Dust kicks up from the ground, blocking the enemy's vision from landing a killing blow. Before I can retaliate, the dreaded drone of an imposing mech echoes throughout the canyon. ARC Raiders is full of these moments, whether in the remnants of an abandoned Spaceport or muddy trenches in the wilderness. Embark Studios, which gave us FPS champion The Finals, steps into the extraction shooter genre, and after six hours of survival, I'm eager to return to the Rust Belt.
While an ARC Raiders release date remains elusive, Embark Studios' latest game has changed significantly since its initial reveal at The Game Awards in 2021. Pitched originally as a PvE looter shooter, a shift incorporating battle royale game mechanics arrived in a dev diary two years later. In the background, the live service space faces obstacles every month at this rate, with closures and a fight to remain unique in a saturated battlefield. However, like The Finals, Embark Studios keeps things fresh in all the right ways.
I spent my time with this preview on the Asus ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, and I'm happy to report that the portable gaming console can handle ARC Raiders just fine. Steam Deck verification is unknown, but I managed to comfortably achieve 30 to 45 FPS at medium and high settings, at a docked resolution of 1080p. There's some assistance from the ROG Ally's 30W Turbo mode, but ARC Raiders is certainly viable on handheld PCs. At lower settings, you can expect the game to hit 40 FPS as a minimum. Given the limitations of the platform, it's still impressive to see it lined up against a heavyweight PC version, which I saw during a session with a fellow journalist.
At first glance, retro-futuristic imagery adorns the game's aesthetic, existing in a world where 1970s sci-fi influences sit comfortably alongside Battlefield-style architecture. Whereas The Finals revels in Embark's heritage within games like Mirror's Edge, ARC Raiders leans on the studio's roster of former EA DICE talent to conjure up lived-in biomes. Entering the game for the first time, a tutorial section casts me out into a storm so brutal that I could practically feel my lungs filling up with cold, wet sand. The mission is simple: deploy into one of three maps, coordinate where you want to loot, and hopefully get out alive.
A piece of cake on paper, sure, but Embark wastes no time in reminding you how merciless ARC Raiders can be, as the tutorial ends in your pre-scripted demise at the hands of rival Raiders. They're not the only threat, though. Wandering around the world are several forms of ARC machines, sentient cyborgs hellbent on turning any sign of life. Murderous Wall-E balls and towering spider bots can shave down your chances of survival in an instant. Yet, Embark dresses all of this in stylish flashes ranging from Mad Max: The Road Warrior, Terrence Malick's Badlands, Sergio Leone westerns, and the 1977 space opera icon, Star Wars.
Embark's clear love for the former serves as a true surprise, with ARC Raider's hub area feeling like a sleazy trader outpost on Tatooine. Each shade of influence coats battles in a wholly engrossing atmosphere, one that I can't stop thinking about. Looting itself is straightforward, with an easy-to-sort-through inventory split between quick-use items and slots for the nifty gifts you're taking home. Space is limited, so it's a real on-the-fly decision to decide whether you can afford to bring home a $10,000 mixtape of bangers. Protecting your loot and yourself is naturally what Embark's flair for combat excels.
Leaving behind the FPS game trappings of The Finals, ARC Raiders is a third-person experience that heavily emphasizes the need to scour everything around you. Did I just see an enemy squad run into the shadowy halls of a cosmonaut station? Is that a robotic spider waiting to jump on my face on the ceiling? Both can be true, and it's a testament to the excellent art direction and sound design at ARC Raiders' foundations.
And when I say the sound design is popping off, that's an understatement. Interior gunfights assault my headset without hesitation, reverberating off cavernous ceilings and dusty walls. Outside battles rip across the skies, as bullets zip past my ear, and machine missiles quake the ground beneath my boots. It is intoxicatingly good to the point that I had to laugh at just how much joy it gave me. Gunplay is more reminiscent of The Division, weaving between tactical shot placement to spurts of bullets to ward off incoming threats.
