Escape from Tarkov Game Review

Above: Twitch streamer MrGrimmmmmmz streams live to his 3,000 viewers while playing Escape from Tarkov. Grimmz is doing better than I am: He has several million dollars in Rubles, a few hundred thousand Euro's, and bitcoins.

Playing this game now for about a week and I've noticed my fear of being shot hasn't really changed much. I've been practicing mostly offline and with the bots/AI - which is very, very tough.

Why is it hard?

First, the computer-controlled enemies are completely hardcore shooters: They rarely miss and usually get you with a headshot or leg. You can creep around the entire map and think you are hidden and then suddenly you'll hear a shot ring out from nowhere and you're dead. Congratulations.

When you run or move quickly, it makes noise which attracts your enemies. I decided to test the enemeis by shooting at them about 1/2 a mile away. I then ran onto a beach area with a tiny maze and hid there for 5 minutes. The computer enemies found me and I was quickly shot from higher ground.

And this is playing against computers, not real people. Playing against people is a whole different ball game. Some are good players, but most are just garbage. If you play on the enemy side (called a "scav"). Scavs aren't supposed to attack one another - but other players who play scavs attack all the time. Hence why I prefer the casual PubG over this game. It's very easy to feel defeated, this is a hardcore military sim / survival game.

Solo is hard

Unless you roam in a squad the gametime will be very short - especially if you visit The Factory. You can creep very quietly throughout the map, but all it takes is a little bit of noise and everyone is on your ass like white on rice.

Hate Loading Ammo & Adding Attachments?

If you hate loading ammunition or completely customizing your weapons, you're going to hate this game. You can literally attach almost any scope, flash hider, stock, holder, extender, silencer to many of the weapons in the game and change all of the dynamics: Recoil, damage, velocity, etc...  For example, during one raid I managed to aquire an AK-74 and it had a flash hider, extended magazine, and 2x scope.

You can lose limbs

Like any war simulation.... body parts will become so damaged you can't use them anymore. You can be shot in the head, legs, arms, chest, or abdomen. You have to eat and drink water otherwise you will die. Medical kits will help slow the death and might even make a recovery - but that's rare. You're more than likely to be shot by A.I. or another player.

Its Dark and Scary

The developers purposly made it impossible to adjust the gamma or brightness in this game. So when you play during nighttime it is very difficult to see without a flashlight or night vision. This is to prevent players from cheating by adjusting the gamma to a very bright level so you can see at night. Not in this game. It's completely dark. Noises in the darkness set me on edge !

You just get tired of dying

The first 10 times getting shot was a pretty exciting experience. Make that x10 and the game wears thin - coupled with the random lock ups and even a complete reset. If you quit during the game for any reason, you will be penalized for leaving early. In Pubg it doesn't penalize you. This game is still in alpha and I would not suggest anyone buy it unless you're willing to take a gamble with performance and reliability.

TL/DR: It's a fun game, but not for everyone. This is a thinking person's game, with highly accurate Arma-3 style weapons and actions.