A few weeks ago we checked in on the new story mode in Apex Legends Season 5, the "Broken Ghost." And the verdict there could be distilled to "neat, but shallow." Still, the model appears to be working well for Respawn, as it has reported its best player retention rate yet for the battle royale. Requiring players to log in and play on at least five separate days (or pay extra) in order to keep up with the weekly episodic narrative has had its intended effect. I can personally attest: it has changed my habit to a nightly jaunt into King's Canyon where it was previously just a weekend binge.
And for what it's worth, the story missions have gotten better over time. After completing the first one, it felt like a proper introductory mission, laying out the structure and keeping it fairly easy without throwing in too many twists. And I could imagine each episode being roughly the same, just with the difficulty tweaked upward once players had a handle on it. Thankfully, it has exceeded those expectations, if only by a bit.
