The Finals turns a Game Boy backpack into a playable console with a secret leaderboard

Embark Studios has proven once again that, when it comes to cosmetics, it's in a league of its own. As reported by The Loadout, the latest update for The Finals, the shooter available on PS5 and Xbox, adds a backpack inspired by Nintendo's legendary handheld, the Game Boy. And it's not just a trinket to show off in the arena: the accessory is playable. You can use it to play Orf, a game created by Embark itself within the game's universe.

What makes this more than a charming curiosity is the competitive angle. Anyone who plays Orf on the backpack will be fighting for a spot on a secret leaderboard. In other words, Embark has put a minigame with its own leaderboard inside a cosmetic for a competitive shooter. For a community that lives for breaking records and bragging about them, that's pure rocket fuel.

What you need to know

• The Finals' latest update adds a cosmetic backpack inspired by Nintendo's Game Boy.
• The backpack is playable: it lets you play Orf, a fictional game developed by Embark within The Finals itself.
• Runs of Orf count toward a secret leaderboard where players compete for the top spots.
• The source mentions the content arriving on the PS5 and Xbox versions of the shooter.

A cosmetic that's also a game

The Finals is a game that divides opinion when it comes to gameplay. Its gunplay has both fans and critics, and the debate over how the weapons handle comes up every time the game is discussed. But there's one area where the consensus is almost unanimous: the visuals and, above all, the cosmetics. The Loadout sums it up by saying that Embark's talent for creating spectacular cosmetics is unmatched, and it's hard to argue when you see something like this.

In shooters, a cosmetic is usually something you look at, not something you use. A skin, a charm or a backpack changes how you look, but it adds nothing to what you do in a match. With the Game Boy backpack, Embark breaks that mould: the item becomes a small gaming platform with its own competitive goal. It's a nostalgic nod to a console that shaped several generations and, at the same time, a way to keep players engaged even when they're not shooting.

Who it affects

The impact is clear for three types of player. Collectors get an item that, by concept alone, is already shaping up to be one of the most talked-about in the game. Competitive players get a new arena to test themselves in, even if it's outside of combat. And content creators get a gift: challenges, record attempts and rivalries between streamers in a retro minigame are perfect material for clips and streams.

That said, it's worth being cautious. The available information doesn't explain how to get the backpack, whether it costs anything, how exactly Orf works, what criteria the secret leaderboard uses, or whether there will be any kind of reward for those at the top. These are key questions we'll need to keep a close eye on.

Our take

Here at Underworld Lordz, we love the idea. It's creative, it has personality and it shows that a studio can treat cosmetics as more than a monetization storefront. Putting a game inside the game, leaderboard included, is exactly the kind of detail that builds community: conversations, healthy competition and that feeling of discovering something hidden that we miss so much in today's shooters.

But we also have reservations. The first is the word secret. A leaderboard you can't see clearly can be a fun hook, but for serious competitors transparency is everything: we want to know how it's measured, how cheating is prevented and what's up for grabs. If the leaderboard stays hidden or opaque, the competitive appeal fades fast. The second reservation runs deeper: if the backpack has to be paid for, we'd be looking at a competition open only to those who pay, which never strikes us as good news.

And there's a third, somewhat more uncomfortable reading. The fact that the most eye-catching part of a competitive shooter's update is a cosmetic says a lot about where The Finals is right now. We applaud Embark's ingenuity, but we'd love to see that same care applied to balance, gunplay and the competitive ecosystem. Pretty backpacks hook players; a solid game is what makes them stay.

What do you think?

Is the Game Boy backpack a stroke of genius that proves cosmetics can offer something more, or a distraction that covers up The Finals' real problems? We want to hear from you. Drop by the team chat or our Discord and tell us: would you try to reach the top of Orf's secret leaderboard?