Recent reviews by ⋆ 𝚡𝙺𝚎𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚕

Playtime: 170+ Hours
Time TopSide: 120+ Hours
Posted: November 24, 2025

Let's just start with the good stuff. Embark Studios (the folks behind The Finals) absolutely nailed the feel of this game. It runs well, looks gorgeous on Unreal Engine 5, and the sound design is fantastic. That horrific mechanical sound of a Rocketeer bearing down on you... yeah, it can be awfully beautiful.

What I like:

The moment-to-moment combat is great. Weapons feel punchy, movement is responsive (dodging and sliding is essential), and taking down the big ARC robots is a genuinely stressful and satisfying challenge. For the most part, its a proper fight and not a bullet sponge slog.

This is the biggest difference for me from other extraction games. Having access to free, basic loadouts means you don't feel completely kneecapped when you lose a high tier run. You still risk your best stuff, but you can jump right back in the next minute. This makes it far more beginner friendly feeling.

Social Dynamic? Seriously, I've made more temporary truce buddies in the solo queue of Arc Raiders than in every other extraction game combined. Silently teaming up to take down a massive machine or giving a lost player some medical supplies, the PVE focus actually encourages cooperation, which is a breath of fresh air.

The Caveats:

The Mid-Game Repetitiveness: Once the initial awe wears off, the core loop starts to feel a bit shallow. Most of your time is spent scavenging parts for crafting, and the mission structure can be repetitive at best. You'll be asked to complete objectives that don't seem super innovating or interesting. The "why" for running the loop needs more depth.

The tiered crafting system is somewhat clunky. Recycling materials feels like a chore, and sometimes the actual gear you find feels generic. I wish finding that purple/pink tier item felt more impactful than just another cog in the upgrade machine.

If you've been hesitant about the extraction shooter genre because of how punishing games like Tarkov or Hunt Showdown can be, this is your entry point. It’s beautiful, it’s fun, and it lets you learn the ropes without punishing your wallet.

I'm recommending it because the moment to moment gameplay, the tight shooting, and the thrill of a risky extraction are top-tier. I just hope Embark keeps adding meaningful content and addresses the progression grind.

Now for the elephant in the room. The community seems to be split on PVE versus PVP. This is an extraction shooter, and that means there will be PVP. Many people (online on Reddit and other places) feel that this should be a PVE game, when that will never be the case. I think the disconnection here is simply how players are going about trying to make those PVE connections that they claim to lack.

If you run around the map yelling out into Proximity chat: "I'm friendly, I'm friendly!" ... you will be shot. No one will trust you. Put some effort into your personality, say some funny things when you're downed, and more than not I have had players revive me just because I sounded like a chill guy ...

Regardless, I highly recommend this game.

10/10