Is Tarkov Having an Identity Crisis?

(Intro)

As the release of 1.0 looms evermore over the horizon, I think it’s important to have a conversation about the identity of Tarkov and where it stands today. At this point, Tarkov has created a name for itself by being, from the outside looking in, a difficult first-person extraction shooter where you lose your gear if you fall during your raids. And for players who have any length of time in this game, they know that’s only part of the whole story, While yes, it’s an extraction shooter and you lose your stuff, everything else you may hear about if you aren’t an active player doesn’t line up with what the gameplay loop actually ends up being most of the time. So much so, that after everything that has happened and now that the hardcore wipe is over, people have been asking what the heck is Tarkov supposed to be. What’s the identity of the game and does it even understand itself anymore. These are solid questions to ask. Again; we’re so close to release, that this is the worst time for the game to try and figure out who or what it’s supposed to be. And the developers are gonna’ have to figure that out. So, let’s have a conversation about what Tarkov is supposed to be as a game, how it has strayed away from that philosophy over the years, and how it may be having an identity crisis, at the absolute worst possible time.

(What the game was marketed as)

For many years, the game was marketed as a game going against the grain. Something that wants to turn heads and show the world that you don’t have to follow the safe and standard conventions of this genre in order to be successful. Sometimes, a little innovation can go a long way. And while BSG weren’t trying to make any statements directly, they just wanted to make a hard game that gets people thinking and surprisingly, worried about playing. Worried that they might lose their gear, and how there’s a chance it’s gone for good. Having quests that are ambiguous at best, and profoundly confusing at worst. And generally having systems in the game that are not as new player friendly as other games. It does everything in its power to essentially push you away from buying the game. And yet, so many people are fascinated with these ideas and philosophies. Maybe they haven’t truly been challenged in this genre by other games. Maybe they have a friend that streams in every now and again on Discord and it’s piqued their interest. Or maybe, they just wanted to try something new. Regardless of the answer, this game has found a way to captivate almost everyone who tries it and doesn’t bounce off immediately. People were sold on the ideas the game was presenting years ago. But as the development of the game progressed, ideas began to change, and as the player base got larger, some of those core identifiable factors made that EFT what it was have begun to disappear.

(What the gameplay is actually like)

While the flavor text across the official website hypes the gameplay of Tarkov beyond the point of reasonable doubt, the reality is that while it can absolutely be adrenaline and heart pumping, especially when things are new, the sad reality is that the veil quickly fades the more you play and the nuance the game offered that was supposed to be quirky and unusual, becomes tedious and annoying. Its repetition after one cycle becomes monotonous and makes you ask, wait is that the whole game? Doing the same things over and over again? The hope is that 1.0 can iron out some of these problems with the main line story quests offering players a tangible road to follow for a true endgame. In the meantime, we are stuck with what is offered and there are people who have gotten the kappa container dozens of times, are now unlocking new levels of prestige multiple times and generally are looking for new or at least interesting ways to engage with the game after putting ten thousand plus hours into it. What was once a desperate attempt to survive and thrive each raid in years gone, has now turned into a collect-a-thon that becomes insufferable when you add other entities impeding your progress. It's funny; after all these years and all the different material BSG has released in association with Escape From Tarkov, there is one thing they helped produce that upon watching it back recently, perhaps reflect what they truly wish the game was like and would go back and fix if possible.

(The “Raid” series)

BSG produced a set of YouTube videos called the “Raid” series; which follows a few characters in their misadventures through Tarkov with the objective of rescuing a fellow member of their group and getting out alive. And over the course of the five episodes or roughly hour-long runtime, we see this team go through some of the most accurate and meticulous display of modern military combat I personally have ever seen. There is no glory, no heroes and no victory. Just people fighting for their lives and what they believe is right. The BEARs have their mission, and so to do the USECs also trapped within this region. The first time I saw this, it was genuinely astonishing how well produced it was. And after some reflection, perhaps this is what BSG wanted Tarkov to be, all along. Rough, gritty and with no clear signs that salvation is ever in sight. I’ve mentioned this in a previous video, but Tarkov the game back in the day, had a much darker tone to it. That no matter what you do, you don’t really feel like you’re winning, only surviving. And the raid series has the same atmosphere surrounding it too. These guys are barely hanging on and after each challenge they face, there are real, devastating losses felt across each faction. It feels grounded, relatable, and hopeless. And for several years, that’s what the game was too. And I think deep down, BSG would’ve loved to maintained that style and tone across most elements of the game. But the game got too big too fast, and so naturally they needed to pivot to something a little more lighthearted, faster paced, and more imaginative than perhaps previously desired. Again, we’ll never know these little details unless people from the company share their stories, but until they do, we can only speculate. But all of this still begs the question: can BSG pull this off and not only release the game but maybe recapture some of that early on Tarkov atmosphere that old players truly enjoyed?

(Can they lock it in?)

It’s tough to determine if 1.0 is going to feel like a brand-new game, or if it’s going to be the exact same with the main story quests, and terminal. My hope and this is heavily reliant on some grade-A copium, is that BSG has had to somewhat ignore and sacrifice the current game and the few patches we have received in order to fully focus on the 1.0 patch and to make it feel drastically different than what we are currently playing. I’ve mentioned this hypothetical before, but if you boot the game up and instead of the typical main menu we go straight into a cutscene that end with us on Ground Zero beginning a tutorial, I will be blown away. As stupid as that sounds, it means that pretty much nothing is off the table; there have been multiple times where BSG delivers something truly unique and wholly original that we haven’t seen before. The Labyrinth was probably the best recent example. And even if the novelty of that new map wore off almost immediately because of the locked rooms, the idea of something new on that scale being added means that 1.0 can bring something huge to the table. BSG was at PAX west I believe and there are some murmurs about what was shown behind the scenes regarding Terminal and what we can expect from that map. And if what people are saying is true, then I only hope we see more exploration into creating some moments in EFT that are memorable. Other than the copium I have for 1.0, it’s very difficult to tell how much different the game will feel after it comes out. It’s also difficult to tell if they will try to lean back towards the darker tone of the game. But I feel as though there is a higher chance of that not happening just because the release date is so close. They can add all the features they want for 1.0, but to essentially change the identity of EFT once more with less than three months on the clock, I don’t see that happening sadly. But as long as the game can still illicit those feelings of loss, dread and hopelessness in a world that wants you dead and nothing else, I still think modern EFT can provide that experience if done correctly and the changes with 1.0 feel impactful across the entire game.

(Outro)

Tarkov has gone through many different mechanical iterations. But it also has gone through somewhat of an identity crisis as of recent years. From a niche tough and gritty immersive extraction shooter to a collecting deathmatch game that is built for the masses, it’s weird talking about this right before the game fully released. You’d expect us to have had this conversation years ago, but multiple changes on top of each other combined with the botched hardcore wipe has had people recently ask these kinds of questions. What the heck does BSG want EFT to be? What is the game they set out to deliver to us over a decade ago? Will 1.0 bring us closer to the original vision of the game? And sadly, we can’t answer any of those questions until November. All we can do, is trust BSG (which is in very short supply these days) that they will put out a product that has people playing it for years after launch. And that keeps getting some post launch support with new content, expansions and ideas added before finally being sunset so they can work on their next project. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on Tarkov’s identity over the years, if you think it’s going through a crisis, what got you to start playing and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the higher-level analysis of the game we’ve been playing for probably way too long. I hope to see you in future ones.