An Escape from Tarkov Review to Get with the Program
In our Escape from Tarkov Review, we take an in-depth look at the game, give details on what it’s all about, and express our opinions on it.
If you’ve ever wanted to know what Escape from Tarkov is about or whether it’s worth buying, this review should help.
Keep in mind that the game is in early access to the features mentioned in this review are subject to change.
Table of Contents
What is Escape from Tarkov?
Escape from Tarkov is an intense PVP survival game that stands out on its own in a crowd of similar titles.
Each gameplay session, known as a raid, lasts between 20 to 40 minutes. During this time, you spawn into a location and must fight your way to the exit.
With a hardcore medical system, lifelike bullet penetration, and threats from other players and challenging AI enemies, surviving isn’t an easy task.
Overall, Escape from Tarkov is intense, hardcore, but somehow incredibly addictive.
For more, check this out: Fight Hard with Escape from Tarkov Gameplay
How does this title compare to other games?
There are certain games out there that get your adrenaline going. The examples I’d like to bring to your attention are PUBG and DayZ.
In DayZ, you invest lots of time into one character and attempt to survive for as long as possible. Typically, the longer you survive, the more painful it’ll be to die. Nobody wants to die in DayZ, so when you inevitably do, it’s usually before an adrenaline-packed firefight.
PUBG offers a similar adrenaline rush when you get into PVP, but for a different reason. PVP in PUBG is constant – your only goal is to kill everybody else.
But with only one team or player able to win per game, fighting for survival is still exhilarating.
However, because dying in PUBG isn’t nearly as heartbreaking as it is in DayZ, it’s not quite on the same level.
I’ve brought these games up because Escape from Tarkov fits perfectly in between these games.
When you die in Tarkov, you can still jump back into another raid, and you’ll even be able to equip any weapons and gear you’ve saved over from previous runs. Because of this, Tarkov isn’t quite as intense as DayZ.
However, unlike DayZ, Tarkov puts you into combat situations more often, and when you die, it feels like much more of a loss than PUBG. You still lose valuable gear.
I’d also like to say that Escape from Tarkov has weapon mechanics that feel similar to DayZ. They are more in line with a military simulator than a typical first-person shooter game. It takes skill to master the weapons and they’re very unforgiving.
Summary of Comparisons
- EFT is more exhilarating than PUBG
- EFT’s firefights aren’t as intense as DayZ’s but you get into fights more often
- Overall, you’ll have more intense moments in Tarkov than either of the other games
For more, check this out: The Complete Escape from Tarkov Key Guide
What features make the game stand out?
One feature that’s unique to Escape from Tarkov is the inventory system. When you survive a raid, you get to store your gear and weapons in your inventory.
This opens up a number of opportunities for an in-game economy and meaningful progression. For example, when you first start, you will have nothing more than a few pistols and backpacks.
As you play more and survive with more gear, you’ll start to fill your inventory with armor, meds, and rifles. Eventually, you will feel more comfortable with taking your higher value gear into new raids.
There are also traders in Escape from Tarkov that you can use to buy and sell items from. Over time, you can start to build a large sum of cash which makes it easier to gear up for raids.
It’s not all about cash, though. Escape from Tarkov also has a quest system that’s quite unlike any other survival game. Quests require you to complete certain objectives for the in-game traders.
Objectives can range from killing a certain number of AI enemies known as scavs, to searching for clues about missing items. The quests add purpose to each raid and they give valuable benefits to players that complete them.
Completing a quest will further your reputation with a trader, which means more items will be available to purchase from them.
Finally, Escape From Tarkov has a very rich player progression system that’s still being fleshed out.
As you play, you’ll gain experience which will level your character up. This will primarily be used to unlock new items from the traders.
That’s just the start of it, though. There are passive skills for almost everything. Use a certain weapon for longer and you’ll become proficient with it. Carry lots of items and you’ll become stronger. Run long distances and you’ll gain more stamina.
Some features are still in progress, but so far the player progression system is incredibly rewarding. You really grow an attachment to your own character and specific play style.
Summary of Features
- Inventory system that lets you save gear after surviving raids
- Quest system to add meaning to raids and for unlocking new trader items
- Rich player progression system that’s built from the ground up
How will Escape from Tarkov evolve in the future?
Like mentioned earlier, Escape from Tarkov is still in early access. The developers working on EFT plan to expand the game further in the future.
One of the most notable features will be an open world mode. Once open world mode is out, players will have to go from location to location to complete quests.
Once all quests are completed, a new open world version of the game with all locations in one single environment will be available to players.
More future features planned for Escape from Tarkov are shown below:
- Hideout system where players can store items, heal up, and have a place to relax
- Arena mode for quick PVP action
- Flea market for trading with other players
- Auctions for selling off high-value items
- Constant new weapon and gear releases
Escape from Tarkov Review Conclusion
In summary, Escape from Tarkov offers an experience that’s somewhat similar to DayZ, but it strives to be different in many ways.
If you like intense PVP action and hardcore weapon and survival mechanics, you’ll love Escape from Tarkov.
For more, check this out: Hand on the Pump: Escape from Tarkov Weapons
