Recent reviews by rdct

Only 14 hours in and already know its a game I'll play for a while.

This is a game you can play solo or with friends and be incredibly immersed. One thing I noticed among the community is that many dislike the pvp and many think there is too much pve. No one can be happy when playing this game apparently. I think its a perfect balance in this game comparatively speaking. In other extraction shooters most of your games include fighting other players with a few non-threatening AI. ARC Raiders whole thing is about the difficulty the AI and that sometimes requires more than just yourself to survive. In ARC Raiders there is a lot of teaming up with others. Albeit mostly in solo play, duos sometimes, and trios rarely.
Its a breath of fresh air to play a new game that isnt a copy of EFT or PUBG. It takes its own stance on the genre and does it very well. Not to mention the sound in the game.

The soundtrack? Great.
The audio queues? Great.
The ambiance? Fantastic.
The sound design overall? Fantastic.

TL;DR:
At its core, the game looks and plays like Elden Ring, but with a much faster pace, a stronger multiplayer focus, and roguelike mechanics. It’s a FromSoftware game, so don’t expect it to be kind to new players.

Recommended for players that loved Elden Ring and want a new, different experience.
Not Recommended for players that want "Elden Ring 2"

One thing I can't stress enough: this is not the open-world, slow-roaming, exploration-heavy experience that the original Elden Ring was. This game is advertised and designed as a MUCH faster-paced, “GO GO GO” experience.

Think: Roguelike.
The goal is to level up and loot as much as possible before reaching the boss, improving your odds through progression. Time is limited, so efficiency is key.

That said, I don’t fully agree with the heavy multiplayer emphasis. To my knowledge, the game doesn’t scale difficulty for solo players, which can make it significantly harder for those going it alone. Also worth noting: duos aren’t an option, which feels like a missed opportunity.

Since it’s a FromSoftware title, difficulty is expected. However, I believe the game would benefit from a more comprehensive tutorial for newcomers. As well as reduced health pool for enemies during the first night could help ease players into the experience before the real challenge begins.
Lastly, he ability to unlock and upgrade characters and items as you progress is a defining trait of the roguelike genre, and it’s implemented well here

Pick a moon and land
If you don't die to a creature, keep going
Enter the facility
If you don't die to a creature, keep going
If you find scrap grab it
If you don't die to a creature, keep going
Run back to ship
If you didn't die to a creature....

You probably didn't make quota.

Steps to play:

Win lots of money
Feel rich to make lots more money
Lose lots of money
Dont touch the game for a few months
Repeat.

boo

gore go brrr

Maybe the story could have been longer and some more puzzles, but the other possibilities of the game make up for it.

"OMG THE QUEUE TIMES ARE CRAZY!!??!!"

There are long queue times, yes, but going into an mmo hours after the release it can easily be flooded. Sure the host some of the biggest server farms, but look how wow was, long queue times for a bit then cooled down. Just wait a few days.

Anyway, gotta get back to farming trees for for the next few hours.

As this game is in early access, it does have some flaws, but so far the game is pretty good.

Zero Hour feels like Due Process, Siege, Tarkov, and Arma III all in one.
Due Process - Prep Phase attack planning and semi-procedural generation
Arma - In my opinion, the first person gunplay feels a lot like Arma III
R6: Siege - Close quarter object based combat. Save the hostage.
Tarkov - The movement is very similar to EFT, outside of gunplay, as you can use your scroll wheel to meter your walk and crouch speed.

Zero Hour plays more on the realism side of the FPS genre and does a pretty good job with it. Movement is one of the biggest things to get used to compared to other FPS games, as its going to a more realistic idea. For $11.99 it a nice buy.

You find a yourself naked, stranded, with only mother nature and a big f***ing bird guiding you. You find your first hostile creature, a greyling, so you beat the life out of him. An hour later this greyling is no longer life threatening because of your new weapons and sheltering home. However, you stumble across new hostile enemies every way of the game. As soon as you are able to defeat one enemy with no problem, a new one takes its place and will lay its wrath on you. This game requires actual time to progress further and further, I have played only this game the past few days, averaging 10 hours a day. I know unhealthy, but this game is that addicting. The outside world becomes obsolete, at least in my experience.

You'll find other reviews about the more in depth gameplay mechanics

This is the most worth I have got out of spending $20 in a long time.