Respawn surprised us all with Apex Legends Season 23. Launch Royale takes the battle royale back to its original state, complete with a narrow list of Legends, their original abilities, and the old weapon profiles. Yes, that means heavy ammo Wingman and 3x R99. It’s a blast to jump back to where it all began, and I’ve enjoyed reliving the past over the past few days.
I was shocked to remember that only Pathfinder can use ring consoles. Bloodhound’s tactical cooldown feels like it takes hours compared to its current state – and those freeze frame scans take quite some getting used to. This is how Apex Legends was when I first played the game, and it’s so easy to forget how many improvements the developers have made over the years.
OG Kings Canyon
I forgot all about the original Kings Canyon. We deify areas like Skull Town in our minds, but I always preferred Thunderdome endgames. On the other hand, I completely forgot that Slum Lakes ever existed. I dropped back into the northernmost point of Kings Canyon, reacquainting myself with the loot paths and rotations like sitting down in your favourite armchair. It felt new and fresh, but also comforting. I’ve been here before.
I used to love the burned forest area of Kings Canyon as a fresh-faced Apex noob. However, like Slum Lakes, I’ve mostly forgotten it. The game has five different maps now, four of which have undergone enormous changes over the years.
The burned forest isn’t a great area to fight in. It’s not even great to rotate through. There’s not a lot of loot, it’s basically a large open field with some scarred tree trunks puncturing the otherwise open ground. It looks cool, pockmarked with craters and holes still aflame, but it offers little from a gameplay perspective. Still, it’s nice to revisit it, and I run through with a nostalgic fondness now.
Launch Royale Shows How The Developers, And The Players, Have Improved
I notice different things when I play now. I came to Apex from a single-player background. I’ve dabbled in Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer as a teenager, but as I got older I gravitated towards single-player games. I didn’t get on with Fortnite much, but all it took to get me back to PvP action was a Titanfall 2 successor.
You’re telling me this game has Titanfall movement and battle royale gameplay? I’m in. Looking back now, it’s easy to see why I and so many others fell in love with Apex Legends. These days, we get bogged down in complaining about metas that we don’t enjoy or monetisation practices that seem predatory. Those sorts of things are issues, but going back to where it all began reminds you of the improvements the devs have made over the years.
Take the map for starters. There are some great blasts of nostalgia in there, but areas like the burned forest, Slum Lakes, and Relay are simply inferior to their replacements. Containment is a far better POI for looting, for fighting, and for exploring than Cascades. The sight lines, the cover, the space for using abilities are all vastly improved.
Weapons, too, have all found their niche. The heavy ammo Wingman is the most obviously broken, but even things like the fact that all Legends can stack two grenades or six small meds per inventory slot – something I really don’t remember – change fights for the worse.
This doesn’t make Launch Royale bad, though. It’s fun as a limited-time event, a shotgun blast of nostalgia to the face. It’s great to look back at where we’ve come from before revelling in the modernity of ranked.
Apex Legends has come a long way in its five and a half years. It’s had its highs and lows like any live-service game, it’s spawned one of the most exciting esports in the world. And it’s in a good place now, having recently added its best map yet and with a roster of characters who all offer something completely different and fun. The fact I’ve played thousands of hours suggests that it’s a great game, but reminding ourselves of its launch state confirms it.
