Marauders

Marauders is a hardcore first-person extraction shooter set in an alternate-history, dieselpunk 1990s, decades after a devastating Great War rendered Earth uninhabitable and forced humanity into space. Players take on the role of elite space pirates, scavenging and raiding the installations and capital ships of the three warring empires that now dominate the galaxy. The core gameplay loop involves completing contracts, looting for better gear, and engaging in intense PvPvE combat to survive in this unforgiving, post-apocalyptic setting.

Marauders: A Gritty Descent into Dieselpunk Desperation

Introduction

In the vast, unforgiving void of space, where the echoes of a war that never ended still reverberate, a new breed of mercenary emerges from the shadows. Marauders, developed by Small Impact Games and published by Team17, is not merely another entry in the crowded extraction shooter genre; it is a bold, atmospheric, and deeply immersive experiment that transplants the tense, loot-driven gameplay of titles like Escape from Tarkov into a uniquely dystopian, dieselpunk vision of the 1990s. This is a world where humanity, having industrialized Earth to ruin, now fights over the scraps amidst the stars. As a professional historian of interactive entertainment, I find Marauders to be a fascinating case study—a game with a phenomenal core concept and a striking aesthetic, yet one grappling with the immense challenges of its genre and the limitations of its development scope. Its thesis is one of desperate survival in a beautifully realized, alternate-history cosmos, but its execution, while often thrilling, reveals the inherent difficulties of marrying hardcore mechanics with accessible design.

Development History & Context

Marauders is the product of Small Impact Games, a UK-based studio whose previous title, The Black Death, was a commercially unsuccessful but persistently supported medieval survival game. This history is crucial to understanding their approach to Marauders; it demonstrates a developer with resilience and a commitment to their projects post-launch, even in the face of adversity. Securing backing through a Fig crowdfunding campaign and later signing with publisher Team17 provided the necessary resources to embark on this ambitious project.

The game entered Steam Early Access on October 3, 2022, arriving late to a genre already dominated by behemoths like Escape from Tarkov and soon to be challenged by AAA offerings like Call of Duty’s DMZ. The technological landscape of the early 2020s allowed Small Impact Games to build Marauders in Unreal Engine 4, facilitating its detailed, gritty visual style. However, the team’s size meant scope was inherently limited. As revealed by level designer Alfie Bawden, who joined in June 2021, the development focused intensely on crafting a solid core loop and distinct raid locations, with 7 of the 9 launch maps being his responsibility.

The vision was clear: to create a more accessible, faster-paced “Tarkov-lite” experience set in a fresh universe. The constraints were equally clear: a small team, a limited budget, and a genre known for its brutal learning curves and dedicated, but demanding, player base.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

Marauders presents a masterclass in environmental and thematic storytelling, even if its explicit narrative is deliberately minimalist. The premise is established through a grim, introductory narration:

“For seventy years we’ve lived in the shadows of The Great War… They thought we would just roll over and die, but we survived. We owe no loyalty to any king or country. what we do now, we do for ourselves. We come from the darkness, we hit hard, we hit fast, we are Marauders!”

The game is set in an alternate 1992, seventy years after a prolonged and catastrophic World War I that never concluded, rendering Earth uninhabitable. Humanity now exists as a spacefaring species, dominated by three perpetually warring empires: the Central Empire (a Germanic/Eastern European bloc), the Kingdom Alliance (British Commonwealth remnants), and the United Allies (an American-French coalition). The player is an unaffiliated Marauder, a space pirate surviving on the fringes by raiding the assets of these superpowers.

The narrative is not delivered through cutscenes but through the world itself. The Scavenger World and Dieselpunk aesthetics are the primary storytellers. The lore is embedded in:
* Environmental Decay: Every map is an Abandoned Area—a derelict Navy Outpost, an overrun Penal Colony, a crippled Colony Ship. Each tells a story of conflict and neglect. The U.A. Colony Ship, with its bays of cryo-tubes and overcrowded morgues, paints a horrifying picture of a failed sleeper mission.
* Faction Identity: The three major powers are differentiated through their equipment, cosmetics, and the AI troops that patrol their respective domains (U.A. Marines, S.A.S. operatives, Empire Commandos). Working for their vendors as a Privateer slowly unveils their individual struggles and internal logistics problems, adding depth to the Forever War backdrop.
* Thematic Resonance: Core themes of desperation, resource scarcity, and the futility of war permeate every raid. You are literally Robbing the Dead, fighting over the “scraps from their table.” The Earth-That-Was looms as a ghost in the background, a constant reminder of what was lost. This isn’t heroic science fiction; it’s a gritty, pessimistic tale of survival at any cost.

While the overarching plot is thin, the world-building is exceptionally rich. The narrative exists to contextualize the gameplay, making every bullet, every lockpick, and every extracted piece of loot feel like a small victory against a crushing, dystopian reality.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

Marauders operates on a dual-loop structure: tense first-person shooter combat on foot and strategic, third-person spaceship piloting and dogfighting.

The Core Loop: A raid begins with players (solo or in squads of up to four) launching their ship into an asteroid field surrounding a primary point of interest (e.g., a space station, a prison colony). The immediate goal is to navigate the field, potentially engage in Space Battle with other players or AI-controlled turrets, and dock at the main station or breach a secondary vessel (like a Merchant Ship or Damaged Capital Ship) using Escape Pods. Once inside, the Timed Mission begins: players have approximately 30 minutes of oxygen to loot, complete contracts, and eliminate targets before escaping through an Escape Gate.

