Arc Raiders on PS5: The Addictive Extraction Shooter You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

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Arc Raiders is a shooting game focused on extraction, encouraging players to stay vigilant. They should take in their surroundings carefully and tune into its audio environment, which sets it apart as one of the most thrilling multiplayer titles coming to PlayStation 5 this year.

Ever since Arc Raiders was initially announced in 2021, we’ve been keeping a close watch on its progress. But when Embark Studios dropped The Finals, a game that brought something new to the first-person shooter genre, our excitement levels soared even higher.

After logging a solid seven hours into this game on PC, I’ve got to say, I’m hooked! I’ve been diving deep into its gameplay mechanics, leveling up systems, and overall vibe, and let me tell you, there’s still so much more to discover. It’s a thrill from start to finish, and I can’t wait to dive back in for more!

As an enthusiast, I’d describe Arc Raiders as a massive looter-shooter, brimming with expansive territories, characters offering missions, several layers of progression reminiscent of Helldivers 2, a challenging skill system to master, and a comprehensive crafting mechanism requiring enhancement. Let’s delve into the heart of Arc’s concept first.

In a post-apocalyptic world, humans have been compelled to live underground due to the destructive Arc machines. As adventurers, you’ll emerge from beneath the ground in the Rust Belt region to gather essential resources for the city of Speranza hidden below. Your objective is to explore the surface, collect valuable items, and return before encountering or eluding AI Arc machines and other real-life players.

If you’re accustomed to games within the extraction genre, you might find that Arc Raiders follows a familiar pattern, as it shares similarities with Hunt: Showdown, Escape From Tarkov, and Helldivers 2, excluding their player-versus-player components. Yet, Arc Raiders distinguishes itself by providing an exceptional audio and visual experience that sets it apart from other games in the genre.

With a cassette-futurism style that’s truly captivating, Embark has crafted an exceptional shooter game. The visuals are characterized by overexposed lighting, grimy brutalist structures, and sci-fi elements that evoke the feel of Star Wars: A New Hope. The realism of the setting is impressive, making each corridor, alley, or rooftop seem vibrant in an almost palpable way.

As I delve into its maps, there’s a tangible sense of authenticity that instantly transports me back to my first exploration of the towering, time-worn Cosmodrone wall in Destiny. The sheer size and weathering of these ancient structures seem to resonate with the passage of history, making every step feel like a walk through destiny itself.

Much of its appeal comes from the exceptional sound design as well. The sounds are intentionally imperfect with elements like echoing and distortion, creating an authentic yet unique feel that differs from the polished Hollywood action soundscapes found in games like Call of Duty. This sound design greatly enhances the game’s aesthetic and makes for an incredibly immersive extraction shooter experience.

In every encounter, motion, touchpoint, and adversary, there’s a unique audio signature. We spent considerable time just listening to stay alert about potential threats lurking nearby, be it the ominous drones of an Arc drone or the muffled footsteps of another Raiders squad.

This approach emphasizes the stealthy elements of the game, highlighting instances when we skillfully move about undetected, using sounds to guide us towards unaware opponents. In many ways, it’s reminiscent of Hunt: Showdown.

The game provides all necessary information about it within the game environment itself, rather than through heads-up displays (HUD) or menus. With adequate playtime, you’d likely learn to identify the nearby Arc machine by its unique sounds of ‘bleeps’ and ‘bloops’.

In this game, gunshots echo, flares light up from defeated opponents, messages about rescues are amplified through speakers and signals flash. Not everything is immediately obvious, but if you know what to look out for, it’s all there – and that’s what makes this game thoughtfully designed.

The game demands that players adapt to its unique environment, and our team found ourselves paying closer attention to sound cues and planning our moves more strategically after only a few hours of play. As we grew accustomed to the game’s setting, we began to uncover hidden details such as locked doors and protected loot within the maps.

In this game, the challenges are tougher and more demanding, as resources are scarce and brute force isn’t always an option. One wrong move, like being detected by an Arc machine, could lead to a chain reaction of difficulties. You might find yourself clinging to survival, feeling elated over finding just a handful of SMG ammo or a single shield recharger. There’s also the opportunity to form alliances with other groups of Raiders.

