If I had a nickel for every time a new extraction shooter comes out of nowhere and becomes an instant success, I would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, that too in the same year. ARC Raiders’ momentum truly got rolling after its first playtest back in April, where those who partook of the Rust Belt swore of its brilliance (and rightfully so), but that still felt somewhat expected, especially since fans have clamored for a superior option to Escape From Tarkov for years.
With only a few days left before its launches, however, it’s incredible that another extraction shooter without much marketing should suddenly rise to prominence. I’m talking about Team Soda’s innocuous and not at all snarkily titled Escape From Duckov. Released on PC via Steam on October 16th, it sold over 500,000 copies at the time of writing this piece (Update: Over a million now). Not only that but its concurrent player counts have been steadily rising, recently hitting a peak of 182,509 at this time.
It also currently has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating with 95 percent of its 6,683 user reviews giving it the thumbs-up. But those looking at its cartoony style and top-down approach may wonder if it isn’t just another attempt to parody a more popular title while inserting ducks into the mix – see Duckside – with mixed results. The Metacritic score would certainly have you think so. There are only five reviews but it’s currently at a 75. Not great but nothing that screams “must-play.”
Thankfully, that isn’t the case. Despite its humorous style, Escape From Duckov is very much a serious extraction shooter. And yet, you have to wonder why it’s so popular and blowing up so quickly.
Perhaps above all else is the fact that it’s a PvE extraction shooter. There are no other players on the field – no one to kill you, unfettered and take away your precious loot. Of course, that means no co-op either. It’s just you, as an ordinary duck, escaping from a prison cell with nothing but a stick and trying your darndest to survive in this bizarre world. After obtaining a pistol and eventually discover a bunker that becomes your base.
Despite the lack of, well, anything, it’s not long before you’re building a weapon shop, setting up a gym, and a workbench to craft items from all the junk scoured in the wild. The progression is rogue-lite in a sense, as you gather blueprints, unlock new skills to improve stamina recovery and other stats, becoming that much more capable of surviving out in the wild. And yes, the typical vendors provide quests, whether it’s gathering items or slaying items, which encourages exploring the five maps. All of this, however, is in service of your one purpose – escaping Duckov.
Because for all intents and purposes, this is a single-player title with a fixed ending and even if you reach it, there’s over 50 hours of content to experience.
None of this would matter if the game wasn’t fun or the mechanics solid, and thankfully, Escape From Duckov has you covered there as well. There are over 50 weapons, from the realistic – like the AK-47 and an M14 – to the imaginative such as the Cube Gun and Billy Gun which, despite its name, is actually good for electrocuting enemies. If you fancy melee weapons, there’s an eclectic selection, from butcher knives and the Karambit to a Battle Axe.
It’s a case where the more cartoony premise allows for more leeway when it comes to the weapon fantasy, but the shooting is also delightfully on point as well. The top-down perspective may not present the same level of immersion as Tarkov or even ARC Raiders, but weapons still have effective range. Utilizing cover is important for surviving, especially when you’re pushing deeper into locations. The fact that it’s not stingy when doling out ammo also allows for some experimentation, especially with all the different ammo and weapon mod types available.
This is also still a survival experience. A storm is closing in on you, dealing extensive damage if you don’t have any protection. Having to adapt to the weather is key as is managing your hunger, thirst and injuries. There may be ducks running around and gunning each other down but bullet wounds still require treatment, lest you bleed out.
Even with a PvE-only approach, Escape From Duckov can be challenging and like any other notable extraction shooter, it’s easy to lose your hard-earned loot through some bad plays. But the best part is that it’s all within your control. You can decide how challenging the game should be and play at your own pace without worrying about losing it all to other players. While that’s a core element of the genre – the constant danger and risk – Duckov offers enough in a single-player format to mimic the same minus much of the frustration.
It’s not like Team Soda suddenly came out of nowhere with this – two demos launched earlier this year, which also served as kind of pseudo-tests to refine the gameplay and progression, improving the overall experience. Keep in mind that this is a relatively small development team and that Escape From Duckov is about $16 currently (but wouldn’t be that much more expensive without its 12 percent launch discount) while offering a stunning amount of value. Is it going to cater to those who don’t enjoy the extraction shooter loop? Probably not.
But the fact that it’s arrived in such a polished state with no microtransactions and even more updates on the way is great. The fact that it’s a single-player experience when Tarkov players suffered for years without a PvE server is also notable (Battlestate Games would eventually announce one but somehow turned that into one big mess after another on top of everything else). Perhaps even more amazing is that Escape From Duckov features Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create their own weapons, quests, and even full-fledged maps.
It’s probably a sign of the extraction shooter genre as a whole that Duckov could become so successful while there’s still sufficient hype for something like ARC Raiders. Like the genre has been so starved of worthwhile offerings, wallowing in the likes of Tarkov (which is coming to Steam but must be purchased again, even if you own the game already) with little reprieve. Such is the nature of competition – sit on your laurels long enough and eventually, someone will release a worthwhile alternative to steal interest. Maybe not for the longest period – which you could chalk up as being a weakness of Duckov due to its single-player nature – but in a significant way, all the same.
Honestly, even if it’s successful by virtue of the competition or lack thereof in the PvE space, I’m hoping that Team Soda continues to expand on the title, adding new maps, weapons, mechanics, progression systems, and more. This kind of development alongside community interaction and listening to what players want while sticking to a concrete vision has resulted in some truly incredible games over the decades. Here’s hoping that it achieves even a fraction of that success, quacking all the way to the bank in the process. If Tarkov could inspire something like this, then I can’t wait to see what Escape From Duckov inspires in the indie space.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.