“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction” was released to PC, Xbox, Playstation, Stadia and Luna on Jan. 20. It was developed and published by Ubisoft. 

In this continuation of the “Rainbow Six” series, players are placed in a variety of maps across the United States where an infection of hostile organisms has resulted in contaminated zones filled with “Archæans.” These enemies are procedurally generated parts of the game’s environment, and possess varying abilities, strengths and weaknesses that players can learn and exploit over time. 

Players can choose between solo play and a three-player squad spawn in, but the game is geared towards the team-based approach. 

As this game’s release date approached, I elected to spend the few hard earned dollars I had left to preorder the game so I could play it on release day. With about 10 hours of gameplay over the course of a week, here’s how it stacked up:

“Extraction” falls under the tactical shooter genre of first person shooter games. In essence, the game requires a slow and methodical approach to gameplay. Tactical shooters tend to focus on strategy and problem solving, and this game is no exception. 

For starters, the game looks absolutely fantastic. Between the well produced cutscenes and the varying maps and locations the game has to offer, there is not a moment of aesthetic displeasure to be found. I played this game on my PC, which includes a high functioning graphics card and processor, so graphics experiences may be different for those who prefer console gaming.

In terms of gameplay, “Extraction” demonstrates its mastery of the PvE, or the “player vs. environment” experience. The game includes a variety of gamemodes, such as “Biopsy,” where players must take down a powerful enemy and collect a research sample for analysis, and “MIA Operator,” where players must fight against the environment of the map to rescue an operator that has been captured by the Archæans.

It also includes a diversified host of enemies and playable characters, or “operators,” which keep the game fresh and engaging. 

Fans of the previous Tom Clancy game, “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege,” will be delighted to know that the operators of “Rainbow Six Siege” are also the primary operators of “Extraction.” While some may find this to be repetitive or boring, I think that the context of the gameplay varies enough between the two games to keep the operator’s unique loadouts interesting. Because “Extraction” is a PvE experience, and “Siege” is almost exclusively played in a PvP, or “player vs. player” setting, the abilities of the individual operators feel very different, regardless of the fact that the operators do not change from game to game. 

In terms of online gameplay, finding good teammates can be tricky. Regardless of this, the game incentivizes cooperation and strategic playstyles by awarding additional bonuses for surviving and working together. One thing I personally enjoy about this game is the importance it places on working with the members of your squad. 

Overall, I really enjoy playing this game. While the learning curve is quite steep, the mechanics of the game are fun to utilize once they’ve been refined. “Extraction” does an excellent job of maintaining the look and feel of a “Rainbow Six” game while still offering a new approach to the tactical shooter genre. 

I definitely plan to continue playing this game and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in games that require strategy and tactical thinking.