Escape From Tarkov - Gameplay & Mini Review

Escape From Tarkov brings a very unique and competitive experience to the shooter/survival genre. Where Player Unknown's Battlegrounds provides each player with a relatively equivalent starting condition, Escape From Tarkov provides a greater level of customization and progression; allowing for a more dynamic experience as you can never know what you'll be up against. You could run into a player armed with nothing but a hatchet or you might get picked off by a suppressed rifle comfortably resting against the shoulder of a fully armored veteran player with enough ammo to keep you pinned for an hour. This may sound unfair, because it is. However, I find that the unfairness is what makes this game so damn enjoyable! Just because you're outmatched doesn't you can't win; it simply makes victory all the more enjoyable. Especially when you escape victoriously with that vet's suppressed rifle in hand and his loot-filled pack on your back!

In its current Beta stage, this game is essentially an instanced survival shooter where the goal is to get out alive with as many scavenged weapons and supplies as you can get your grubby hands on. Don't be stingy either, you might not be able to take down your opponents with a roll of duct tape or a Zipo lighter but that doesn't mean that one of the in game traders won't find those items valuable; allowing you to earn reputation with them in the pursuit of more lethal items. The developers plan on introducing a more open world experience in the future, but that is a promise many other dev teams have failed to follow through on. That being said, I don't think such a game mode is needed for this game to succeed.

Another dynamic element that Escape From Tarkov brings to the table is the damage system. Ballistic damage is varied based on the projectile and the location in which you take damage. Bones and flesh are taken into account with a variety of medical implementations available to mend your wounds. The different forms of damage potentially sustained creates all sorts of scenarios in which you won't simply be able to make a quick escape. For instance, you can't keep running at full speed with a broken leg and even after it's splinted, if you happen to have a splint available, you'll have to limp to your desired destination. Likewise, if one of your arms winds up taking a shot to the bone, you won't be able to reload or swing a weapon with the same power and reliability that you would have had beforehand.

Now, at this point you might be wondering what happens when you die and you may, even more so, be concerned as to how this affects the loot you've acquired. As I've already alluded to, you will lose ALMOST everything but, depending upon the pre-order package you purchased, your character will ALWAYS possess an Alpha, Beta, or Gamma container that preserves whatever is placed inside. This gives you a handful of options to take advantage of. The space is limited, 4-8 slots depending on the size of the container, but its more than enough to safely store a medical kit along with several other items of value that you may find. If you watched my video, you might have notice that I only have a 4 slot container. So I tend to carry a smaller medical kit known as an IFAK that is capable of patching most flesh wounds. While that leaves me with three other slots for cash, keys, or other small items of value, it also leaves me susceptible to bone breaks unless I happen to find a splint along the way. For folks with larger containers, there are more advanced medical kits capable of addressing broken bones or holding more items of value.

As this game is still deep in development, I'm going to end my current review here; but rest assured in the fact that I have barely scratched the surface of the content this game brings to bear. In my next review, I will discuss the incredible level of customization available for the multitude of weapons already in game.

THANKS FOR WATCHING & READING!