On-Foot Combat & Progression: The FPS mechanics are robust and tactical, employing “realistic bullet simulation.” Gunplay feels weighty and lethal. The arsenal is a Selective Historical Armoury spanning from WWI-era pistols to Cold War-era rifles like the wooden-stock M16A1, all re-chambered for simplified ammo types. The Grid Inventory management is familiar to genre veterans, with looted gear persisting between matches. Progression is driven by:
* Contracts: Missions from factions and the central “Zero to Hero” questline provide direction, though many suffer from being Luck-Based Missions due to random map rotation, often forcing players to reset raids repeatedly.
* Crafting: Scavenged materials are used to craft weapons, armor, attachments, and ship parts.
* Prestige System: Upon reaching level 50, players can Reset Milestones, wiping their inventory and level for Prestige Points to purchase permanent hideout upgrades like expanded stash space—a system designed for long-term engagement.

Space Combat & Ships: The spaceship component adds a unique layer. Players can pilot their craft (from the starter Rustbucket to more powerful Frigates), man turrets, and launch breaching pods to board enemy vessels. The 2-D Space movement is simplified but effective, and equipping ship weapons like a tactical Nuke ‘Em warhead adds a high-risk, high-reward strategic element.

Flaws & Innovations: The game’s biggest innovation is seamlessly integrating spaceflight and boarding into the extraction loop. However, significant flaws exist. The aforementioned map RNG for quests can lead to frustrating gameplay and empty raids, as players constantly reset, making money-making excessively easy and undermining the economy. Early imbalances, bugs, and a steep initial learning curve (mitigated somewhat by the ability to scavenge gear from AI within raids) were noted at launch. Yet, the core loop of breaching, looting, and escaping is incredibly addictive and often delivers moments of unparalleled tension and excitement.

World-Building, Art & Sound

This is where Marauders truly excels and carves out its unique identity. The Dieselpunk aesthetic is consistently brilliant and utterly distinctive. This isn’t the clean, sleek futurism of Star Trek or the grimy, neon-soaked cyberpunk of Blade Runner. It’s a world of riveted steel, bulky machinery, analogue gauges, and clunky CRT monitors. Technology feels heavy, industrial, and grounded in a mid-20th-century sensibility, creating a pervasive sense of Schizo Tech.

The art direction masterfully sells the setting. Every environment—from the claustrophobic corridors of the asteroid mine to the vast hangars of the capital ship—is dripping with atmosphere. The ubiquitous Gas Mask Mooks, including the player character, reinforce the theme of a humanity perpetually suited for hostile environments. The sound design complements this perfectly: the metallic clang of boots on grates, the muffled reports of guns in the vacuum of space (Space Is Noisy in a stylized, acceptable way), and the oppressive silence of derelict hallways build incredible tension.

The visual and auditory presentation is not just a backdrop; it is the heart of the experience. It transforms the gameplay from a series of mechanics into a believable descent into a desperate, lived-in universe where every item has value and every shadow could hide a threat.

Reception & Legacy

Upon its Early Access launch, Marauders received a mixed-to-positive reception. It currently holds a “Mixed” rating on Steam (70/100 from over 20,000 reviews), with praise heaped on its atmosphere, unique setting, and compelling core loop, while criticism focused on technical issues, content repetition, and the frustrating quest design.

Critics and players alike acknowledged its potential as a more accessible alternative to Escape from Tarkov. Reviews noted it was “a fantastic and yet underwhelming game” — brilliant in concept but needing significant polish and content. The community, while dedicated, has remained relatively small, raising concerns about long-term viability against genre titans.

Its legacy, as of now, is still being written. The developers have maintained a steady flow of updates based on a detailed roadmap that promised new maps (Fleet Battle, Colony Cruiser), enemies (Red Baron boss, Navy Troopers), weapons (nail guns, classic rifles), and major features like guilds and ship customization. Its influence is subtle but notable; it proved that the extraction formula could work in a compelling sci-fi setting and that space piracy could be a potent thematic vehicle for the genre’s loot-driven tension. Whether it becomes a foundational title like Tarkov or a beloved cult classic remains to be seen, but it has undoubtedly left its mark.

Conclusion

Marauders is a game of profound contrasts. It is both incredibly innovative and frustratingly flawed; exceptionally atmospheric yet sometimes lacking in content; intensely addictive yet hampered by systems that can undermine its own economy. It is a testament to the ambition of small-scale development and a cautionary tale about entering a competitive genre.

For historians and enthusiasts, it stands as a brilliant example of world-building and aesthetic cohesion. The dieselpunk vision of a perpetual WWI in space is executed with remarkable consistency and style. As a gameplay experience, it offers some of the most heart-pounding moments the extraction genre can provide, particularly when a planned boarding action or a frantic firefight in a dark corridor comes together.

The final verdict is that Marauders is a good, often great, game with the soul of something legendary. It is highly recommended for players seeking a unique thematic twist on the extraction formula and those who appreciate deeply immersive, gritty atmospheres. However, for those seeking a polished, content-rich, and stable competitor to the genre kings, it remains a promising work-in-progress. Its place in history will ultimately be determined by the developers’ ability to execute their ambitious roadmap and grow the community. For now, it remains a flawed gem shining brightly in the dark, diesel-soaked void of space.