Apex Legends Mobile Review by an Apex Legends Noob

Apex Legends Mobile is EA’s latest incredibly successful attempt at breaching the mobile sphere. The original Apex Legends is one of the most popular Battle Royales on the market, nestled happily in the top-five most played games according to Steam Charts just below the genre king, PUBG. 

Which is why, as a self-proclaimed “gamer”, it is almost embarrassing to admit that I have not once played Apex Legends. I am, after all, more of an RPG guy. And my past experiences of battle royales had me carrying out some frantic first aid for my severely bruised ego. 

But creating a mobile version of one of their most successful franchises was a masterstroke (the first of a few) by EA. Because I suspect that I am one of thousands, if not millions of brand new players with eyes on this garish battle royale and, of course, its cash shop. And luckily for me, there is a distinct RPG flavor to this particular battle royale. 

It’s not hard to see how Apex Legends came to be so popular. The game offers an action-packed yet lighthearted spin on the formula by allowing players to play as colorful Legends instead of ‘armed man in white shirt’, each with their own particular set of skills designed to sway the odds in the midst of battle and nurture unique playstyles. It capitalizes on the ubiquitous battle royale genre but offers something brand new at the same time. 

Exclusive Content

Which is where we find the second demonstration of EA’s savvy. Because Apex Legends Mobile features a plethora of platform-exclusive content no doubt designed to turn the heads of PC purists. Not content with bringing their baby to a platform designed to be played anywhere, EA have seemingly decided to hammer home the FOMO by depriving PC players of some content that mobile gamers can enjoy. 

Fade

The most notable exclusive comes in the form of a brand new Legend, Fade. Fade was designed as an homage to mobile app gaming, with a repertoire of skills that are all about mobility. This is first demonstrated in his passive ability, Slipstream, which boosts movement speed after a knee-slide and provides a much-needed boon to those that find themselves caught outside the Ring or inside an enemy’s scope. 

His tactical ability is Flashback, a slick move that allows players to rewind their movements by a few seconds, allowing for the immediate rectification of an ill-advised course of action. An ability that we all wish we had in real life. But also one that favors an Apex Legends noob like myself in myriad ways. 

And Fade’s ultimate ability, Phase Chamber, also offers some self-inflicted damage control by creating a large void on the battlefield that negates damage and slows speed when within its radius. 

Fade certainly gets the Apex Legends noob stamp of approval. Getting out of sticky situations as quickly as possible is an invaluable perk, especially when you have a more experienced teammate to pick up the slack whilst you hightail it out of there (thanks, Pun3sh3r). Plus, there’s the bragging rights we can laud over PC and console gamers – which is always nice.

Perks

Another platform exclusive feature is the perk system – which is a part of Apex Legends Mobile experience that I loved, given that it is reminiscent of RPG skill trees. This perk system allows players to unlock a passive perk, a finisher buff, and an ability buff for each legend by earning experience as that legend. 

For example, Bloodhound can unlock a passive perk that will reset the cooldown for his Eye of the Allfather ability when he knocks a player down, and equip a finisher buff that will see his EVO shield regenerate 100 points upon despatching an enemy. Clearly, these perks can be used to optimize your favorite Legend whilst offering a personalized experience as you pick the most favorable loadout. 

Skins

Speaking of personalization, anyone who has heard of Apex Legends probably knows just how important skins are to the playerbase. And Apex Legends Mobile boasts its own set of platform-exclusive skins designed to pique the interests of peacocks looking to max-out their wardrobe. 

Getting your hands on the coolest drip, however, can be a little pricey. Though there is still a wealth of free content, skins and all, that can simply be earned through playing the game and earning experience the grindy way. 

A free battle pass will see players unlock Legends and skins that will be perfectly amenable to thrifty gamers like myself who don’t need to look good whilst tearing through one’s opponents on the battlefield. Our slick skills will do that for us, right? 

