Rainbow Six Extraction | Ubisoft tactical co-op shooter preview
Rainbow Six Extraction has been announced for the first time at E3 2019 with the name of Rainbow Six Quarantine, subsequently also known by the code name of Parasite following the leaks on the technical tests in progress. Probably due to the Covid-19 pandemic it was renamed Extraction in order not to evoke unpleasant images and memories. On June 7, the official title was anticipated by a teaser trailer full of Easter eggs and references that had already revealed some geographical locations affected by the events, in addition to what is in effect the genesis of a new alien mutation in continuous evolution, the Archeloma anomaly, chased by the REACT team - Rainbow Exogenous Analysis and Containment Team - led by Eliza “Ash” Cohen.
Extraction, however, is also a term that brings to mind one of the key dynamics of the Outbreak cooperative experience in which, among the various missions, it was called to rescue or take important subjects such as Dr. Ellen Mackintosh and injured operator Jäger. Extraction as a mechanic has been expanded and given a further meaning in Extraction, in fact, operators fallen in battle can no longer be reused unless they are saved between missions as seen in the announcement trailer and in the gameplay trailer. A particular Stasis foam envelops the body and the operator is declared missing in action. To rescue the Operators it will be necessary to reach a sort of tree that traps the unfortunate with its muddy branches and it will be necessary to free him during a rescue mission.
Tactical Incursion
The presentation has highlighted the structure of the missions in which a maximum of three operators make their way in semi-linear paths interspersed with airtight chambers, safe rooms where you can rest, refuel and plan the rest of the mission that will propose threats of increasing degree as you go which advances from sub-zone to sub-zone. The alternative, after completing a series of missions, is also to call an extraction to return to the base. Inside the Orpheus research center in Alaska, we saw the trio of Ela, the Italian operator Alibi and Sledge investigate the presence of anomalies and carry out a series of objectives that will come from the headquarters. A first type of mission requires you to place automatic trackers on the Archaea's nests, taking care not to awaken or destroy them.The first level of threat is the Grunt, a common type of enemy that players have already known in Outbreak, but which can prove problematic if it detects intrusions. Alerting an Primal also means awakening a nearby nest. Another element to pay attention to is the Archeloma, the black substance that spreads like a plague seen in the trailer a few days ago, which acts as a buff for enemies by increasing their movement and as a debuff for operators by slowing down their movements. Threat level two also sees the return of an old acquaintance, the Suppressors, of the entities that generate spikes that protrude from the ground, injuring and immobilizing the players.
The presence of enemies that react to the passage of operators puts in clear that Rainbow Six Extraction partly inherits the same stealth and reasoned approach of Siege but becomes more dynamic and frenetic when the threat grows in number and power, or the agile Aries rush into the fray forcing the operators to a lightning reaction to avoid a deadly explosion. The continuity between the two games is also underlined by the equipment that its operators share: from drones to map the area before advancing to the skills of the Operators and gadgets such as Alibi's Prism hologram or Sledge's hammer to open alternative routes. , however, the game will offer greater customization allowing players to unlock and improve their arsenal.
Among the tactical innovations added is the REACT Torch, a unique technology that takes advantage of the bioluminescence of the archaea and the Archeloma to locate the enemies in the area. The contrast that is generated helps to identify targets even through walls in order to perform a surprise elimination. The knowledge of the territory will be fundamental as evidenced also by the provision of scanner grenades that reveal the present threats. The other innovative tool is the REACT blade, a weapon but also a device used to obtain a sample from the killed creature to complete one of the many objectives that the game seems to want to propose. It will take good communication between team members to sneak up on the most dangerous enemies, synchronously exploiting the unique abilities of each Operator. The wrist threat detector will then be a valuable ally in detecting nasty surprises on the way such as the Destroyers with extremely leathery skin and indestructible to gunshots.
The composition of the team will make a difference, it is not It is a case that in order to highlight the various tactical possibilities of the game, operators Ela, Sledge and Alibi were chosen for the gameplay video. The first is skilled in crowd control, in fact an uncontrolled situation seems to happen at any moment in the Extraction missions. Sledge, on the other hand, is a great element when it comes to redesigning the geometry of a level, breaking in lightly and creating lines of fire for teammates, while Alibi is a master at gathering information and creating diversions to ease enemy pressure.
Once you reach the third sub-zone things will get really challenging. We were also able to see a third type of target, called targeted fighter, which involves the elimination of an elite target. In the most difficult of the levels we were also able to get acquainted with two new enemies, the Occultator, able to make the other Archas invisible, and the Tormentor, very evasive who uses the Archeloma on the ground to quickly travel towards the Operators and attack them. bottom to top.
As expected, many mechanics are similar to Rainbow Six Siege and also involve placing reinforcements on walls and doors to try to gain an advantage by containing enemies or forcing them to walk a specific trait prepared ad hoc with traps such as the arc mine that pulverizes groups of enemies with ease. In addition to the familiar aspects, however, there are a whole series of new gadgets and weapons designed specifically for this new futuristic threat that offer new tactical ideas, but above all aim to diversify the classic loadout of the Operators which in Siege is rather restricted. Being a cooperative game with increasingly fearsome and varied threats, there must be a progression through which to acquire more skills and power.
The missions appear very tense, both for the dark and sometimes horror setting and for the pace of engagement, but the mechanics will also be a further factor of tension that will deprive us of all the upgrades and progress if we make a false step in one of the containment areas. The risk-reward factor will be evaluated from time to time. There will be 12 maps with procedurally generated challenges to challenge your team in different ways each time and with 18 operators to choose from, including Finka, Pulse, Alibi, Sledge, Ela, Vigil, Hibana, Lion and Doc , the strategies to be implemented could be particularly creative.
Rainbow Six Extraction will be available on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Ubisoft Store PC and Stadia starting September 16 and will be included in Ubisoft +. The game will take advantage of crossplay between all platforms and those who already own Rainbow Six Siege and purchase Rainbow Six Extraction will get the full roster of 18 Extraction Operators within Siege and will get the United Front cosmetic pack in both games.
