I gingerly step through broken glass, flanked by two world-weary teammates, entering a long-abandoned supermarket to hunker down as rotors whir overhead. We'd already wasted enough precious ammunition fighting a pack of flying ARC drones -- the latest from an annihilation wave of killer robots responsible for wiping out most of humanity. As we poke around the burnt-out remains of cash registers and store shelves, a distinctly human voice shouts down a nearby hallway. I check my bullet count, raise my weapon, hold my breath and say a prayer as we prepare for another fight.
Every moment is "go time" in developer Embark Studios' ARC Raiders, an online multiplayer shooter where dual threats -- man and machine -- threaten to take your life around every corner. Players step into the role of the eponymous raiders, who are the only folks crazy enough to leave the underground city of Speranza (one of the final bastions of humanity) to gather supplies above ground.
Some raiders are after fame, some are after fortune. Most just want to eke out a modest living. A common interest in survival doesn't mean instant trust, so expect most players to shoot first and ask questions later. Still, communication with strangers is possible, and during a previous press preview, I'd found that uncertain friendships can blossom amid the gunfire. Now that the game has launched, that impression has only strengthened.
Chatting up strangers is a great way to make an ally. It can also give your position away to those with malicious intentions. Embark Studios
These emergent narratives are the bread and butter of ARC Raiders matches, in which squads of up to three players emerge from the underground to scavenge loot -- either from the scraps of society or other players. As a so-called extraction shooter, each match requires juggling the risk of safely sneaking around the edge of the map or charging into the center for better loot before you make your escape. Meeting (and often dispatching) interesting people while robots threaten to rain hellfire on all of you makes for an addictive gameplay loop, one that often leaves me craving another match regardless of whether or not I just escaped with my life.
Beginner quests, skill point progression and free loadouts (that don't risk your precious item hoard) exist so casual players have a way to improve their character without the stinging loss of loot from a failed run, which helps make early matches a little less daunting. But the truly exhilarating "a-ha" moment is when you realize that ARC Raiders has reprogrammed the way you see an in-game world.
Over the past week or so, budding ARC raiders have been targeted, chased and blown to smithereens by the titular robotic menaces. Embark Studios
The first days above Speranza
Diving into an extraction shooter for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience. Casual players are faced with the frightening prospect of losing hours worth of progress by stepping into the sightline of another player who is camping in a dingy corner, or hiding within a bush. Most extraction shooters have cultivated extremely cutthroat communities that pride themselves on weeding out players who can't make the cut.
ARC Raiders has been an altogether unique experience for me, because I was expecting to gun down dozens of people in frequent clashes, yet I've only ended up in a handful of firefights with other players. In fact, I fought more real people when I was rubbing shoulders with my peers in the press previews (though I've still shot down my share of computer-controlled robots).
... continue reading