Rainbow Six Extraction Review – Siege you later

Rainbow Six Siege has been one of the best games to hit the live service scene and find itself a dedicated audience in the competitive esports scene since its launch in the mid-2010s. It’s hard-hitting action, fast-paced strategy, and deliciously deep with its roster of Operators who battle it out to see which team can bunker down and survive a heavily-armed assault by opposing players. So how does that format work when you swap terrorists out for an invading force of creepy extraterrestrial enemies?

Surprisingly great! If you’re ready to delve into a danger zone with a team of trusted allies behind you, that is.

There’s no denying that 2022 is the year of games that feature a some-versus-many approach to action, and with the market reaching peak saturation point, Rainbow Six Extraction finds itself caught between a rock and a hard PvP place. Out of the gate, the spin-off certainly hits the right notes with its depiction of alien-infested warzones that are home to all manner of nastiness in the shadows. Gunplay carries that sensation of European elegance and precision that defines the Siege’s experience, the current selection of Operators are built to offer a sense of reward for investing time in them, and the Archaen enemies you’ll encounter are both challenging and disturbing.

The maps themselves aren’t too shabby either, as Extraction’s campaign unfolds across four main hubs; New York City, San Francisco, Alaska, and Truth And Consequences over in New Mexico. Each zone is divided into multiple sub-maps, and within each of those environments you’ll find options for various styles of tactical play. Good stuff, right out of the Siege handbook. A solid selection of modes–Hunt, Decontamination, and a few more–mostly round out the list of what you can expect, and then you’re in for a penny, in for a pounding when the game kicks off properly.

Make no mistake, Rainbow Six Extraction is a game where success hinges entirely on teamwork. While it has drop-in and play functionality, it’s at its very best when you’re starting a round with people you know flanking you and who have a clear line of communication. Surveillance and careful planning before you even line up a killshot are crucial elements to master, and with the amount of reconnaissance technology that each Operator has at their disposal, there’s no excuse not to be cautious.

Of course, the deeper you venture into each incursion zone, the harder the game becomes as the difficulty is dialed up. This persistent threat eventually leads to scenarios where you’ll be swarmed by parasitic fiends when an operation eventually goes tits-up, the environment around you becoming a temporary refuge as intelligently work your way through hordes and try to avoid a last stand that’s powered purely by gung-ho energy and spite for your impending death.

What Ubisoft has kicked 2022 off with, is a solid spin-off that knows exactly what it wants to be by pinching some of Siege’s best ideas and remixing them into an action-packed alien body horror adventure. It has its work cut out for it in a crowded space, but if anyone knows how to flesh out a live service experience that can stand the test of time, it’s the French publisher that’s an expert in that field. The ball is in Ubisoft’s court, and with plans for new content and harder modes such as the upcoming Maelstrom Protocol in the pipeline, Extraction looks like it’ll be able to avoid any content droughts for the foreseeable future.