Arc Raiders is my favorite extraction shooter to date, surpassing the competition with amazing level design, a deep but easy-to-use crafting system, stunning visuals, and an electrifying array of weapons and gadgets to discover. Developer Embark Studios’ second release also cultivates a surprisingly supportive community in a subgenre known for obfuscation and betrayal. However, player-to-player shootouts still shine thanks to the unique sound design: shields pop like fireworks, characters scream when bullets hit them, and players can taunt or negotiate with others on the fly via proximity chat. Unpredictable player interactions and some of the most knowledgeable enemies I’ve seen in a shooter work together to create a thrilling experience that rivals the best multiplayer offerings on the market.
The destructive force of robots known as Arc has infiltrated the planet, forcing humanity to flee underground. Speranza, an underground city aptly named after the Italian word for “hope,” serves as a headquarters where invaders (i.e. players) interact with various vendors (who also serve as quest givers), upgrade their character through an wide-ranging skill tree, and upgrade their bases to unlock modern equipment blueprints. After selecting a map, players spawn in a random location, usually emerging from a protected interior such as a bunker, apartment building, or a secluded area at the edge of the world. The main goal of each run is different for each person; tasks range from eliminating specific Arc types (pun intended) to picking fruit from trees to house-train a chicken. Of course, sometimes you just want to find modern loot or hunt down other players.
Each match requires careful strategy. My risk tolerance and level paths often change depending on the loot I obtain; death results in the loss of all equipment except for one or two items stored in the character’s unthreatening pouches. Elevators (or in some cases train stations) act as public evacuation zones, requiring troops to wait for loudspeakers and alarms to signal an attempt to leave. Friendly players may also try to escape with you, as exit points slowly deactivate after 30 minutes of match, but ambushes and backstabs are always considered. Even well-intentioned alliances can fall apart due to misunderstandings or interference from other parties, which makes each successful extraction a satisfying relief.
Before loading the map, players arm themselves with old-world weapons such as shoddy sniper rifles and crudely crafted shotguns, as well as a selection of experimental gadgets including photoelectric cloaks, portable barricades, laser weapons, and a variety of explosives and traversal items. Battles unfold spectacularly, and Embark’s graphics and audio mastery are impressive. Sparks fly as bullets penetrate targets, flickering particles and glitch sounds signal electrical failure in devices. Flairs automatically fly into the sky when an invader is stunned, signaling their vulnerability and whereabouts to allies and enemies alike.
Each weapon has distinct characteristics such as reload time, fire rate, range and recoil pattern. Many items in Arc Raiders have multiple uses, allowing players to creatively tackle a wide range of scenarios. I love outplaying a better-equipped team with a well-thought-out strategy, such as using a bait grenade to provoke a nearby Rocketeer into attacking their position and narrowly escaping through a contested exit with some hard-won loot.
Environments are beautifully rendered, full of depth and verticality, often rewarding players for exploring even the most considerate locations. The mountainous battlefield of Dam is home to concrete laboratories equipped with hostile security systems that deploy swarming robots and guard turrets. The spaceport features historically affluent scenes showing the extensive scale of the Arc, with deactivated machine shells suspended on the perimeter wall guarding the rocket launch site, and massive corpses dwarfing the monument to human achievement.
Points of interest not only serve as strategic strongholds, but often attract multiple teams seeking different categories of loot, creating natural friction that makes encounters tense and unpredictable. Alternatively, shared regions offer a slower pace to risk-averse invaders, usually trading rarer discoveries for less resistance. Various weather systems and map modifiers, such as electromagnetic storm and night raid, significantly change the loot pool, the behavior of enemy machines, overall visibility and available extraction points.
While the overall crafting experience is polished, inventory management is a noticeable issue. Increasing the stash size is fairly basic (requires money from sold valuables), but there is no way to search for a specific item in your inventory, which increases time spent outside of trips trying to locate specific crafting resources. Despite an automated system that groups loot into common categories like consumables or weapons, the lack of options to customize containers is generally frustrating.
The artificial intelligence that powers Arc’s behavior is unique. Hiding from patrols is electrifying as leaves and shadows affect the machines’ detection capabilities. The moments when the machine detects you are electrifying as they check turns and change altitude, tracking your scent like a hunting dog. Combat in Arc is risky, whether you’re fighting grunting Wasps or avoiding bigger threats like Bastions and Leapers, as they can quickly take down even the most skillful team. Every threat requires solemn consideration.
As with The Finals, Embark’s debut release, the studio’s continued reliance on AI-powered text-to-speech tools takes away from my enjoyment of the final product. This technology is used in cooperation with the game’s ping system to highlight objects in the environment with dialogue barking.
My ethical concerns aside, I’m trying to see how text-to-speech actually improves production, which is why a company uses such technology. The democratization of sound recording processes over the last 20 years has made recording performances, even remotely, easier and cheaper than ever before. Arc Raiders’ flat acting and barked dialogue stand out in the game thanks to such stunning human-made graphics.
However, this apply case is diverse. Players can choose to mask their true voices with one of the actor’s pre-recorded voice models using Embark’s text-to-speech technology, allowing vulnerable groups in society to avoid the harassment they might face in online video games. I’ve witnessed firsthand how misogynistic and toxic some multiplayer lobbies can be towards women and other minorities. If this arrangement helps these people enjoy a title they might not otherwise have, I consider that a consolation.
Despite my concerns, I highly value the human-made Arc Raiders experience. Its creators have created an intriguing world full of curiosities and rewards. Almost every match ends with a memorable sequence: an unexpected encounter, a dramatic escape, a comical interaction, or a tragic ending. While casual gamers may find the harsh consequences frustrating, Arc Raiders delivers an impressive setting and format for multiplayer fans looking for great encounters and inventive interactions.
