By now, you must have noticed a game called Escape from Tarkov one of the top games on Twitch. Seeing your favourite streamers play the game for thousands for viewers, you may even have decided to watch it yourself. If you did, there’s a good chance you saw it as a shooting game that’s extremely slow and cumbersome; not fun at all.

The thing is, Escape From Tarkov is really really fun. And it’s not just another shooter. Though the game is usually called a combat simulator, the best way to describe it would be “a hardcore and realistic online FPS and RPG, survival, and MMO elements.



What’s EFT’s Plot?
EFT is set in the fictional Norvinsk region in Northwestern Russia. The entire map covers a “special economic zone” that served as a gateway between Russia and Europe. But this special economic status also attracted corporations with dubious intent. Naturally, major political scandals with corrupt corporations became centered in Tarkov.

With time, however, the situation only escalated and an armed conflict broke out between the Russian Internal Troops, United Nations Peacekeepers, and two private military companies: United Security (USEC) and BEAR. When the situation escalated out of control, the Norvinsk region’s borders were sealed off, thus isolating those trapped in the middle of the war zone.

As BEAR is hired by the Russian Government to uncover evidence about Terra Group, one of the corrupt corporations involved in the scandal, the Terra Group hired USEC to hinder the investigations during the conflict. You, the player, work for one of these private military companies and have the objective of escaping the city of Tarkov; thus the name Escape From Tarkov.


What do you do in EFT?
In EFT, you mainly play as a character called “PMC”. Your main goal is to enter a map, raid it, win any conflicts, and extract safely with loot you find throughout the map and from other players. Since all the raids are instance-based and timed, each one is unique. Before you head out on a raid, you gear up your PMC from a character screen with weapons, ammo, tactical vest, helmet, meds, backpack, and other gear. You then select one of the maps available and start your raid.

Walking through the map, you’ll find loot ranging from common to rare items. While common items are simply found in drawers, in clothes, and simply lying on surfaces, rare items are usually found behind locked doors that require keys. During the raid, you can encounter various hostilities, from other player-controlled PMCs to Scavs, Raiders, and Boss Scavs, all of whom are increasingly difficult to deal with. While the number of AI enemies may vary from map to map, you’ll spawn with 5-13 other players during any given raid that can last anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour.

You can kill AI enemies along with player-controlled ones to loot all the gear they came in with. However, if you die, you will lose almost all of your gear (except whatever you’ve kept in the small secured container). You have to extract out of the raid before the session ends or your character is considered dead, or MIA to be precise. Even if you die, you don’t lose your PMC. Rather, they’ll be heavily wounded and you’ll have to heal them before the next raid.

A raid is ended by finding one of the extraction points on the map. You can then place all your loot in your stash. You can also sell your items on a player-driven economy called the “Flea Market” that loosely resemble online cricket betting apps. Apart from EFT also features a robust weapon modification system, an in-depth inventory system, and multiple merchants who sell items and offer quests. You’ll also find a base-building aspect called “The Hideout” which you can upgrade for faster off-raid health regeneration, bigger stash size, and the ability to craft various things.



What Makes EFT Unique?
Well, we’ve already covered what the game is, its plot, and what you have to do. But arguably the most fascinating element of EFT is its extreme realism. You’ll first become aware of it from the UI, or the lack of it thereof. The play screen is almost completely empty, with the occasional stats like stamina and volume levels popping up.

EFT also boasts realistic bullet and gun mechanics. Recoil is pleasantly realistic and every small choice, from ammo type to attachments and gear will matter a lot during your raid. Sometimes, the bullets may even ricochet off of helmets, which is rather pleasing.

Regarding healing, the game dives deep. If you get shot in the legs or fall from a height and break your legs, your running will be slowed. If you get shot in the arms, your aim will be affected. On the other hand, a shot to the head or torso will most likely prove fatal. One of the most intense feelings while playing this game is when your character is hurt and making heaving noises, but you don’t yet know its exact cause. It brings you and your character together during combat, adding another dimension of realism.


Go Try EFT
Though the game has garnered a lot of attention due to the Twitch drops campaign, EFT has actually been in Closed beta since July 2017. Currently, the game is only available on PC and you can pick it up from the official site for four prices ($45, $75, $100, $140).