ARC Raiders Anonymous Review

I just can’t stop playing ARC Raiders.

I should have written this review days ago, but every day was the same.

I’ll just play a quick round or two and then write the review, it’s fine.

12-15 hours later, I find myself justifying one more game – you know, for work’s sake.

I then wake up the next day and repeat my stages of addiction.

I can’t put this bloody thing down.

ARC Raiders Anonymous Review

Each map brings different challenges and scenarios. All of them are great in their own way

I don’t even particularly enjoy extraction shooters – the very concept of having other players determine whether I’ll have a good time or a completely miserable experience is enough for me to avoid installing a game like this one.

But here I am, 71 hours later in ARC Raiders, wanting to pound through this review as quickly as humanly possible so I can play one more game…

ARC Raiders is pure developer magic.

I’m going to start with the audio…

While it may feel a rather strange place to start, the sound design in ARC Raiders is some of the best I have ever heard.

In any game, ever.

It goes far beyond simply tracking enemy footsteps nearby, listening carefully as the thud of raider boot echos various sounds across the different surfaces. There are so many clues in the environment, coming together in ARC Raiders to create an atmosphere as intense as any other.

Minor differences to the escape mechanic on each level keep it fresh and exciting

Careless players walking past security cameras or metal detectors (all of which are randomly active each game), giving away their location with beeps and alarms.

Rushing through a small alley, seemingly out of sight of any threat, as you charge through a flock of birds that caw as they scatter.

The whizzing and metal ting as a stray bullet hits the metal window shutter you’re cowering behind.

And all of this is without mentioning the whirling of rotor blades of the hovering Arc robots, waiting to blow you up, pin you down, or summon allies to ruin your day.

The audible components of ARC Raiders are delivered with such variety and attention to detail, it’s genuinely impressive.

Even now, as I’ve completed dozens and dozens of games, I still feel a child-like excitement when I hear a camera or metal detector go off.

Endless amounts of loot to horde and lose

This same approach to design echoes through the entire game.

Everything in ARC Raiders feels creative, polished, and delivered to the very highest standard.

Even the bloody players are of a higher quality than the average game!

ARC Raiders is a boiling pot of suspense, hilarity, and utter dread.

I’ve run into entire groups, greeting them with the already iconic “don’t shoot” emote and voice line, hoping they take pity and don’t feed me to the Arc. Sometimes they’ll wave and dance, sending you on your merry way.

Players can hunt down items to upgrade Workshop stations to create more powerful gear

Other times, you’ve just given away your location, and you’re dead before you draw your weapon. Sometimes, it even results in a brief bit of civility, as trading and discussions of loot and quest spots take place.

There’s a magic in the connectivity of the game’s design and features with its player base that’s just so difficult to put into words.

And that’s even if you run into players…

It’s not at all uncommon to go entire matches without running into anyone. The only proof of their existence is the echoing sounds of gunshots in the distance, or the flares that fill the skies when characters are incapacitated.

This, however, doesn’t do anything to reduce tension or suspense, as the Arc enemies can be a handful if not prepared.

Quests break up each round, giving players objectives to chase down and complete

Each Arc robot you encounter is entirely unique.

Wasps, the weakest of the bunch, hover around like the neighbor’s irritating drone, shooting unsuspecting players that pass by.

Hornets, the bulkier cousins of the Wasps, feature heavily armored front rotors, making them much harder to take down.

Bombardiers, hulking machines bigger than a bus, use Spotter drones to locate players and launch artillery with staggering accuracy.

Leapers, massive spider-like robots, can leap huge distances to land on players.

Some of the most epic and cinematic moments I’ve enjoyed in ARC Raiders involve the intelligence of the Arc enemies. Carefully navigating narrow halls to chase me down, Rocketeers circling entire buildings to fire a shot through an open window – it’s insane.

Every enemy has a weakness, and a player’s ability to adapt and take advantage of that weakness is the key to survival. Any one of the stronger Arcs can wipe a team, but nearly all can be taken down by a solo player with the right equipment and approach.

Skill tree is varied and worthwhile. Benefits to every tree.

The core experience of ARC Raiders doesn’t betray the extraction formula, but it does make it more accessible. Free loadouts allow players to skip the monotonous nature of spawning in naked and scrapping around for basic supplies.

Plenty of build-out options provide safety pockets, items that are kept even on death, making progress always a possibility – even in the event of failure.

It’s this constant drive to move forward with quest and material progression, with just enough safety net, that takes much of the sting out of bad experiences.

Traders stock basic supplies to help top players up between runs

That said, the very nature of the extraction genre can be an angry, frustrating mess – and ARC Raiders is no different in that regard.

You will die. You will lose everything.

Sometimes hours of progress will be lost if you’re caught with your best gear, but that’s the nature of the beast.

Whether you’re hunting down players or Arcs, combat sits front and center, and it’s glorious. Everything from long-range sniper battles to hallway skirmishes, it’s well executed and feels great.

Early-hours combat is a bit hectic, blowing through ammo on weak and undeveloped guns, relying on makeshift explosives…it feels almost primitive compared to the later game options.

Discovering blueprints for more powerful guns and gaining the ability to craft traps and powerful explosives is a night and day difference, but one that feels rewarding nonetheless.

The Expedition system is the only wipe system that has ever appealed to me, at all

For those who enjoy the punishing thrill of the extraction genre, ARC Raiders’ wipe mechanic can be quite appealing.

Gathering materials and resources to launch an Expedition every few months, losing your character but gaining various cosmetics and slight buffs, it’s the only system of its kind that has me even remotely tempted to do it.

And that’s purely because I’m enjoying ARC Raiders so much, I don’t want to finish it.

I don’t want to run out of quests or materials to find. I want every raid to be a combination of hunter, prey, and gather.

I can’t believe I’m saying this in the same year we’ve had Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and The Alters, but ARC Raiders is a real contender for Game of the Year.

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