Developed and published by Ubisoft, Rainbow Six Extraction is a brand-new tactical shooter title that is loosely based on Ubisoft’s highly successful Rainbow Six Siege. Extraction takes the action to another level by introducing an alien race evolving through a parasite that has infected most of humanity and taken over all of the world. Rainbow Six Extraction is all about collecting Intel about this Parasite and trying for ways to eliminate this virus. This is our review of the Xbox Series X version of Rainbow Six Extraction in which we kill some aliens and try not to get left behind.
Rainbow Six Extraction not only shares its name with Rainbow Six Siege, but it takes plenty of other things from the title as well such as its Operators and overall gameplay style. Rainbow Six Extraction is a hardcore co-op tactical shooter and not just the game, but the aliens in the game also expect you to play as a team otherwise they have their special trees waiting for lone wolves who like to play solo as they are turned into Archaeans as well. Rainbow Six Extraction is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the world is ravaged by a parasitic alien form known as Archaeans. The parasite is ruthless and spreads like wildfire and because of it, humanity is now limited to limited areas and the most active area at the moment is The Pioneer.
The Pioneer is a modified freighter which is a fully-equipped scientific platform in the middle of the ocean operated by REACT which is the world’s most advanced scientific research organization. REACT is currently studying the Archaeans and at the start of the game, the information about the parasite is extremely limited. As a REACT Operator, you are sent on Incursion into Archaeans Hot Spots where your goal is to complete objectives and return back home safe and sound. It may sound easy but when you are in the hot zone, you get to experience the Archaeans and find out why the parasite is so brutal and has managed to limit humanity so much.
You play as special Operators who come straight out of Rainbow Six Siege. While Siege features over 60 Operators, in Rainbow Six Extraction, you find only 18 out of these Operators however that might change in the future as Ubisoft might add more Operators as it does in Siege every Season. Each of these Operators in the game is unique and brings its own abilities, weapons, and perks to the game. This makes every Operator unique, and each player gets to pick a unique Operator in a game. The game allows a maximum of three players to be in a party but adjusts the difficulty according to if two players are playing or someone decides to tackle the Archaeans solo. The game is not unplayable if you do not fill your party which is a good thing.
Before you jump in the main game modes, you have to complete a training session which the game calls VR Training, but it is actually just a simulated mode where you are introduced to the game basics. After completing this training session, you are free to move to the main modes and play with your squad however the missions are locked behind a Milestone progression system. Since Rainbow Six Extraction is all about Intel, you must start collecting Intel right from the very start and the more assignments you complete, the quicker you earn more XP and increase your Milestone Level to unlock additional locations and assignments. Each location in the game has a variety of studies in the form of decks.
Your goal is to complete all these studies while you are out on Incursions. These studies are different from your main objectives in every Incursion. Since the levels are procedurally-generated, your objectives are random every time as well. These objectives range from killing a certain enemy type to obtain their sample, performing scans on the parasite in specific locations, or finding MIA Operators so that they can join you back in the fight against the Parasite. Your objectives during an incursion are your main goals to complete while your studies can be considered as your side goals. Completing the study decks gives you XP rewards which help you achieve higher Milestone Levels to unlock additional locations and Operators. The levels are designed to allow you complete freedom on how you want to proceed with your objectives.
Staying true to Siege, Extraction does not has any kind of spoon-feeding as well. Once out on an Incursion, you and your squad are on your own to complete the objectives and whatever studies you want to complete alongside. You have to find each objective on your own, complete it, survive and proceed to the next area. Each Incursion has separate segments with Air Locks between them. Each segment has its own set of challenges, enemies, objectives as well as a time limit. You only get a limited time to complete an objective and if this time reaches zero and you have not reached the Airlock, you are left behind and considered MIA. This brings a new set of challenges for you.
To help you out in your Incursion, you have various Explosives and REACT Tech at your disposal as well. These are separate from your Operator’s Perk and Ability and you can use them during the missions at your own will. The Explosives range from Smoke Grenades to Stun Grenades to Arc Mines. The REACT Tech ranges from Recon Drones to Body Armors to Revive Kits. Some of these are unlocked right from the start of the game however for the rest, you have to buy them using REACT Tokens that you get when you reach a new Milestone Level or complete various Study Decks. The game keeps a track of your progression in a separate Progression tab at the main menu so you can use it to track your next goals despite the otherwise confusing progression system of the title.
In Rainbow Six Extraction, your main enemy is the Parasite which comes in many alien forms known as Archaeans. Archaeans are one of the toughest foes that I have encountered in any survival game which could be because brute force is not the best option against them. Each level is filled with Archaeans Nests which spread Sprawl all over the area which reminds me of the Zerg Creep from Starcraft. The Nests start spewing Sprawl all over the place if you alert them and the only way to remove it is by taking them down. Weapons do not affect the Sprawl so it has to be melee attacks. These Nests also spawn Archaeans so these Nests are the key to controlling their numbers in each level.
The Archaeans come in various forms and each of them is pretty deadly. My most hated ones include the Elite Spiker which shoots Spikes at you from a distance and since the Operators take a lot of damage, one of these Elite Spikers can take you down instantly making them a serious threat. You also have exploding Archaeans such as the Breacher which detonates after running close to you damaging everything around itself or the Bloater which is similar to the Breacher but it releases a Toxic Gas when it comes close to you and explodes. Grunts form the basic attacker in the Archaeans arsenal while the Smasher is a behemoth Archaean that smashes everything that comes in its path.
