Spillover mode in Rainbow Six: Extraction
Following a new Ubisoft event, we were invited to return to the Containment Zone of the remarkable Rainbow Six Extraction for the sake of a new mode, which is already available for free and will continue to be for a limited time.
This is the Spillover mode, which is an attempt by Ubisoft to incorporate a sort of horde mode into the game. A decision that's not bad as an idea, but it goes against the basic rules of its gameplay, which are based on careful movement planning and a stealth approach.
Specifically, the implementation of the mode includes the placement of canisters at predetermined points on the map and then defend them for a finite amount of time from the hordes of Archeans that will flood the screen. Of course, it goes without saying that it is essential that there is good coordination between players to share targets, set traps and seal entrances where possible in order to have any hope of survival against them.
However, the Archeans mainly emphasize the destruction of the canisters, which is not difficult to accomplish, but at least it gives us a time advantage until they decide to deal with us. In the event that the canister is destroyed and we're still alive, then we can return to the Extraction Point and get a new one, continuing the countdown from where it left off.
In addition to the canisters, the Extraction Point has some medikits, ammo and abilities to replenish, which are common to the whole team, which can lead to some misunderstandings if there is not proper communication. Nevertheless, the main goal remains to "clear" the Archeans in nine incursions, which are in turn divided into three or even four phases. If we complete an incursion, we have the option to go back and collect our allotted XP, or take our chances and continue on to the next one. Just like in the regular game that is.
We can say that in this case, the risk is quite high, as the difficulty level of each Archean raid is very high. Although we can choose the order in which we place the canisters (narrow spaces are highly recommended, especially in advanced stages) and the type of enemies that will welcome us (Elite, Spored or Cloaked), their abundance and the ferocity of their attacks are in any case remarkable.
In order to increase our chances somewhat, Ubisoft included both a new operator in the game, Zofia, which among other things has impact grenades and can revive herself, as well as a brand new gadget, which is (what else?) a turret. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this mode, several operators, especially stealth based ones, become redundant, which is undoubtedly charged to the negatives of this mode.
In general, our impressions of Spillover were positive, but it wasn't anything spectacular or essential that was missing from the game. But if you've got Rainbow Six: Extraction, it's worth trying out the Spillover mode, even if only for a little while, to get all the "goodies" that dealing with it will offer.