The world of military simulations continues to confound and disappoint me. It's not that the games are bad – Escape From Tarkov, Gray Zone Warfare, and Arma all have their unique qualities – but I never feel as much like a Tier-One operator as I might like. Spawn. Die. Spawn. Die. Spawn. Die. Before I can get to grips with the world and the mechanics, I've lost patience and tapped out. Available to play for free this weekend, Exfil is a tactical FPS game with a difference. If you want the aesthetic of EFT but the faster, funner pace of Counter-Strike 2, this is for you.
Developed by Misultin, FPS game partly in the vein of Hunt Showdown, your main choice is between outright offense or a carefully staged ambush. Do you go straight for the objectives, or do you let others do the legwork and then shoot them down once they get near the exit?
Until now, this has been the main playable mode in Exfil, but a substantial new update adds something fresh. Available to sample as part of the new playtest, 'Rogue' is like the military simulation equivalent of football.
A random team begins with the intel and must get from one side of the map to the other. Every other team needs to intercept them and destroy their cargo. Again, it presents a compelling tactical conflict. Do you stay together and try to punch straight through, or carve up into smaller groups and sacrifice half the team to run interference while the others quietly crawl to the extraction point?
As well as the new game mode, the latest Exfil update reworks projectile physics for added realism. Helmets and armor will now offset damage, increasing your survivability, and there's a new pre-game preparation and mission overview screen. If you want to try it for yourself, the new Exfil playtest begins Friday July 12 at 9pm PST / Saturday July 13 at 12am EST / 5am BST / 6am CEST. You can sign up right here.
Otherwise, take a look at some of the other best multiplayer games available right now.
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