To be honest, I hadn’t followed Embark Studios or its attempt to create Arc Raiders, the PvPvE extraction shooter that has taken both the internet and the gaming community by storm. But prior to the game’s release, I decided to give the Arc Raiders Server Slam a try, and while I wasn’t completely on board with what Embark was trying to do, I could appreciate it for what it was. Yet ever since the game launched just last week, and with me sitting at around 30 hours as I type this up, it’s safe to say I’ve caught whatever it is that everyone else has been feeling since stepping into this world.
When Arc Raiders launched, I don’t think anyone expected it to blow up the way it did. What started as a curious experiment from the studio that was comprised of former EA and DICE Veterans, quickly became the kind of game everyone was talking about. A mix of survival, exploration, PVE, and tense PVP moments, it’s the type of experience that keeps you saying, “just one more run.” It’s rough in places, sure, but there’s something about it that feels honest and alive.
