Escape from Tarkov is an excellent multiplayer shooter with first-person gameplay that is available for Microsoft Windows. It was released on the 27th of July 2017. The game was developed by Battlestate games for Windows and has become quite popular amongst gamers of all ages and backgrounds.
Escape from Tarkov features a war between USEC, the United Security, and the BEAR, Battle Encounter Assault Regiment, two private military companies that are fighting it out in the fictional region of Norvinsk. Players can participate in “raids” which are the game’s version of matches. These players can compete against other players and bots as well.
The main objective is to escape while surviving the frantic firefights. Escape from Tarkov has been celebrated as an immensely realistic and profound first person shooter that evinces both story and MMO elements. The environment within Norvinsk is bleak and egregious to say the least, thereby making it a most challenging and opportune region for all-out battles between rival teams. The game offers diverse and wide maps/arenas that truly exude the effects of a ruined battlefield.
The ruined metropolis is cut off from all sides by the Russian Military and the prospect of escaping this city is made even more difficult due to the infighting between the two groups. Upon release, the game received much acclaim and attention from critics and users alike for its realism and the profundity of its surroundings.
The developers of the game consider and present the game as an ultra-realism-based first-person shooter that offers hardcore video game challenges. The game is based heavily on elements that have been derived from other prominent online multiplayer titles as well. Escape from Tarkov evinces about 3 modes at present. Players can opt to play any of these modes. These are Scav (Scavenger) Raids, Online PMC Raids, and an offline temporary mode as well. Players can opt to play solo or as a member of a team in these raids. The players spawn on the side of the map that they have chosen.
There are several different maps available in this game as well and players can choose the one that they prefer or like. The main objective of the game is for the player to reach an extraction point that is placed on the opposite far side of the map. The player will have to contend and battle with other players and bots to reach this extraction point. There are options to access and utilize extraction points that sometimes spawn in the middle of the map. But, to access them, the player needs to meet certain prerequisites first.
These include trading the game’s currency called roubles, not having a backpack equipped, or having specific items in the player’s inventory. Only then will the player be able to use these optional extraction points. Also, players can scrounge for loot-based items like armor, equipment, weapons, etc. in different areas of the map. This loot can be stored in a stash for future use by a player before extracting it out of the map. It will be useable the next time they spawn into the game or can be auctioned off on an online flea market if they meet a certain status.
Escape from Tarkov utilizes a minimal HUD. This means that the game has very little to offer in terms of on-screen information for the player.
Players will lose everything that they had collected or brought in a raid, be it equipment or loot if they die in it. However, these items and gear can be returned to the players if they have them insured. But, this will only be possible if said items or equipment pieces have not been claimed by other players beforehand.
Scav (Scavenger) Raids are different in that they provide players with an arbitrarily generated set of equipment in place of items from the player’s collection. The players are then entered into a random location of a raid that is already progressing. The game enters a cooldown timer once a scavenger raid is completed. This timer needs to be exhausted before the Scavenger mode can be played again by the player concerned.
There may be an average of 14 players playing in a scavenger raid at one time and can last for a duration ranging from 15 to 45 minutes. However, this is dependent upon the size of the map in which the raid is playing out.
Players can even sell off the loot that they don’t need to other players in an online flea market when they are not in the midst of a raid. They can then use the currency obtained to purchase new items and upgrades for themselves. Players can boost their trader loyalty and purchase inventory by taking on side quests from traders on the flea market. Players can also use their very own underground Bomb Shelter or Hideout area.
Players can also upgrade their hideout with scavenged and purchased upgrades. This is useful because this hideout avails them plenty of bonuses within the game upon being completely upgraded. For instance, players can lower the cooldown timer for Scavenger raids, boost the amount of experience obtained, and concoct new items.
Escape from Tarkov and its realistic gameplay has been analogized with the ARMA series and other games intended for simulating military action. Players can craft and build weapons, alter and customize these weapons and their parts, like grip, scope, stock, etc. and can even use military equipment like ballistic helmets, armored rigs, vests, etc. as well.
The game even provides players with unmatched control over the movement and crouching height of their characters within the game. Players will not be able to tell how much ammo remains in their weapons as there is no visible HUD available for this purpose. To do so, they will have to perform a manual check. The game’s health system is also unique in that it is present on the player character’s limbs which exhibit hit points.
Certain types of medicinal items and supplies are required to treat the damage that the player takes within the game. For instance, to stop bleeding, you will need bandages and no other medical supply can help in this regard. The details related to ballistics in this game are highly realistic and feature increasingly believable physics like ricochets and penetration.
Looting and scavenging items and equipment from dead bodies is a time-consuming process in the game. That is because all items are revealed singularly and the player will have to keep searching to unearth all that a dead body has to offer. The situation is made that much more demanding and realistic by the fact that players have to keep an eye on their hydration and energy levels as well.
Escape from Tarkov is set in Tarkov, a fictional city that is the capital of Norvinsk Special Economic Zone which is located in the region of North-Western Russia. The game takes place between the years 2015 to 2026. Tarkov has been subjected to a total decimation of the social structure due to corporate collapse and adverse political machinations. The city has now been reduced to a mere shell of its former self because of the warring groups.
Certain sections of the city are occupied by “Scavs”, former locals that have descended into lunacy and unbridled aggression. The developers are currently working on an extension called “Streets of Tarkov” which will be released in 2022. There are even plans to amalgamate all of the individual areas of the city into one for an exclusive open-world gameplay-based experience as well. This will be addressed in future updates.
Escape from Tarkov features two different military factions that are selectable by the players. These are the UESC or the United Security. The latter is hired by Terragroup, a corporation that seeks to use UESC to conceal its surreptitious and unlawful activities.
On the other side is BEAR, or the Battle Encounter Assault Regiment. This company is Russian-backed and was created as a means for probing into the activities of Terragroup. Both of these classes are unique and have their own set of pros and novel cosmetics. For instance, UESC members are more adept with NATO-based weapons while BEAR members are more proficient in the usage of Russian weaponry.
There is a third force involved in the game as well and these are the hostile, disgruntled former locals of the city. These NPCs exhibit animosity towards players from both BEAR and UESC. These Scavs come in different classes and categories like normal Scavs, raiders, bosses, rogues, and cultists. Bosses, Cultists, and Raiders have better armor and equipment as compared to Normal Scavs who have rudimentary equipment and weapons equipped.
There is a vast difference between the intelligence and tactical prowess of all these classes as well. Players will have to contend with and defeat these NPC enemies as well while endeavoring to escape from Tarkov. The developer, Battlestate games, has shown a propensity to alter the rate of spawning and location on the maps for these NPCs from time to time as well.