Depending on your level and the difficulty of the given assignment, you will come across much harder to kill Archaeans during your Incursions. Each of them is weak against certain things and it is up to you to devise a strategy to approach each enemy type and kill them off before all hell breaks loose. The game gives you complete freedom to choose your strategy of moving in stealth or going in all-guns-blazing. If you are unlucky, apart from the Archaeans, you will also come across another enemy type which is known as the Proteans. These Proteans are the advanced Archaeans that retain some of the REACT Operators’ behaviors as well. These range from Smoke that releases toxic gas or the Sledge that comes with a powerful hammer attack. Despite the game throwing a huge number of enemies in your face, you still have the option of running away as well. While you may get different objectives in each Incursion, if you want to leave early, you can call in an extraction early as well and if you have a downed player, you can carry them to the Extraction pod as well where they will be extracted back to the safe zone.
Coming to the gameplay of Rainbow Six Extraction, it is purely a tactical shooter as it gives you all tools that you need for it. Starting with the Operators, each Operator comes with unique abilities that you will need to use in the game to support yourself or your co-players. For example, if you are playing as Doc, you can heal yourself and others with your Stim Gun. Pulse comes with a handy sensor that can scan the environment and mark enemies, VIPs and Nests through walls for all players to see. Some of the Operators come with abilities that can open new safer paths for your squad as well for example Sledge can use his hammer to break down walls or Hibana can put down sticky charges to breach into otherwise inaccessible areas.
While the gameplay is not as tactic-heavy as Rainbow Six Siege, careful planning and execution of actions while taking the whole team along certainly helps here as well. To make your own builds, you have the freedom of choosing the type of primary and secondary weapon your Operator uses along with the explosive as well as the REACT tech. You can mix and match the gear and tech until you find a build that suits your playstyle. Since this is a team-based title, your build also needs to compliment your team as well however I figured that as long as I was comfortable with my build with any Operator, I was a valuable team member.
The game treats death a little differently as well. If you die, which you will a lot, during an incursion, you will need to be rescued by your teammates. If they manage to extract you out, you will have an injured Operator in your team who must heal before you choose them. If you are dead and unable to return to the safe zone during an Incursion, the Operator will become MIA and will be unable to choose in the character selection screen. You must go back to the location and rescue them before you can play with them again. Extracted Operators are injured, and they must reach sufficient health before you can take them into Incursions again.
Coming to the visual design of the title, once again, I will again compare it with Rainbow Six Siege and for me, both of the titles are not that different when it comes to visuals as well. Surely, it features more shiny lights, and the level design is extremely atmospheric which I love, but there is a resemblance between the two titles that cannot be ignored. The audio design is brilliant as always and I will highly recommend that you play Extraction with headphones equipped. There are tons of accessibility options available in the game as well that you can manage right at the start of the game.
While they are not too much, the game offers two End Game modes as well. One is called Maelstrom Protocol which is like harder Incursion levels with added difficulty and only high-level players will be able to take part in it. They offer increased XP and unique gear unlocks for Operators, but they are also high-risk, and resources are extremely limited in them. They also have a limited choice of Operators. The other is the Assignments which range from various weekly and multi-weekly challenges that you will be able to complete with specific rules. Ubisoft plans to evolve these events over time so I suppose they will be like weekly challenges, or a Season Pass type thing added to the title later.
One of the main downsides I think of Rainbow Six Extraction after playing the game this last week is that this is not a solo experience and is only fun with other players. Of course, I had two of my friends playing along so it was a dream team, but I am not sure how good this game will be with random strangers since team synergy plays a vital role here. Apart from this, Rainbow Six Extraction is a tactical shooter. Despite, Ubisoft toning down the tactical bit from Siege, it is still a more serious and strategic shooter rather than a traditional, all-guns-blazing alien shooter so this might not appeal to a vast majority of players. This is more oriented towards players who prefer a more mature and tactical approach to shooting. This might limit the title to a specific niche and depending on how things work out, might not be very good for the title in the long run.
Probably the best thing about the gameplay of Rainbow Six Extraction is that the gameplay and the outcome of the level are extremely unpredictable. During my playthroughs, there were certain instances where we were at the top of the game during our initial objectives but upon reaching the final objective, one of the teammates would make a blunder and we would lose everything we had worked for. The penalties of death in the game are not lenient so you have to be at the top of your A game at all times. While your friends may laugh and not take it seriously however make a blunder while playing with strangers and you can expect yourself to be kicked before the next match starts. Teamwork is really important here and if you make a blunder, make sure you are ready to back it up as well or everything will be lost.
Before you jump in Rainbow Six Extraction, you must know that it is not an easy game and if you want to play it solo, the game is not really fun. Similar to the title it is based on, Rainbow Six Extraction wants you to play the game as a team and rely on others to really succeed in the title. While the objectives in the game are not really team-based and can be completed solo fairly easily, survival on its own is harsh when you are playing solo and some of the Operators are made for team games since their abilities and perks benefit the whole team. In addition, I am not using the word Tactical here casually as well. The success in Rainbow Six Extraction depends on how well you proceed in the game by devising a strategy since the Archaeans are a tough foe and one wrong step will unleash their fury upon your team.
Final Verdict:
In short, Rainbow Six Extraction is a tactical alien-shooter survival game. If you want to compare it with other casual zombie shooters like the last year’s Back 4 Blood, it will not be a fair comparison. In Extraction, there is no senseless shooting or running around because it prefers a more tactical and stealth-oriented approach where you and your teammates must work together in order to minimize the damage and complete your objectives. Procedurally-generated levels keep the ‘what’s coming next’ factor high and Operators with unique skills enforce team play and tactical gameplay. If you love tactical shooters or have been playing Rainbow Six Siege for a long time, this is a title-with-a-twist right up your alley but in general, if you want a more serious survival shooter with a heavy emphasis on team-based gameplay, Rainbow Six Extraction is a great addition to your library.
Final Score: 8.0/10
