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Free Fire: Undersea Mystery is Garena’s recent update to their 50-player Battle Royale. You can play this game on both Android and iOS devices.

It’s what you expect in a summer-themed campaign: a new map, new aquatic fantasy features, water-themed game features like fishing and squirt guns, and a bunch of cosmetics in line with ocean colors and the heat of battle.

If you happen to own a mid or bottom-shelf phone, chances are you can still play this game with little problem. The graphics are behind titles like Call of Duty Mobile, but playability is no slouch.

But we’ll look into this game through the eyes of someone new to battle royale shooters. Garena Free Fire bears the signature 50-player match in 10 minutes format. Safe zones shrink faster than similar games, and there are plenty of formats to try in case you want something other than roaming around a large map and waiting to pounce on someone who goofed up. You can choose between Solo, Duo, and Squad before selecting the match type to dive into.

Firstly, you get what you expect from most mobile shooters: a basic tutorial with AI teammates and enemies. There’s one for each match type, but some formats need you to play a few rounds with other game types before they become available. App features also unlock with higher player levels. You have touch controls by default, but players with some technical know-how can configure this app to operate using a mouse and keyboard. Expect the latter input method to be more commonplace when you enter intermediate or advanced player tiers.

Other match types are close-quarters battles and special team deathmatch formats. While other win conditions are present, nothing can assure victory better than deleting the enemy team in most cases.

The general gameplay loop starts with choosing a spawn point or drop zone, grabbing one of many weapon systems scattered around the map, locating upgrades for weapon mods, armor pieces, ammunition, and even bigger backpacks, trading shots with enemies, and finally, being the last one standing before time’s up.

Guns play the same way in many other shooters. Shotguns and SMGs for close combat, rifles and machine guns for standard distances, sniper rifles for long-distance engagement, and launchers for anti-vehicle warfare. If you know other games in the genre, it is more likely to carry over with little fuss.

There are hero shooter elements in this game. You can set up Characters through Presets. Each character has unique abilities ranging from weapon specializations, in-battle or post-battle recovery, to faster consumable use. Most of these operators are unlocked as you progress, while some are available for a limited time. Some of them have a dedicated skill button that you can tap at the bottom center of the screen.

Another aspect of the battlefield is, believe it or not, cosmetics. Character and weapon skins are available and can be obtained either for free or through in-app purchases. The game often notifies users of available bundles, some of them sold at reasonable prices. Free Fire has remnants of old-school online game monetization: skins with stat boosts. While they may not have much of a boost individually, a player with a full skin kit can have a not-negligible advantage against those with less wallet power. In case you’re out to play and have a good time, the only way to keep up is by being good the moment you leave beginner tiers.

In short, there’s a lot to discover in Free Fire’s Undersea Mystery update, even for new players.