Apex Legends Mobile Review: Except for the controls, it’s a great mobile shooter

Playing Apex Legends on the go is now also possible without a Nintendo Switch, because Respawn has made the battle royale mobile. The mobile version stands on its own and is maintained by its own team, but still tries to stay very close to the original. The mini version of Apex does this pretty well in most aspects.

The Hard Facts About Apex Legends Mobile

The aim of Apex Legends Mobile is to bring the shooter to smartphones as authentically as possible. From the gameplay to details like the ziplines, the mobile version offers the full Apex package, but there is no crossplay and progression. Everything is optimized for use on the small touch screen and the Apex Legends and Mobile teams work closely together. However, the mobile version also gets its own content, such as the exclusive hero Fade.

He is a legend specially designed for mobile play. Along with a passive that allows him to run faster after sliding, an ability that lets him go back in time a few seconds, and a highly explosive ult. An all-around happy kit that allows for mistakes, creates mobility, and deals damage.

In addition to him, a total of nine well-known heroes such as Bloodhound, Mirage or Lifeline can be played directly at launch. Old Apex hands can also blindly run through the World’s Edge launch map. After the release, the team wants to work on new maps and updates as well as an expansion of the hero pool. The controller support is also being worked on diligently.

With time comes content

The lore should also be new, because Apex Legends Mobile wants to stay close to the history of the Apex universe, but pick up different stories than Apex Legends. The team behind the mobile version wants to look deeper into the background of the syndicate.

The ranked seasons are two months long and independent of the cycles of the PC and console versions. The shorter seasons allow you to level up faster and earn monthly rewards in the Battle Pass. There is no pay-to-win, you can just shorten the grind for cosmetics with your real money.

Now you know what kind of game Apex Legends Mobile wants to be at launch and beyond. The game also largely lives up to the goals of its developers. It’s Apex Legends in mini format, with pleasantly short rounds, but one big problem that I hope will go away with time.

Getting started is easy for those in the know, but is it worth it?

Even though I had a few days’ lead when testing Apex Legends Mobile, I didn’t manage to unlock Fade within that time. Instead, I relied on my old friend Bloodhound, who, along with Octane, is at your disposal right from the start of the game.

We jump out of the plane in a team of three, land on World’s Edge, search for loot, chase after the safe circle and kill everything that dares move near us. Yep, this is Apex Legends. Legends, weapons and maps are the same, so you hardly notice any difference to the big Battle Royale brother on PC and console. Those who like Apex Legends will also enjoy the mobile title.

However, the matches do nothing for your progress in Apex Legends. The main target group of the mobile title will hardly be the fixed player base that is already playing on the PC and the consoles. In any case, as a PC gamer, I can’t imagine a complete switch. For me, the game is perfect for a cozy bedtime match before bed without worrying about the rank on the PC. Younger players or beginners without powerful hardware, for whom the mobile game is the main competitive attraction of Apex Legends, may see things differently.

Even if the separation of the two Apex games does not have any great advantages for fans of the series, I can understand not wanting to plunge into the balancing hell between PC, console AND mobile. However, since a PUBG mobile without crossplay is also available on the mobile market, I am optimistic about the future of the title.

Damn you, controls!

What I had to get used to for a long time, and still have to, is the new control. Without a mouse and keyboard or controller, touch controls are a must, and that’s not exactly my favorite feature in Apex Legends Mobile – at least when it comes to the two preset layouts. The buttons for your legend’s actions are very close together, which often leads to incorrect movements, especially at the beginning. The most annoying thing for me is that there is a second button for shooting right above the button for running. Here I’ve shot ammunition so often and drew attention to myself, although I really only wanted to keep sprinting.

The ability to customize the layout and the muscle memory help with a more natural feel. Currently, encounters don’t feel as complex as they do on PC, as often everyone involved looks like they’re fighting more with their own thumbs on the touchpad than on the battlefield. The one who is the least stupid wins. But over time that should settle down.

With a few wins under my belt that smack of self-praise, I can say that at least the controls aren’t stopping you from winning. Still, I’d say that games like PUBG: New State feel better in this regard, as I’m getting less clicking. Sure, there’s years of expertise with mobile games here. After all, Respawn has tried to give you as much space for the actual game as possible.

Everything else is implemented with flying colors by Apex Legends Mobile

The recoil feels strong – which, along with the controls, can lead to wild thumb twiddling on the screen – the guns vibrate the phone well and are decently loud. So far I’ve always been able to recognize opponents quite well and the manual and automatic collection of loot works like clockwork. The game looks great on smartphones too.

I think it’s particularly good that Apex Legends Mobile still runs well with a relatively high ping of almost 100 and doesn’t melt the smartphone even after two or three rounds. Everything runs smoothly on my Huawei P20 Pro and the cell phone is no longer the newest either. According to the developers, the game would even run on an iPhone 6S.

There is a lot for free, especially at the beginning. After just a few matches, you’ve turned two legends into five, and for inexperienced players there’s a crisp tutorial that gets straight to the point. As the game progresses, you can also unlock special passive abilities for each hero. For example, the time of Bloodhounds Ultimate is extended if he kills another player during it.

Leveling up your favorite heroes is an additional motivation to earn the rewards of the many different missions, but could also result in small, unfair advantages and disadvantages. As long as the matchmaking puts players of a similar level on a plane together, this shouldn’t affect the course of the matches too much.

Apex Legends Mobile Review – Conclusion

It’s amazing what’s possible in mobile gaming these days. Sure, Apex Legends doesn’t have triple-A graphics, but it’s still amazing how close to the original the game can be implemented on the smartphone. Despite the fiddly controls, I enjoyed Apex Legends Mobile. Once the majority of the players have gotten used to the controls, there can finally be the skill-based battles, which I still miss in the initial phase. I’m totally satisfied with the rest of the game, although I won’t swear off the PC version for that.