Usually at 17:00 on weekdays I go out among the remnants of humanity to look for disconnected wires and remnants of air fresheners. But just after I got back from the Kilburn Tesco metro station I'm loading up. Arc Raiders and do the same thing, only this time with friends. (Classic joke structure ACTIVATED.) That's the magic of video games.
Even though you find yourself coming back to shooter Arc Raiders time and time again, exploring a ruined Earth in 20-minute sessions while staying out of reach of flying robots hunting meaty humans, there's always a disconnect when judging multiplayer games: do you play because the game is good, or because it's nice to catch up with the old gang?
Since launching Arc, I've been hanging out with friends all over the country. A semi-regular way to stay in touch with newborns, upcoming weddings, and the rabbit holes of home-buying bureaucracy. I can't deny that this is part of my affinity for Arc Raiders. But also, it shouldn't have happened. this game. warzone, fortnite, Hunt: Clashand many others are equally likely meeting places, but again and again it was the Arc Raiders.
The land of Ark is supposedly inhospitable. This is a world littered with the skeletons of machines and the remains of a civilization long ago driven underground. Its skies are patrolled by swarms of autonomous drones, hunting for human scavengers too slow to take cover as they pass. However, in reality it is also often peaceful. When the action starts, it's frantic and deadly, but it's sporadic. There are long periods of silence where you can talk without being interrupted by constant gunfire.
Another rebuttal to my own ass is how often I play Arc Raiders solo. Maybe it's because night is approaching, or because my London flat seems far from any green space, or because the construction site behind my house often emits thuds, high-pitched mechanical screeches and alarms, but spending hours in the restored wilds of the Arc is a soothing escape.
Walking through the marshes surrounding the Alacanthra power plant and listening to the drones buzz overhead comes close to the peace I think anglers get from fishing. As a non-fisherman, I'm guessing they too are under constant threat of being attacked by other fishermen looking to steal the mealworm?
Maybe I'm thinking too much. After all, this is a game where I used a decoy grenade to lure a mortar bombardier into the path of a group of players. As soon as the sentient tank splashed the other players, I ran in and rummaged through their backpacks, taking all their good stuff. A game that allows me to do this has found its place in our advent calendar.
Ollie: I'm a sucker for extraction shooters and have participated in almost every technical test of Arc Raiders over the last couple of years. Now that it's out, it's probably the most fun I've had this year.
Raids can be stressful as hell, but also liberating. It's a place where you can shoot on sight, form fragile alliances, commit or receive painful betrayals, or break a rib laughing at some surprisingly friendly encounters with other players.
The world itself is simply breathtaking, especially when it rains; and ARC are some of the most impressively designed enemies I've ever seen – not only in this genre, but in any game.
I've been going through an extremely difficult time the last couple of months and playing Arc Raiders with my brother and best friend has kept me going.
