When Small Impact first told me it was creating a space game inspired by hardcore looter shooters like Escape From Tarkov, I had my doubts. Developers have long tried to replicate the success of Battlestate Games' extraction shooter to no avail. DICE attempted it with Battlefield 2042's Hazard Zone mode, as did Improbable with Scavengers, but neither really fulfilled the brief. After playing Marauders, though, I'm convinced Team 17's new developer is onto a winner.
Marauders is much more than just Escape From Tarkov in space. You're not just dropped into a No Man's Sky dieselpunk adventure with a gun and told to crack on. Instead, you're put behind the controls of a spaceship - in my case, the grand old Rust Bucket - in an alternative history setting and given the keys to the galaxy.
This is made even more exciting by the fact there are essentially three layers to the game: space exploration, ship fighting, and raids. Everyone starts out in space, where you and your squad pilot your way through a procedurally generated world, looking out for other ships or points of interest in the process. From there you find yourself a target, and you dictate how you want your raid to go; you can go full space pirate and attack other ships or you can dock at the nearest station and head in on foot.
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