Controls

For the most part, Apex Legends Mobile has pulled off mobile controls with aplomb. It didn’t take long for an Apex Legends noob like myself to get the hang of sprinting, shooting and pulling off those all-important knee-skids in the heat of battle. And new players will find that their first few matches provide ample opportunity to learn the many, many mechanics without being too hand-holdy.

Respawn Entertainment are open in their admission that the first few matches are populated by bots. And this is great news for greenhorns who don’t just need to get to grips with the mobile controls, but also with the game’s core mechanics. And it’s nice to pretend that I was naturally a boss at the game to begin with. 

UI

Unsurprisingly for a game shrunk to fit a mobile screen, there is a lot going on. New players may find the lobby a little overwhelming, though I’d recommend ignoring the peripherals to start with and simply jumping into your first few matches to get to grips with the mechanics. 

Once in the arena, however, things aren’t much different. The standard UI layout will see players moving with their left thumb and aiming/shooting with their right. And don’t worry, you certainly won’t be the only player on your team who’s popping off random shots as you try to turn your head.

Shooting & Looting

The ability to toggle auto-firing is an immediate blessing to new players and will go some way to helping conserve that precious ammo as you line up your shots before firing instead of Rambo-ing your way through your first battle and expending what little ammo you had to start with.

However, Apex Legends Mobile also caters for the ability to burn through ammo with ample loot. The mobile-exclusive (as of now) Team Deathmatch will see teams of six face-off against each other with a loadout of their choosing, pushing players to think tactically about their playstyle and chosen Legend. 

But I much preferred the Battle Royale mode, where you’ll find random weapons in abundance but in a way that makes the combat more dynamic, forcing you to think on your feet as you attempt to utilize your sniper rifle in close-quarters. 

On that subject, I particularly enjoyed the way in which Apex Legends Mobile uses sniper mechanics. Instead of holding the shoot button, or auto-firing when locked on to an enemy, players can hold down the fire button, then shoot upon releasing. I was far more at home with a sniper rifle in hand than with my automatic rifle, scoring some sweet kills from afar thanks to years of practice in opting for the role that keeps me out of danger.  

Movement

Maneuverability can be a bit clunky at times. Trying to get around a downed enemy to finish them off (before realizing I could simply use a finisher) was a constant struggle that made me wish I had a controller in hand to strafe and spin with ease. 

I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the third-person perspective was another exclusive feature of mobile – and one that allows for far better visibility on the battlefield. Why put yourself in harm’s way when you can use your third eye to peek around that corner, after all?

Graphics & Performance

I was pretty shocked to learn that my old phone model was able to run Apex Legends Mobile. And even more shocked to see that it ran smoothly and without my phone exploding. 

You need only look at the launch trailer to get a glimpse of how flashy it can look with the highest specs. But rest assured that if you can stomach boulders that look like smudges on your screen and the odd stutter here and there, then you can still get the most out of Apex Legends Mobile on older devices. An extremely in-depth settings menu allows for ample finetuning, as well, so be sure to fire that up ASAP and get your goldilocks fit. 

Unsurprisingly, the game does have a few teething problems. Amusing glitches and cheesy exploits have already been unearthed by the online community. But Apex Legends Mobile is a live service game, and there doesn’t seem to be anything that’s either game-breaking or unfixable for future patches.

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All in all, Apex Legends Mobile is a must-play for any app gamer who wants to see what all the fuss is about. Its microtransactions, whilst overpriced, aren’t overly predatory and purely cosmetic, while the free content is both abundant and capable of tempting me in for a daily bout. 

My first experience with Apex Legends has shown me what I have been missing. And the best part is that, with its own distinct battle pass and content, I don’t feel the need to fire it up on console or PC because I have everything I want right here. 

Now to try and win a match against real players instead of bots. 

Apex Legends Mobile Review Score: 8/10

Apex Legends Mobile is available to download for free via Google Play and the App Store.