In simpler terms, during early stages of play, the third-person game feels quick and responsive, but heavily relies on your stamina gauge and load capacity. Each weapon has a unique feel, especially noticeable when using the DualSense controller. The game works well with gamepads, although it seems that managing loot would be more efficient using a mouse and keyboard setup.

In situations where resources are scarce, there’s a strong focus on seeking shelter when necessary and ensuring each shot is well-aimed. Engagements can sometimes feel like a synchronized movement, as you dart for safety and strive to gain the upper hand. Moreover, Arc Raiders offers an appealing video game slide, which we appreciate greatly. Excellent work!

If it hasn’t been made clear yet, let me tell you that this can be quite a challenging game, with more losses than victories. Whether it’s the Arc machines or other players, we often come up short. It’s the give and take of the extraction genre, and if you’re drawn to Arc Raiders, chances are you’ve already figured out whether the intense gameplay suits your taste or not.

In Arc Raiders, it’s clear that successful extraction plays a significant role. This process rewards you with valuable loot for future adventures, as well as Experience Points (XP) and in-game currency. Accumulating XP allows you to level up, which grants you skill points. These skill points can be invested into the Mobility, Conditioning, and Survival skill trees, enhancing attributes such as stamina, movement speed, loot discovery rates, and more.

In simpler terms, you can use money to buy equipment from different merchants. You can also trade your collected items for cash with these merchants, which helps you earn more money and experience points. However, goods sold by these vendors can be quite costly, making it difficult on your wallet. This is where crafting becomes useful.

In other words, you can buy gear using money from various sellers. You can also trade the items you find with them to get cash back, which helps you earn experience points and more cash. However, the prices of goods sold by these vendors can be quite high, making things expensive. This is where crafting comes in handy.

Stockpiling different resources is crucial for the crafting mechanics in this game. Beginning with a fundamental crafting station, you’ll require materials to build particular crafting stations and then enhance them. This process enables you to manufacture advanced items like ammunition, medical supplies, and weapon accessories.

A significant part relies on your ability to effectively retrieve the necessary elements, as mentioned earlier, this isn’t always achievable. Yet, Arc Raiders offers mechanisms to prevent players from reaching an impasse in their gameplay.

Initially, even though unsuccessful extractions won’t yield as much XP as successful ones, you’ll still earn some. Upon returning to Speranza, your crafting bench will provide a regular supply of essential items, which is essentially like a rooster in this context, so you can continue crafting things.

If you don’t carry any weapons, you can still go for a run with an unspecified equipment setup, consisting of various basic game weapons and gear. Using this gear to survive is challenging, but stealth tactics come into play at such times. There are also designated areas where your items will be saved even if you die, allowing for continued extraction.

After expressing our admiration for various aspects of Arc Raiders, there’s one area that falls short for us: the cosmetic customization. This could be because we’ve spent so much time in The Finals, a game renowned for its exceptional cosmetic options in multiplayer games. In The Finals, each skin you earn through the battle pass is categorized by tops, bottoms, hats, glasses, gloves, and shoes, allowing for endless combinations with other unlocked items.

In Arc Raiders, the battle passes, which can be obtained using in-game currency, include complete outfits. You have options to customize certain elements such as whether you wear the headpiece or not, but the only other cosmetic item you can combine with these outfits are backpacks. While the cosmetics are well designed, it seems like a slight regression compared to Embark’s previous release in terms of customization options.

We’re eagerly anticipating playing more of Arc Raiders, as we’d relish the opportunity to delve deeper into its progression systems and determine if they’re truly worth investing time in. It’s satisfying to learn that there’s a purpose to grinding beyond just acquiring loot. However, what truly captivated us is the game’s engaging outdoor experience.

In this game, you’re drawn into a dynamic and engaging world. Firefights are intense yet strategic, while sneaking around adds depth. The audio-visual aspects of the game are top-notch. Each playthrough seems to tell its own unique tale, which is key to a fantastic multiplayer experience. What remains to be seen is how it’ll perform on PS5, but we believe Embark has another hit on their hands.

Are you keeping an eye out for Arcane Raiders? Gather a group and give it a shot, see if you can salvage something from the comments down here.

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2025-04-29 18:08