Ah, the sweet smell of competition! When you thought Escape from Tarkov had claimed the crown for extraction shooters, along comes PIONER, a game that’s not just another carbon copy but an intriguing mix of familiar mechanics and fresh ideas. It seems GFA Games is ready to throw their hat into the ring, and boy, does it look promising!
The extraction shooter genre has exploded in recent years, and it’s arguably down to the ongoing success of Escape from Tarkov, from Battlestate Games. This spearhead of a game has popularised the extraction shooter gameplay loop, so much so that many developers have tried to get in on the action in the last two or three years.
One such attempt to mirror Tarkov’s success comes from PIONER, a new post-apocalyptic MMO FPS from GFA Games, a Serbian studio.
PIONER recently went live on Steam, yes folks, you can now add this harrowing FPS title to your wishlist as we prepare for its release slated for 2025. And let me tell you; if you’re a fan of dystopian worlds littered with Soviet-era relics and intense firefights against both AI and other players , then this might be your next obsession.
Here’s how GFA Games describes their brainchild:
PIONER is an open-world MMO first-person shooter set in a haunting alternative-reality world where Soviet-era structures lie abandoned on a desolate post-apocalyptic island. In this immersive environment, the gameplay experience is defined by dynamic PvE and PvP elements where realism takes priority over traditional health bars or character levels.
With a sprawling map of 50+ square kilometers, not counting hidden dungeons, players can explore a world rich with mystery and danger while encountering story quests and faction missions that influence relationships and loyalty rewards.
You ever wonder why certain mechanics always feel familiar? Well here’s why: Wrapped up within PIONER is ‘Shadowlands’, an extraction shooter mode that boasts all those core mechanics we’ve come to love. Looting? Check. Fighting? Double check. Successfully extracting without getting blasted into oblivion? That’s what separates pros from noobs!
GFA Games isn’t just throwing together some half-baked ideas here. They’ve promised sci-fi-influenced lore (because who doesn’t love some good old spacey backstory?), a ‘rich’ campaign (which better deliver), diverse activities including casino games and fishing, plus extensive survival mechanics that’ll make even players sweat bullets.
