Rainbow Six Extraction, the proof of Ubisoft's new cooperative shooter
Rainbow Six Extraction
A few weeks ago we were able to spend a handful of hours in the company of Rainbow Six Extraction, the cooperative PvE title that aims to offer fans of the Ubisoft and non-Ubisoft series new challenges and a new perspective on the now famous Rainbow Six characters. After being able to play with it at E3 2021, we were therefore able to experience first-hand the improvements made in recent months. The game, now close to publication on January 20, has therefore been able to be sifted through quite thoroughly with several options, previously inaccessible, which have now ended up under our magnifying glass.Let's analyze all the main features of Rainbow Six Extraction in the last tried before the release.
An apocalyptic parasite
Rainbow Six Extraction: The REACT Team in the field The first aspect to strike is the artistic direction and the global impact of the whole product. From the very first approach (be it totally blind or even back, as in this case), Rainbow Six Extraction sheds light on the tragic and emergency perspective that upset his universe: the palette of yellows and blacks used to strike the player's eye also serves to underline how the REACT Team, the protagonist of the title, is faced with situations of extreme danger.The narrative substrate that supports the gameplay is well contextualized. The operators, now well-known faces of Rainbow Six, are immersed in a set of anti-gas masks and fluorescent suits, ready to face this tremendous evolution of the Chimera parasite.
Isn't the name new to you? Yes, the Extraction experience takes full advantage of Mission Outbreak, the experimental mode of Rainbow Six Siege that players liked so much a few years ago.
The expansion of this scenario is therefore a fundamental factor to create context around the gaming experience. What you will have to do, in a world now unrecognizable and upset by the parasite, is to infiltrate, analyze, study and if possible annihilate the parasite trying not to leave anyone behind. But if you happen to lose an operator on the battlefield, also in this case Rainbow Six Extraction offers an interesting contextualization, removing that operator from the game until it is saved.
As you can understand then, narrative and gameplay come together, creating a combination that has pleasantly impressed us several times. Exploring the different maps such as Alaska or San Francisco offered us different sensations all attributable to the danger, anxiety and the need not to fail intrinsic to the proposed scenarios. Different speech for the design of the Archaes (this is the name of the mutant enemies), in our opinion the least inspired part of the whole package. The aftertaste of already seen and the lack of personality of some "elite" troops made us turn up our noses a bit. Despite some small twists, the bitterness remains about the seemingly wasted opportunity to do something more incisive.
The numbers
Rainbow Six Extraction: The weapons have the usual great feeling Twelve maps and eighteen operators. Let's start from these numbers to delve into the meanders of the gameplay offered by Rainbow Six Extraction. These numbers should make you understand how much Ubisoft still wants to offer a conspicuous layering in the offered proposal. As in Siege, also in this case the action is aimed more at tactics and coordination with teammates rather than the frenzy of relentless clashes. The player facing the Extraction threat must realize that he will be outnumbered, with ammo counted and often surrounded by different dangers. Knowledge of the maps and awareness of the operators' unique abilities will once again be essential.Once the operator and loadout have been chosen, the action moves onto the battlefield where each mission is divided into three parts, of difficulty growing. Each part will have an objective, the sections will be divided by a sealed chamber to recover forces, ammunition or skills and it is possible at any time to request an extraction to conclude the mission. Of course, needless to say, the sooner you extract, the lower the reward. The variety of objectives to be completed that can make up the three sections of the missions are varied: from the finding of parasite samples, to the elimination of particular targets, through the recovery of missing operators or the disinfestation of areas under the control of the nests.
Rainbow Six Extraction: Be careful to choose the loadout well Choosing weapons and gadgets will therefore be essential and in this Rainbow Six Extraction has become very interesting. The assortment of operators seemed to us large and well thought-out, with various possibilities in terms of synergies and proposed choices. For gadgets, on the other hand, the progression of the player's experience makes the difference. As you level the operators, you can, in fact, unlock new gadgets to use, thus increasing the excellent feeling of challenge and the need to know how to play with all the characters present.
Although all this was pleasant to rediscover, what caught our attention was the real novelty of this test, which is the possibility to play Maelstrom Protocol. This particular mode is the true hardcore spearhead of the Rainbow Six Extraction experience. This mode features the qualification ranks (copper, bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond) and your performance will affect your ranking. Each completed rank will grant you skins and uniforms of different rarity and losing will mean going down as you rank. The mode consists in facing 9 sub-zones of increasing difficulty represented by 9 different challenges.
Here, even more than in the classic mode, cooperation and team play will be essential, also and above all for the presence of Only 6 selectable operators. The negative side, however, is precisely this extreme need for maximum cooperation, which if you do not have a close-knit team at your disposal, it could be difficult to achieve in matchmaking.
An overwhelming difficulty at times
An operator surprises an infected person from behind So, after trying the game twice, what is left? What are the aspects we have the most doubts about? It is easy to say, Rainbow Six Extraction is fun, even more than you can imagine looking at it from the outside. Immersing oneself in the imagination of this dangerous situation to which we must find a solution, one is pleasantly struck by what is an impact imaginary and at the same time one is satisfied with what is a solid gunplay and a highly respectable strategic component. . The focus on tactics at the expense of frenetic action is an extremely positive point that favors cooperation and team play. At the same time, however, some doubts remain about the management of the difficulty.During the hours spent together with Rainbow Six Extraction, in fact, although a basic fun, several times we found ourselves facing an exaggerated level of difficulty upward. This in itself would not be a problem if the element of difficulty did not reside above all in the number of enemies ready to surround you. Running out of ammo, failing to complete a mission due to an excess of badly placed enemies is not uncommon. This element if placed in a context in which for various reasons only ping can be used as a communication, you understand that it can lead to frustration.
The second trial of Rainbow Six Extraction has proved important to confirm impressions had in June. The game is fun, well thought out, but hides several pitfalls for those who think they are faced with a light and permissive experience. The level of difficulty is high and in some situations even too prohibitive. To support the excellent gameplay and the exceptional feeling of the weapons there is then a narrative structure of all respect that draws heavily from the universe of Rainbow Six that has now expanded considerably for years. Although we have to go back to the review for a definitive judgment, the further impressions give us hope for the success of this project.
