I am going to analyze *Apex Legends*. It is an FPS game, but what attracts me most is not only the shooting. Compared with other FPS games, the movement system and Legend abilities are what make *Apex* feel special. I think it is a milestone FPS game. When it launched in 2019, it did not rely on a long traditional marketing campaign like many big games. It was a surprise launch, but it still reached 50 million players in its first month, which is very rare.
The most important mechanic for me is movement. The game teaches basic movement, but many advanced techniques are discovered and practiced by players, such as super glide (SG) and tap-strafing (TS). Super glide lets players launch forward quickly after climbing. Tap-strafing usually requires players to bind the mouse wheel to forward movement, so they can input forward many times in a short moment and change direction sharply in the air, even at very high speed. These techniques are powerful, but they require special settings, timing, and a lot of practice. Because of this, the gap between beginners and experienced players is huge.
This creates a dynamic that feels very different from games like *PUBG*. In *PUBG*, I may loot for a long time and then die to a sniper without even seeing the enemy. In *Apex*, even if my team gets destroyed, we can still come back through revives and respawn banners. Even when I am knocked down, I still have a knockdown shield, so I can protect myself or become cover for my teammates.
The fun for me is “Challenge Sensation Fellowship, and Expression”. The game is hard and fast, but it also lets both a full team and one skilled player make crazy plays.
