact that each class has their own arsenal of weapons does making playing each different class a unique experience.

The two game modes that the game introduces you to are Quick Cash, and Bank It. The goal of Quick Cash is to work with your team to steal a vault located on the map, and to take the vault money to a cash out station. There, your team has to set up defenses and create a situation where you can defend your cash out for 60 seconds. Even with the best laid plan the chaos can change the landscape. What makes this game mode so exciting is the fact that any team can steal your cash out up to 5 seconds prior to it completing and steal the money for themselves. Its within these moments that screaming at the top of your lungs will either be cheers of success or full expletives of failure.

If Quick Cash has a more methodical structure, Bank It is more action forward. Bank It has a larger focus on actively fighting other teams who drop money every time they get eliminated. Once money is accrued you and your teammates still have to deposit their earnings at select locations before another team wipes you out to add to their earnings.

What I think Embark Studios does well with having these two modes as an introduction to The Finals is that it does an excellent job of introducing the player to the premier game mode Tournament. This mode plays more akin to a Quick Cash, but it takes elements of both game modes and cranks it to 11. In Tournament mode your team will play through multiple rounds aiming to get to the final round where the last two teams fight against each other to cash out vaults. First team to cash out two vaults wins. This mode I believe fully realizes The Finals objective. Work with friends, make conniving plays, and become champions.

At the time of writing this review my team has hit silver rank in ranked tournament. To ensure that players really understand The Finals before entering ranked mode players must complete 60 rounds of any game mode. This way players entering ranked will have a better understanding of the game and access to a more comprehensive loadout so that players don't feel limited with their gear options at the start. What has really impressed me in this mode is that while some teams will have similar compositions. I have seen a lot of variety in the types of teams playing competitively and it creates a lot of interesting engagements or strategies to try and claim the cash for my team. As we progress to higher ranks we might see that some of these strategies fade out, but as of right now I am having a great time playing and trying to overcome all these different types of teams.

The Finals is a free to play game that solely sells cosmetic items for your character and weapons. Besides unlocking items with in-game currency that is earned each round. After 41 hours I still have not unlocked all the items for my classes, but I have not felt it has limits my playstyle. At the time of writing this I have four more unlockables left. While there could be a case that some of these unlockables take too long to get, I believe that with the game allowing you to choose the order of which to unlock these tools you get access to the things you want sooner than later.

The Finals is an exciting game in a time where most shooters revolve around taking place in a battle royale. With its class system, and game show aesthetic it breathes fresh air into a genre that has recently been caught chasing its own tail. I cannot wait to see how this game evolves in 2024 and what new maps and gadgets we will get to mix up the gameplay even further.

What an insane game. Something I played sporadically but never beat until recently. My roommate and I just this week got all the trophies which included beating every challenge at once on Kacey's Mod.

The game has such interesting card mechanics, and a rewarding story that rewards the players depending on how much they investigate with more clues and eerie imagery.

A game that always keeps you on your toes in narrative and gameplay, I highly recommend

What an amazing game! One that was on my radar since its release.

This is one of my games I set time aside to play with my roommate, and our partners. Which was honestly the best way to play. The collaborative nature of trying to decipher the language in game created such a unique puzzle solving experience.

The core mechanic of the game revolved around traveling around the level and using context clues to understand how language is used. Clues can be inferred from how characters speak to you, interpreting signs on buildings, and various other ways. The game was never exhausting to play. At times it would feel incredibly challenging, but having a friend or two to play with you certainly helps in deciphering the language without getting frustrated or too lost.

Before I wrap up this review I do want to acknowledge the score and art of the game. Chants of Sennaar has a beautiful art direction that can feel minimalist at times, but varied and diverse in others. Each time their is a new landscape introduced not only does the color palette and architecture change, but so does the way the camera set the scene. I really appreciated how well everything blended together especially for the finale of the game.

The same can be said for the score of the game. At times the music would be subtle and nuanced as you take the opportunity to think about potential solutions or meanings to words. However, when there were actionable or more dynamic scenes the score would swell up and a chorus of instruments would create a dramatic sense of epicness and scale that made playing the game that much more exciting and intriguing.

Having this game be the first game my roommate and I completed in 2024 ultimately made the start of the year that much better. I will always recommend this game to puzzle lovers, and people interested in playing something unique and original. If you are looking for something that breaks your brain, but also can make you feel like the smartest person alive I would have to recommend this game.