Is Marauders Basically Escape From Tarkov in Space?

Since 2016, Escape From Tarkov has worked to popularise the ‘tactical looter shooter’ genre. In recent years, some developers have attempted to capitalise on the immense success of Tarkov by creating their own take on the PvPvE vibe. For instance, in 2022, The Cycle: Frontier launched, modelled heavily on Tarkov – and making no attempt to hide it. So we’re here to discuss another title called Marauders.

For the most part, people are labelling Marauders as ‘Escape From Tarkov in space’, and there’s some credence to that description. It’s a space-faring, tactical first-person multiplayer looter shooter – if you remove the ‘space-faring’ tag, then you’re essentially describing Tarkov.

But is Marauders going to be anything more than ‘Tarkov with a twist’?

Space: The Final Frontier

Image Credit: Steam

Imagine this: it’s the 1990s, and World War I never ended. It persisted for decades, and what was created was a world tarnished by over-industrialisation, famine, and war. In an attempt to combat the inevitable death of the planet, many of its inhabitants somehow fled to outer space. From the mouths of the developers, Small Impact Games, what awaits the player is a ‘gritty diesel-punk world’, a dystopian environment that will take them from planets to asteroids, and through space stations and wrecked ships.

However, it doesn’t end there, as Marauders is poised to combine what is essentially two games into one. Firstly, there’s the remarkably Tarkov-esque boots-on-the-ground gameplay, incorporating realistic gunfights with all-important looting mechanics. This portion will require the player to enter an area, survive, loot, and successfully extract – that’s Escape From Tarkov in a nutshell, right?

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But, on the other side of the same coin, Marauders’ gameplay will deliver ‘explosive sci-fi dogfights’, with players piloting upgradeable spaceships. At this point, yes, the Marauders game does seem to be Tarkov in space, with a few unique selling points.

Same, Same – But Different – But Still The Same

Ultimately, it’s difficult to stand apart from an industry leader like Escape from Tarkov when it comes to making a new title. For instance, if a developer was to produce an open-world, third-person adventure set in an urban environment, it would likely be labelled a copy of Grand Theft Auto, regardless of how different it was. There will always be this aspect of comparison in the world of gaming.

Image Credit: Steam

For Marauders, the similarities are staggering, but at the same time, there are a lot of differences. There’s an entirely different aesthetic, for example, and the weapons are a cross between sci-fi, diesel-punk constructs, and ancient, World War I firearms. While the combat is split between AI enemies and other players, we can’t forget that it takes place in the depths of outer space, which is about as far removed from the streets of Tarkov as you can get.

In Tarkov, you pound the pavement, but in Marauders, you’re zipping freely through space in a ship that you pilot. There are positive reviews coming out of the early-access space for Marauders, and on the surface, it certainly does look like a fantastic title.

Marauders Release Date

While there’s no official Marauders release date right now, it is expected to drop in full in 2022. If you’re looking for an escape from Tarkov (that’s perfect) and want to blast into space with up to three friends, consider keeping an eye on the future of Marauders.

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