In the nearly six years since its release, Apex Legends has put in the work and constantly improved itself. Some changes that fans may take for granted now were on full display in its Launch Royale LTM, which dialed the game back to a near-season zero experience. It did have some allowances, like the modern UI and inclusions of Octane and Wattson, but those were made to ensure there was a better experience. It was mostly season zero content, but also reflective of the first year of Apex Legends.
If nothing else, it’s clear how slow Apex Legends was compared to now. Where Apex Legends has shined as a battle royale game is how it gamifies momentum. It’s possible, sure, to win a game by ratting until the last moment, but the sense of engaging in fights and earning your place at the end is really rewarding. To see how Apex built upon this made Launch Royale very interesting to experience, but that experience could go further.
Apex Legends Launch Royale Makes a Case for a Yearly Royale
I am sure it would be a technical nightmare, especially to do it all on a rotating basis, but a ‘Yearly Royale’ experience would go a long way for Apex Legends. Imagine an LTM that rotated every few hours or days between experiences that represented this first year but also year two, year three, and year four (eventually allowing for year five). If seeing how the biggest changes affect Apex Legends‘ gameplay between season zero and now, it would be great to see how that growth progressed over the years. For example, while I’ve been a player since day one, I couldn’t tell you if EVO shields were a year two thing or not without Googling it (it certainly couldn’t have been later than that, right?)
Nostalgia is both a good and bad thing, as it’s possible to see OG Apex Legends through rose-tinted glasses, but a Yearly Royale would undo that bit by bit. Sure, there would probably be diminishing returns in terms of showing how Apex Legends has progressed since day one, but it would still be an interesting experience. Those who have played through each year can see what it was like, realize when their favorite legends were added, and be treated to a playable version of Apex Legends‘ history. At the same time, those who are new to the game can see yearly progress and get a history class on the beloved BR game.
Of course, there’s every chance in the world this doesn’t happen, at least in this way, if at all. It would make sense that, since Respawn made Launch Royale, it could also make adjustments to offer these experiences at different times. It might just not have as much of an impact to offer year two next season as it were to encapsulate this year by year experience, all of the content and characters that slowly made Apex Legends all the better.
Battle Royale
First-Person Shooter
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong