Rob reviews Marauders [Early Access] on Steam...
Marauders is a first-person looter-shooter that's been developed by Small Impact Games and published by the indie powerhouse, Team 17. Currently enrolled on Steam's Early Access programme, Marauders' development will be greatly improved by those who take up the call to head into space. As such the game we review now will no doubt change and evolve as it rolls towards its inevitable version 1.0.
While that's quite a way into the future. What's the game like now? And is it worth investing in?
Marauders tell the tale of an alternative version of humanity. Set in 1992, the Great War never ended and with planet Earth being hospitable, humanity colonised the stars. Rather than ushering in a time of peace, those past grudges have continued to fester and the war rumbles on. Now roaming bands of pirates from many sides, scavenge and fight over the scraps of technology and supplies needed to survive the vast cosmic expanse.
Straight out of the airlock, it's easy to see that Marauders takes inspiration from Escape From Tarkov. While both are hardcore looter-shooters, Marauders forgoes the present-day setting to place itself in a retro-futuristic 1990s. With the Central Empire, United Allies and the Kingdom Alliance locked in this never-ending war, the player's Pirate faction has risen to essentially be the fourth superpower. As a marauder, you'll be sent into the expanse to raid rival facilities complete contracts, gather loot, and escape.
However, it's not simple as rival marauders are also out to score a profit, and as the saying goes; "in space, everyone's a bastard!"
That's pretty much how I feel about Marauders. As hardcore shooters go, Small Impact Games have heightened the drama by removing any aspect of the player feeling safe. Whereas Tarkov would allow you to store some loot and equipment inside a safety container, Marauders has no such option. Instead, each raid becomes a literal gamble as you risk everything in the vain hope of success. Failure in any way results in the loss of every bit of equipment, weapons, and loot that your character was carrying at the time. As such you can essentially lose everything to then end up as an unarmed, unarmoured lamb to the slaughter.
Is it fair? Well yes and no. If you're good at the game then, Marauders does offer quite a complex game of cat and mouse, mixed with risk Vs. reward. But, if you're terrible at PC FPS titles like me. Well, it becomes a bit of a tedious bore.
The gameplay loop remains the only constant across the cosmos. Upon launching into a raid - whether it is as a team or solo - you'll spawn inside your spaceship. While you can upgrade to larger and deadlier vessels you start in a poorly armoured rust bucket. These ships are then used as transport across the map. Whether you docked to large industrial space stations or dogfight across vast asteroid belts. This vessel is your home from home. To keep the tension high, other players can also destroy your vessel - and in extreme circumstances even board and steal the ship from you. It's a cruel world, and it doesn't get any better!
Not only is the constant threat of the player-base high, but you'll also have to contend with turrets and other defences. Once successfully docked to the target location, it's time to get to work. With a narrow window of only 25 minutes to explore the area, and get back to your transport, it's time to scavenge. With everything in Marauders having a use, you'll have to be savvy in what you bring to missions and what you loot along the way.
On the few occasions, I made it off the docking platform, I had to choose whether picking up a new weapon was worth a pile of scrap, or even something else that could be discovered later on. It's also a choice that you don't have time to lament over. During raids, you're never alone. While the threat of the player base is always high, Marauders also employs some pretty janky AI.
You can always tell if your opponent is the AI as they all suffer from the same issues. For starters, AI is both dumb and incredibly lethal. Quite often they'll not react to a player standing 2-feet away from them, to then instantly murder the next player they see. They'll also rush into combat with no sense of direction to then either freeze on the spot or dispense "space justice". It's never consistent, and if their inclusion is to offer newbies a source of loot - it doesn't feel so.
While Marauders has its smaller issues, its major one is that it's not fair. The game's basic premise will always favour those who play the game constantly. As such for a new player, it's virtually impossible to win. You'll either get scuttled by the larger ships before you make it to the raid target, or you'll get boarded and killed unnecessarily. It's an unfair system that's governed by its player's code of honour - which isn't very high.
There's also a wild meta-game running rampant at the moment too. Here, the more established players don't even partake in the raid. Instead, they'll sit right outside the dock, to then blast you to pieces as you leave. It's a pointless endeavour that doesn't reward them with anything other than knowing they've wasted someone's time.
Ground battles also suffer from this unfairness, and most certainly favour well-equipped players. Buying weapons and armour from vendors is especially expensive, so to begin with you'll have to scrupulously search each location for these items. As I mentioned earlier, upon death your equipped inventory is completely lost and you'll be forced to repeat the process until you get lucky. The downside to this is that you'll never get lucky when you'll eventually have to fight the murderous AI or other players with your fists. Groups who play Marauders constantly will always have loot to fall back on if they get unlucky, but for new players - you are at the bottom of the food chain.
What Marauders does do well is with its weapons. As per the settings of the game, its weapons and armour are inspired by World War 2. Often you'll be dying of shots from a Thompson submachine gun, Sgt-44, or Luger. There are a few more modern-day weapons available too - but I sadly haven't gotten hold of one (and probably never will). You're also able to customise weapons, with various sights, stocks, and muzzles available. They do offer some stat increases, but when compared to Tarkov they're pretty light on the ground. Armour is also reminiscent of the period with big bulky gas masks, long trench coats, and various other Allied and German-inspired gear. While Marauders doesn't necessarily represent a fun experience, it does do a great job with its ascetics.
To keep you invested in what Marauders have to offer there is a progression chart and various contracts that need completing. Naturally completing contracts nets you a few credits and overall XP, but it's nothing to shout about. Each faction will also offer you specific contracts to fulfil which in turn levels up their vendors, and grants you various rewards. The weird thing is that not only are these contracts fairly difficult, the randomness of what map you'll play means you'll need a certain amount of luck.
What would benefit here is either a server browser or even a way to pick what raid to queue for. I suppose with Marauders being in early access these are features that could come along in the future. Another useful thing would also be to gatekeep newer players behind a level cap until they grow accustomed to the game. Hunt: Showdown does this which in turn allows newbies to grasp the fundamentals of the game to then spread out. I feel that Marauders would benefit greatly from some handholding, if not it's going to be a game that appeals to a select few. Hell, even a PvE mode would be nice!
All in all, Marauders isn't a game that I'd find easy to recommend. It's certainly a game that needs to find its footing and Early Access will help. The game does show a lot of promise, but right now it's unrefined, unpolished, and unfair. And that's my main concern when thinking about the future of the game. It needs something to attract new players to the experience. If not Marauders is going to be a sour experience for anyone other than its hardcore players.
Rating: 6.5
A code was kindly provided for this review
Marauders are available now and can be purchased via Steam.
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