ARC Raiders Is the Most ‘It’s Fine’ Game We’ve Played in a While

7Id Entertainment

#ArcRaiders #Gaming #IGN ARC Raiders previews pretty well, perhaps because its design conservatism makes it so instantly familiar. There’s absolutely nothing here to challenge what came before, but sometimes, that’s okay. Previewed by Jared Petty.  #ArcRaiders #Gaming #IGN

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00:00Arc Raiders is blisteringly, aggressively archetypical, the extractionist extraction

00:05shooter that ever extracted. It's one of the least surprising games I've ever played,

00:09holding so much in common with its inspirations that they're almost comically indistinguishable.

00:14For preview purposes, this is a very good thing. If you enjoy other games about scavenging

00:18goods while avoiding PvE foes and robbing PvP humans, you're probably going to like

00:23Arc Raiders. If you don't, then there's likely nothing new here to tempt you.

00:27This is a game so unabashedly tied to its progenitors that the hero's default melee

00:32weapon is a pickaxe, the same weapon Fortnite metaverse heroes dropping off of battle buses

00:36lug into combat. That's a cute enough homage, but it's only the tip of the iceberg for the

00:41ways Arc Raiders will be instantly comprehensible for those who play Battle Royale, tree punching

00:46survival games, or extraction. There's very little that feels truly original, but the components

00:51bolted together from other successful live service games click predictably and produce

00:56a satisfying result.

01:01The goal each round is simple. Go to the surface and they get back underground alive with better

01:05loot than you started with. Two forces stand in the way of that goal.

01:09The first are the Arc, AI-controlled battle robots that wander the map searching for any

01:13sign of organic life. The Arc are no trifling threat. Even the smallest bots can prove surprisingly

01:19dangerous, especially in groups. The little spider-like scurriers are downright upsetting for an arachnophobe

01:26like me, and the large crawlers do not mess around. Arc wander the map listening for the

01:31sounds of search or battle and swarm any humans they find. The Arc are especially dangerous in

01:36numbers, and there are plenty of subtle little traps set where clusters of different Arc with

01:40complementary abilities are placed near one another, sometimes hidden in indoor areas where

01:45one can literally trip into them. I met my fate more than once when I got overconfident around

01:50Arc. One crawling monstrosity literally spun into the air with its legs like some kind of

01:56cyclops spider helicopter. Take down an Arc though, and their rewards can be worth your trouble.

02:01They generally contain ammo and weapon components. The second and more deadly threat are your fellow

02:06Raiders. If you choose to play Arc Raiders, you best enjoy watching your back, because

02:10to quote Casablanca,

02:11This place is full of vultures, vultures everywhere.

02:15It's often more efficient to fall upon a fully loaded player who isn't paying attention

02:19than to risk a half hour of bracing open doors in a nearby warehouse, or to lurk near an extraction

02:24point and cut somebody down when they're about to escape. Of course, every other Raider is

02:28likely looking to do the same to you. Combat is competent enough to be satisfying. Your third-person

02:34avatar moves and controls like most other third-person avatars and modern shooters, with no real

02:38irregularities or surprises in the controls. Bullets mostly go where you want them to,

02:42depending on the capabilities of your chosen weapon, and melee attack power is substantial.

02:47Firearms feel right, SMGs are springy and difficult to control, assault rifles steady

02:51and heavy, sniper rifles punch like artillery. Playing in teams of three adds a bit of depth

02:58to the battle, as you and your companions can search and cover for each other much more systematically

03:02than is possible with a single Raider. Firefights between teams develop a sense of strategy,

03:07as coordinating squads deploy flanking tactics and ambushes against groups of foes. Whether

03:11calling out directions, overhearing sounds, or covering all windows in a room, your three-person

03:16squad will find plenty of tension waiting in most buildings.

03:22Cleverly designed maps draw the characters in. The most lucrative resource hubs are clearly

03:26marked, and players flock to the richest areas looking for food, or hover between the treasures

03:30in the extraction areas, waiting to dispossess the luckiest foragers of their well-won games.

03:35The environments are passable, with the usual collection of rusty warehouses, abandoned apartment

03:40buildings, and overgrown vacant lots you'll find in a lot of post-apocalyptic shooters.

03:44Everything is serviceable, but it all kind of feels like they gave Fortnite a coat of DayZ

03:49grime and moved on. It's a boring enough world that certainly took me out of any chance

03:53of getting into the lore, but I don't really think lore is the big draw here anyway.

03:57Ark Raiders is meatloaf without much plate presentation. But the meatloaf is tasty, if a little cold.

04:02Every drawer and cabinet is a potential source of wealth, crafting components, ammunition,

04:10shields, healing items, and weapons. Ammunition is properly segmented enough to keep you hungry

04:15as you scavenge and construct guns. Light, medium, heavy, and shotgun ammo variants are available

04:20early to locate in the overworld, craft in your lair, or purchase underground. Materials have

04:25the usual predictable levels of rarity corresponding to color, with certain colors granting you the ability

04:30to develop more useful or rare items. A single, special pocket in your inventory allows you

04:35to keep one discovered item safe even on the event of your death, so that you can haul your

04:39rarest finds home even when you die.

04:45Some containers take time to open and generate quite a bit of noise when manipulated, which

04:48is a delightful tension raising mechanic that I really appreciated. Opening one of these

04:53was especially harrowing when playing solo. You can really feel the vulnerability with your

04:57camera locked forward, not knowing what passing robot or player might discover you as you make

05:01an ugly racket jimmying a door. You spend your time between rounds underground, where you convert

05:05your ill-gotten gains to an ever-escalating series of crafting tables, allowing for the creation

05:10of ever more elaborate gear. You can also choose to straight liquidate materials and fines for

05:15cash, and purchase fully crafted items at in-game stores. There's also some part of crafting

05:20that involves a live rooster. I never figured that part out. As you explore the world above,

05:25you gain experience, which opens up across a series of skill trees. Selecting various branches

05:30can help you optimize your avatar to your playstyle, increasing combat ability, mobility, or stealth.

05:36The different abilities are clearly labeled, and most are useful enough that every step feels

05:40like real progress. Character design with default options is pretty rough, but a number of better

05:45textures and outfits open up when you apply premium currency. I deliberately made my guy

05:49look as bleak and sad as possible using only default options, but my multiplayer partner had the

05:54soul's easy top man with no name vibe going on. I was envious.

05:58Arc Raider's previews pretty well, perhaps because its design conservatism makes it so

06:02instantly familiar. There's nothing here to challenge what came before, but sometimes

06:06that's okay. Overall, the Arc Raider's loop seems pretty well-tuned to satisfy. Make it

06:11to the surface to loot and kill, bring your goods and experience back underground to improve

06:14your abilities, head back up stronger to find stronger gear, and repeat. There are worse

06:19ways to spend an afternoon.

06:22For more previews of the biggest upcoming games, don't miss our latest hands-on looks at Dune,

06:25Awakening, and Marathon. And for everything else in the world of video games, stick with IGN.

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