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One of the games that has been the talk of the town, at least in recent days, is ARC Raiders. I don’t blame them. We’ve been waiting for even the tiniest bit of information since it was revealed. A few of us were able to attend a few press events and got to see a bit more about the game, but all was radio silent for a moment. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case. Many people, such as yours truly, were able to enter the Tech Test 2 for ARC Raiders, and since I played the game like there was no tomorrow, I prepared my very early impressions about it.
A Familiar Skeleton With Unique Additions
For the unaware, ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter with PvPvE elements. It’s set in this beautiful nasapunk world full of robots called ARCS and other Raiders trying to scavenge resources to then bring back to Speranza, the game’s hub.
Whenever someone hears the term “extraction shooter,” it might be natural for them to turn around and run away from these games. I tend to do that, too. Playing for hours just to lose your loot after one sweaty shooter gets you. No thanks. Yet, ARC Raiders somehow feels equally punishing and accessible, which might be a weird way to put it, but that’s how it is.
When you start a match, you’re dropped into one post-apocalyptic area. For this test, we got three: the Dam, the Spaceport, and the Buried City, which I also call the “no-go zone.” You spawn at a random place with the loadout you picked and start looting. Anything that isn’t nailed down to the floor is up for grabs. The loot you’ll encounter will help you craft items and new workbenches or just allow you to sell them for more currency.
Since the above are the basics of almost every extraction shooter, what makes ARC Raiders unique? For starters, the world-building. I’m thankful for having an extraction shooter that moves away from the Call of Duty goggles. The art style Embark Studios aimed for here is fantastic. Also, part of that world-building aspect is the addition of enemy NPCs, which are essential for any extraction shooter to survive. Instead of militia members or other raider NPCs, we have these robots that come in all shapes and sizes. Some shocked you, a few shot rockets at you, and there were larger ones I didn’t want to face.
On top of that, you have other Raiders. I mostly played solo and encountered many players during my runs. Some just camped around the elevators, trying to shoot me before I left, and a few others were playing properly and scavenging the dilapidated buildings. In truth, I never expected the game to be so tense from both its PvE and PvP elements. For the former, I already mentioned the ARCs, which are as imposing as they are annoying—in a good way. In case of the latter, it was great to see Raiders trying to use as many tools as possible to extract safely while also killing other players in the process.
For instance, one of my most memorable rounds was in the Buried City. I was looting the Town Hall and heard someone upstairs—it was a Raider. We started shooting at each other to no avail. Both of us were behind cover, which made the fight a stalemate. However, I threw a lure grenade their way, which brought many ARCs to their position and killed this Raider. I never thought I’d be able to do something like this in an extraction shooter, but ARC Raiders has so many unique systems, weapons, and items that you’ll be putting all your creative juices to work.
Tension For All
If there’s one other thing that surprised me about ARC Raiders, it was how accessible it was. Again, extraction shooters aren’t the friendliest of games. No one likes to farm for hours just to lose their loot in seconds. Well, Embark Studios found a way to mitigate this.
First, the crafting part. Yes. It isn’t something new. However, you have a chicken (yes, an actual chicken) that delivers materials to you after every round. Also, most items can be broken down into parts. If you don’t have a recipe unlocked yet, you can dismantle something and use it to craft something better. Beyond that, crafting costs are quite accessible compared to other games of this genre. Now, it is uncertain if this was a test-only thing. But I hope not. Creating items is easy, but if you go bananas, you can go broke in seconds. So, the costs for each weapon, shield, and augment were perfectly balanced, in my opinion.
But what if you’re still afraid of taking your best items with you? You can get a Free Loadout. Once you gain a few levels, you get the option of starting a run with a random loadout, with the downside of not having a safe pocket. This is a terrific idea. It is accessible to new players who want to gather as much loot as possible and extract it without engaging other Raiders. At the same time, it also encourages you to use your items to increase your potential loot and perform better against enemies.
Also, ARC Raiders doesn’t have many complicated systems like bazillion weapon attachments or cryptic quests. Everything you see in the game is easy to learn. The real challenge lies in getting out alive. You can equip attachments on the fly. There isn’t a lot of ammo to keep track of. Even weapons are extremely easy to use but hard to master. And yes, the gunplay is terrific. Likewise, ARC Raiders has a skill tree with many passive skills that increase your stamina and vaulting speed, and even help you be stealthier. Again, nothing too complicated for newcomers to grasp.
Can’t Wait for the Next Extraction
While this was only a test, like many of you out there, I can’t wait for ARC Raiders to launch fully. It is almost perfect in every sense of the word. I say that almost because it was a tech test. We can’t review a game in this build. Still, as first impressions go, ARC Raiders delivers an engaging, addictive, and accessible extraction shooter experience.
Overall, ARC Raiders is looking solid, but it still might be a ways away from reaching us. Yet, when it does, many Raiders might want to jump in. Or at least I will. No other game comes close to the style ARC Raiders aims for. Its audio design is also one of the most immersive out there, and it is a masterclass at that. Even if you’re not interested in these games, chances are you’ll end up loving the genre because ARC Raiders is truly an extraction shooter for everyone. Let’s just hope it stays that way.
