Developer: Battlestate Games
Publisher: Battlestate Games
Platform: PC
Tested on: PC
Escape From Tarkov – Preview
Escape from Tarkov could be the title of a movie about inmates trying to break out of a prison, but it isn’t, nor is ‘Tarkov’ traceable on any map on Earth. Google Maps will tell you that much. It is however a game. Which is currently in closed Beta testing, after an extensive Alpha testing back in 2016. So the game has been in development for quite a long time. As it currently stands it’ll be a full priced release, with no ‘Free to play’ or microtransactions shenanigans going on.
Escape from Tarkov has been built on the Unity engine. If you were to compare this to say: Grow Home, then you’ll be surprised by the power behind the Unity engine. Where Grow Home looks kiddy and doesn’t really have a lot going for it in the details and environments, Escape from Tarkov is really, really detailed. It’s graphically jaw-dropping. It’s a sheer delight to wander around and just take in the sights. Which shouldn’t become a habit or your normal modus operandi, because that’ll be a sure-fire way to get yourself killed.
The game is all about killing people and A.I., it loans a lot of elements from similar games like Player Unknown Battlegrounds and DayZ. It comes down to killing or being killed. When you kill players or NPCs you’ll be able to loot them for better armour or worse, depending on how far they’ve gotten before they became your bullet sponge. Looting fallen enemies does take time, so you’ll have to be extra careful when doing so as you’ll be a sitting duck until the task is done. If you do find a weapon you like, you can change it up to your needs. From the handles, to the grips, to the scopes and the barrels.
Being out there is always quite thrilling and ecstasy inducing, because you’ll never know what’s around the corner, or skulking in the grass. Getting killed isn’t just a minor annoyance as you’ll lose ALL your gear, so playing it safe is the wisest of choices. However, dying isn’t exactly the scariest, it’s the fact that you can be wounded in a manner that will leave you in a state where escape is nearly impossible. Say someone hits you in your hand, trying to shoot or even open a door will become quite a chore.
Usually games that want to enduce a feeling of exhilaration, will use a bombastic beat when things get heated. This adds to the tension and will help you stay immersed. There is however another way to immerse players. This is done by not having any music at all.
The only sounds you have is the wind blowing through the trees, or your footsteps on the concrete echoing off the walls. The gunshots others fire ringing through the air, warning you of their presence is extremely terrifying. Because you know there are others who are also thinking on their feet and equally tensed up to the point that they’ll fire at anything that moves. So they too, will look for any limbs that are out in the open to incapacitate or murder you. Canis canem edit indeed.
Conclusion
When it comes down to it, you can look at Escape from Tarkov from two different perspectives, either a blatant copy paste and a desperate cash grab, or a decently developed game that does away with the micro transactions from DayZ to give the player a chance without having to wait a certain amount of time in a free to play kind of deal. Whether the game will be a ‘Battleborn’ to an Overwatch or the other way around will only become apparent when the game fully releases and all the kinks are worked out, if you are into survival games that aren’t centered around crafting your bases then keep an eye out for Escape from Tarkov.
Escape From Tarkov - Preview,
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