Bolt-action rifles kick back with hefty recoil, while SMGs practically beg me to keep them under control. There's some polish needed, but in this Tech Test build, it feels fantastic. However, I will say that the knockout punch animation for finishing off foes needs a rework. It definitely wouldn't make Rocky Balboa flinch, that's for sure. Encountering ARC machines within player battles is a thrill of its own. Some maps have them looming in the distance, exploring the land like Terminators hunting down prey. Most have smaller units scanning the area, and the fear they bring is palpable. One setpiece saw me and two Raiders teaming up through proxy chat, agreeing on a truce to ensure mutual survival as machines shredded at our cover.
Could our agreement last until extraction? I doubt it, but I'm game to find out. ARC Raiders' social strengths could be plentiful in the full game. Handy emotes signify you want to join forces, but there's the risk of attempting to befriend someone in the first place. This could end in a misunderstanding, with players hilariously screaming "don't kill me, I'm solo" before a nasty hit to the head. Extracting amplifies this, too, as returning to Speranza can be via underground metro systems or elevators. The metro is a clear highlight, as you can access the train entrances on either side of the tracks, leading to furious scrambles to wipe out squads. The laughter that bellowed as I saw my downed ally whisked away by the train, as I failed to extract, is one for the books.
Before you explore The Dam, Buried City, or Spaceport, tooling up and taking on quests is the first port of call. Several Traders within Speranza give out quests, one of the last bastions of humanity among the plains. It's a little disappointing that you can't explore Speranza properly, especially as the pre-game lobby screen teases a rendered environment with bustling NPCs going about their business. Elsewhere, there's a workshop, which effectively acts as your home, with craftable Stations ready to be created.
This is where the game's ecosystem begins to show itself, giving purpose to ARC Raiders' looter shooter beginnings. Stations let you upgrade weapons, craft new ones, and equip yourself with useful aids on the battlefield. You need plenty of resources to build them, though. Luckily, you've got your pet rooster that periodically has some for you when you return from foraging the open world.
If, like me, you're a fiend for gear stats and tuning up your loadout, this is where you'll likely focus your early efforts. It's also worth planning your ascent through the game's skill tree, which features different buffs for conditioning, mobility, and survival. With over 40 options to choose from, some with multiple upgrades, pooling skill points becomes its own game of refining your build beyond gear.
Speaking of gear, remember those Traders? Their rewards can range from new blueprints to rare gear that will have you debating whether you want to lose it in a bloody gunfight. It's a common trope of this genre: the exhilaration of risk versus reward. Genre-defining games like Hunt: The Showdown and Escape From Tarkov relish this aspect, but there's something about ARC Raiders that evokes a welcoming approach. Extraction shooters can often be frustrating, languishing endeavors if you're consistently wiped out by rival players. Losing gear isn't fun, I know that, but ARC Raiders doesn't slap you with a sense of humiliation.
Every game ends with a map of your match, tracking your skirmishes, areas looted, and so forth. It's a neat touch that adds a tangible sense of adventure, propelling me to get back in for another round. Of course, seeing that you've finished off an Embark developer in battle is always going to elicit a chuckle. I lost incredible weapons a lot in this preview, but I never felt like I was going into any battle unfairly equipped. Free loadouts are commonplace, supplying you with the basics to at least start looting lesser-tier areas. Outside of the gear and resources to find or get from Traders, battle passes take on the Helldivers 2 model when it comes to adding extra loot in-game.
ARC Raiders contains multiple forms of currency, one of which is through real-life purchases. Cred, an earnable currency, is what you use to buy stuff from your purchased battle pass. Although the current prices could change, Embark's current standing seemed reasonable, and you can complete each pass at your leisure. Given how sauced up The Finals' cosmetics are, I did expect a little bit more in this area. Customization isn't quite as in-depth as Embark's destructive shooter, limiting options to hairstyles and outfit bundles rather than individual pieces.
Six hours later, I'm onboard with ARC Raiders. It's seeking to offer an approachable option in a typically difficult genre, without fully compromising on giving hardcore players the thrills they desire. Gorgeous maps with rich art design set the stage for duels to the death and unlikely team-ups, fuelling a potential social goldmine that could be ripe for Twitch-worthy clips.
2025 might be the year of extraction shooters, with Bungie's long-awaited Marathon looming on the horizon. I think I know which camp I'm already in early. There's still some polish required, but Embark Studios may have another winner on its hands.
Fancy trying out ARC Raiders for yourself? Don't forget to sign up for the ARC Raiders Tech Test.
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