By now, everyone’s seen those creepy robots that Boston Dynamics is making—the ones that walk around on either two or four legs, and always seem to be just on the brink of bolting off into the woods to start hunting humans. Well, XERA: Survival has that vibe all over it, and it’s available to play now via Steam’s Early Access program.
It’s billing itself as a PvPvE looter-shooter, and to my eyes the setup is perhaps closest to that of Escape from Tarkov. You head into a ‘raid’ with 40 other players, scavenge for weapons and gear, and then bring that back and hoard it so you can head out and do it again. Meanwhile, you’re trying not to get shot by other players or torn into little bits by a merciless gang of spindly robots. You've got access to drones you can use for scouting, as well as several ATV-type vehicles to get places quickly.
Developer Spotted Kiwi Interactive is also emphasizing that your gear stash is global, meaning it’ll follow you from server to server if you decide to try your luck in other regions.
The trailer above looks appropriately intense: there’s tons of fog, lots of tall trees, and a kind of oppressive X-Files kind of vibe going on. I’d point out that it’s generally not a good idea to parachute into the middle of a pine forest, but fortunately this is a video game. Unfortunately, getting hung up in the trees appears to be the least of your worries.
Spotted Kiwi plans on a one- to two-year early access period for XERA, during which time they plan on continuously adding content and features. So far, Steam users seem to like it: it’s got itself a ‘Mostly Positive’ review score in the three days it’s been available.
