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The First Descendant tech review: broken frame-gen, an unstable RT mode, and performance issues on top
Thomas Morgan tests out the first outing of FSR 3 Frame Generation on console in The First Descendant. Is it an effective tool within a huge option list?
Developer Nexon Games' latest effort, The First Descendant, goes a step further than most though, with this free-to-play Unreal Engine 5 shooter offering three core modes - but then also FSR 3 frame generation to increase performance on each, and a ray tracing toggle. Also frustratingly, the RT mode's visual impact on console is very limited; it misses the satisfying boost in shadow rendering seen on PC's top ultra preset, and rather it settle for a minor improvement to ambient occlusion around the character. Adding frame gen does at least allow for a rise to 60fps in segments, matching the performance mode's 60fps line in simpler areas, but cutscenes and explosion-heavy gameplay still drop to the mid-40s or even the high thirties, which doesn't happen with frame-gen disabled.
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