We look back to remember how Respawn Entertainment's debut was, while we analyzed the future of the Titanfall saga.
The next March 11 marks no less than six years since the launch of Titanfall. The solo debut of several of the great names ex-Infinity Ward popularized a new intellectual property that would push the initial Xbox One catalog. Until its sequel and subsequent reinterpretation in Apex Legends, the first installment laid the foundations of several of the mechanics that even its most direct rivals would adopt.
Because Titanfall is more than a first-person first-generation shooter. It was the prelude to the new modern side of the genre. Making your market vibrate that way could only be possible to come from those who did the same almost 10 years ago. Today, at FreeGameTips we briefly review what
A rocket backpack to dominate them all
After leaving the studio that they built from scratch, Vince Zampella and Jason West embarked on a new independent adventure, although this time they would land under the mantle of Electronic Arts. Away from the franchise that made them rise to fame, they now had the opportunity to demonstrate that they could continue to reinvent themselves.
In June 2013, under the sky of Los Angeles, we witnessed the first live demonstration of his new work. Titanfall won by sight with the introduction of the Titans, giant armor in the purest "mecha" style that allowed pilots to win in firepower. Although all the lights pointed to them, another mechanic of the same relevance went unnoticed until he felt it at the controls.
And is that Titanfall popularized the rocket backpack as an element attached to the control of the character. This propulsion allowed us to reach positions beyond, to have greater agility in full shooting and to be able to connect with the parkour, which elevated the way in which we moved around the map. This mechanic would later mimic Call of Duty in deliveries such as Infinite Warfare and Black Ops 3, among others.
Think of a building with an inner courtyard. What in a traditional shooter would be a corridor like any other, in the new Respawn could become a section of platforms in which we could access a completely unpublished place. The way to navigate through combat had changed in such a way that you should be aware that your way of playing should evolve. A good jump between two walls may be more useful than a long distance shot.
Titan on the way
While Call of Duty standardized the low streak, the reward for playing a good role in combat, Titanfall evolved mechanics by introducing the Titan. This mechanical extension of our character was halfway “from the most powerful AC-130” to a threat that could be easy to neutralize.
The pilot had the right tools: rocket launchers, your rifle, grenades … but everything was useless if we couldn't understand what the best way to end one of them is. Beyond the weak points, represented with a red sign, any attempt was useless if you failed to suffocate him. This progression curve based on experimentation made learning much easier to cope with.
The requirements to ask for our own metal shell went only through our work in battle. As was the case with the support branch in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a circle was filled in over time and with the casualties that allowed us to assign one. By match it was usual to find two per player, although if we did it well we could reach up to three.
Despite feeling a balanced mechanic, the original's card system threw a bit of ground for any effort to engage in a fair exchange of shots. Some of the cards allowed us to have a titan from the moment the game started, and that in the hands of an experienced player is a lethal weapon.
The future of Titanfall in the air
Apex Legends is, in broad strokes, the spiritual successor of the Titanfall formula. The battle royale free to play based on the homologous universe arrived last year to try to become another weight rival of the genre that Fortnite leads. The same company that marked the study with the title on which these lines are based.
Although Vince Zampella himself acknowledged that there would be more "Titanfall" by the end of 2019, the truth is that nothing has happened regarding the franchise since then. And it doesn't seem like it will change. Due to the success of Apex Legends, Respawn sent a third installment to the refrigerator to focus on those moments both in the production of new content and in the development of the recent Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order.
Nor is Electronic Arts clear, that last October he admitted that they wanted to keep the team “very focused” with Apex Legends, although they don't want to forget what they consider “a great brand.” What is clear is that a hypothetical The project will not be led by one of its main managers. Vince Zampella is currently the head of DICE Los Angeles, embarked on a new unannounced project. In any case, the future seems to be far away for the return of the Titans.
