Review-Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Extraction
In Rainbow Six: Extraction, Ubisoft Montreal has brought us another entry to the Tom Clancy franchise but this time with an alien twist. From the opening scene, it is evident that this entry is not your average Rainbow Six game that Ubisoft Montreal has taken down a new path. One difference that Ubisoft Montreal has brought to extraction is that they have changed it from the traditional player-vs.-player engagements of Siege, instead Extraction is entirely player-vs.-environment with a squad of three running into the danger zones. This makes for a game that is not only fun to play but also brings a sense of achievement when players are able to complete the three objectives given to their squad before the commencement of the gameplay which by the way; would have to be one of the slickest looking games personally witnessed in a while.
Rainbow Six Extraction is a squad-based multiplayer game that can support up to three players. Extraction brings players to a world that is alien-infested by an enemy known as the Archaeans. To finish the game, players are required to not only complete objectives, such as collecting samples, extracting materials from computers, and gathering intel but also rescuing any operators who have gone missing previously. Every time a squad jumps into a map, known as an “incursion”, they will have three interconnected zones to explore and players will be assigned any one of the twelve objectives randomly in each zone. The location of the objectives and the placement of enemies change with each playthrough of the selected battlefield. Once the objectives have been completed, players can choose to extract themselves, or push on and explore the next zone. When exploring the new zones for further objectives, the difficulty level is harder than the completed zone that players have come from. There is a reward however for players who choose to push on as they receive more rewards by completing them successfully. Choosing to extract early ensures that all the operators would be safe, but it comes at a cost of the XP that is lost with objectives that are not completed.
The gameplay feels very much like it has been pulled from the plotline of Tom Cruise’s movie “Edge of Tomorrow” with each run-through of a map feeling as if players relive a previous mission with the opportunity to improve on the mistakes made in previous incursions. Add in the soundscape of the game and music that adds to the atmosphere of the game which further pulls players into the world of Extraction. One addition to the game that was welcomed was the sound indicator which would highlight where footsteps and enemies were originating from, this was a welcomed touch especially as a deaf gamer because it made it feel as if the playing field was level and accessible to everyone who plays Extraction. Another smart gameplay addition is the importance of keeping the REACT Operators away from the clutches of the Archaeans as well as keeping an eye on their health status because if Archaeans downs an operator they are captured. Players cannot use them until they have rescued them in an extraction mission. operators who are severely injured in previous incursions will also remain hurt and will only recover slowly. This addition forces players to act carefully in how they not only plan a mission but also which operator they select and how it will affect the dynamic of the squad in the quest for a successful incursion.
There is a sense of familiarity in Rainbow Six: Extraction as we see the rollover of operators from the Siege world who make a return in Extraction, due to the formation of the Rainbow Exogenous Analysis and Containment Team (REACT) to contain the Archaeans threat. Before the commencement of any mission players and their squadmates will need to select their operators and loadouts from a pool of eighteen. The selection of which operator to use can have consequences in the game as each of the eighteen operators has their own unique weapons and gadgets such like Pulse who can use a heartbeat sensor that gives him the ability to spot enemies through walls, whilst Alibi has a holographic decoy to distract enemies that can be deployed; therefore the right team composition is essential for success. As in Rainbow Six: Siege, players can send out recon drones to scout the area, reinforce doors and windows to seal entrances, and shoot through walls which all come in handy when certain objectives call for such tactics. Teamwork is vital in Rainbow Six: Extraction as players must work together and coordinate with each other to succeed.
There are moments in Rainbow Six: Extraction where the situation calls for a run and gun approach and others where the traditional stealth style approach that is associated with a Tom Clancy game is called for. This is where it makes it fun when playing as a squad with friends with effective communication lends to the degree of success that can be achieved. It also comes down to the operator that is being used with that operator’s toolkits being key in the way a map could be approached through the utilization of recon tools such as the recon drone to scout out the rooms whilst the other two squadmates move forward to clear any nests or Archaeans that may be in the room. It is not to say that Ubisoft Montreal has made the enemy one dimensional, but the Archaeans and zone objectives play a hand in uplifting certain operators as well. Players will come up against eleven distinct types of Archaeans, with each one of them each possessing different traits such as the annoying Rooter can lock you into place, for example, while the hissing Bloater can explode into a cloud of toxic gas which meant players quickly learn to make sure it does not get close to where they are on the map. Knowing what players will be going up against and then immobilizing them long enough to get to their weak spot and stealthily take them out is paramount to success, meaning operators geared towards recon, stealth, and stunning enemies excel more often than when the run and gun approach is used.
The control settings are the same as what they are on Rainbow Six: Siege which means players can quickly get up to speed on how to move, use weapons, lethal and non-lethal as well as any recon tools that may be available. Another drawcard from the Siege games is that Rainbow Six: Extraction has destructible environments where select walls, floors, and ceilings can be destroyed, allowing operators to navigate maps and surprise-attack enemies from multiple angles with careful planning and maneuvering. Players can choose to defend their positions from approaching enemies by reinforcing breakable walls or boarding up broken windows and doors as in siege. This is where questions are raised however as to whether Ubisoft Montreal could have expanded on the tools, weapons, and environment to make Rainbow Six: Extraction different from Rainbow Six: Siege, in turn, bringing a new and different dimension to the gaming universe that is Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six as there are times that Extraction feels as if it could have just been released as a DLC for Siege.
Rainbow Six: Extraction is a game that is best played with kids who are older than ten due to the themes of the game. Whilst it is not as violent as other war-based games, it still has violent themes which are not suitable for young ones. Extraction is not a game that players will have to leave until everyone else is bed, it is a game in which being cautious about when to play is best advised. Extraction is, however, a game that can be played with those fifteen and above as the older kids may enjoy the plotline and objectives of Rainbow Six: Extraction.
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J for One More Game
8 – Great – this is a standout game where some minor changes would make it amazing. You could easily justify your purchase of this game.
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Rainbow Six: Extraction was reviewed on the Xbox Series X with a code that was kindly provided by the publisher for this game. All thoughts on this game are ours and ours alone.