The free-to-play shooter The Finals launched in early December 2023 from developer Embark and publisher Nexon. It proved to be a popular game at first, thanks in part to the highly destructible maps that players can use strategically.
The Steam player count has gone down since the launch, but that could change on March 14. That"s when Season 2 of The Finals begins. Embark is updating the game with a new map, some new weapons and gadgets, and a new gameplay mode. The game"s official Steam site has the details on Season 2.
If you remember, the game"s fictional back story is that in the near future, there is a popular game show where players control virtual characters in a virtual environment. They shoot each other, and if "killed," they turn into lots of gold coins.
However, for Season 2, the virtual arena has been hacked by a cybercriminal group called CNS. The group has added a new map to The Finals called SYS$HORIZON. Embark says:
This glitchy, neon-filled cityscape exists in the loading realm of the game show and features a mix of vertical and horizontal gameplay. Voxel bridges create pathways between buildings, and pieces of floating, glitched geometry allow contestants to parkour through the arena. Partially loaded and out-of-place, SYS$HORIZON is a sight to behold, especially at night.
Season 2 also added new weapons for the Light, Medium, and Heavy player classes. There are also some nifty new gadgets to try out. The Heavy class gets the Anti-Gravity Cube that throws objects and players up in its immediate area. The Medium class gets two gadgets. One is the Dematerializer, which can temporarily remove surfaces like walls and ceilings. There"s also the Data Reshaper that changes any object into another kind of object. The Light class gets the Gateway, a Portal Gun-type device that creates two portals that people and objects can pass through.
There"s also the new gameplay mode, Power Shift. In this 5v5 mode, each team tries to take control of a moving platform that can tear through anything in its path.
The Finals is currently available on PC via Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.