Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale on PC and console. The game is a cornucopia of battle royale and hero-shooter (think: Overwatch) mechanics, and it wears them well.

Concept - 3/5

Apex Legends' concept isn't necessarily groundbreaking. Battle Royale is an extremely popular genre, dominated by games like Fortnite and PUBG. However, what it lacks in originality, it makes up for with polished execution and enjoyable gameplay.

The last group standing wins.

You play as one of ten heroes (eight originally, with two more you can unlock), switching between them based on your play-style. Joining a match requires you to be in a team of three. (Your friends, or randoms.) Once you've partied up, the three of you are dropped into a futuristic industrial complex, where you must gather supplies and defeat enemy teams. The last group standing wins.

Immersive polished environments

The graphics and UI are excellent. Environments and animations are well-rendered, with a polished look that immerses the player into the world. The audio is exceptional in that the game doesn't rely on music at all. Instead, the only sounds are environmental; gunshots, gear rustling, footsteps, that sort of thing.

These carefully-crafted pieces of audio aide the user experience, to the point where playing without them is challenging.

Easily communicate with your team

One of the reasons audio is so important is because of the ping system, which is entirely unique to Apex Legends. The ping system is a method of nonverbal communication that can supplement, or even outright replace voice chat.

By using pings, you and your teammates can point out things of interest on the map - enemies, loot, or locations- without saying or typing a single word. The game substitutes with the voice of your chosen hero. For example, if you ping a spot you want to explore, your hero will say, "Might be something good this way." Even if you don't have a mic, you'll still have a say.

Winning the game is based on teamwork, skill, and luck.

And as for difficulty - if you've played battle royale before, you'll be able to get into Apex Legends with relative ease. Winning the game is based on teamwork, skill, and luck, making every win feel earned.

One of the most popular battle royale games

If you like battle royale, then you'll probably like Apex Legends. It's one of the most popular battle royale games to-date, overthrowing such titles like Fortnite and PUBG. And with new seasons coming out regularly, Apex Legends will likely continue to entertain fans for years to come.

The unpredictable play keeps you coming back for more

Matches play out differently every time. You're playing with people, and people can be unpredictable. Add that to the random nature of battle royale, and you can have an entirely different experience every round.

As such, you can replay the game hundreds of times and still enjoy it on your two-hundredth or three-hundredth playthrough. In fact, the more you play, the better you'll get. By returning over and over, you will soon dominate the world of Apex Legends.

TL/DR

Apex Legends brings battle royale and hero-shooters together in a fun way, with immersive gameplay and top-notch mechanics.