Anyone who has recently been active in gaming forums and communities or has spent a lot of time on Twitter may have stumbled upon the term EFT-Likes. A term that is gaining more traction and actually refers to a new genre in the gaming world. But what are EFT-Like games actually and what does Escape from Tarkov have to do with it?
How does a genre term develop? In the gaming industry, there are genres that owe their name to a major pioneer.
These are often games or game series that stood out with an innovative or unique approach and encouraged other development studios to orient themselves towards the principle of the respective pioneer, to adapt the idea, and to create their own game that goes in the same direction.
Consequently, more and more games emerge following this established credo, and the industry creates a new term to summarize all these titles. Well-known examples for the development of such terms are the commonly used video game genres Soulslike or the famous Roguelikes (or Roguelites).
The new gaming genre EFT-Likes
Where does the term EFT-Like come from? The abbreviation “EFT” stands for Escape from Tarkov – a popular hardcore shooter by Battlestate Games.
The term EFT-Like emerged in recent months in social networks. Gaming insider Tom Henderson frequently used it on Twitter in recent months when reporting on leaks to describe games with the gameplay of Escape from Tarkov.
But I’m already bored when I say “it will have an Escape From Tarkov-Like mode”. EFT-Like modes seem to be the new Battle Royale. Let me rephrase the “EFT-Like” comments before the EFT players get upset. It seems many developers are prioritizing the EFT formula over Battle Royale. Basically, it’s an extraction-based mode. EFT is the simplest mode to compare it to.”
EFT-Likes are thus shooters that use the principles of Escape from Tarkov. They are games you should play if you like Escape from Tarkov.
Typical for EFT-Likes is also the combination of various mechanics from already known genres that have been combined into a new gameplay after the model of Escape from Tarkov.
An example of a game that seems to have been inspired by EFT: the German The Cycle: Frontier:
The features of Escape from Tarkov
What characterizes Escape from Tarkov: Escape from Tarkov has various features that have made the title so popular among fans. In addition to the realism of the hardcore shooter, the gameplay stands out as a key aspect of the game and as a hallmark.
The gameplay serves as the unique selling point of the shooter and partially as a model for existing and upcoming EFT-Likes.
However, just like with Roguelikes, there is also a kind of list of features and criteria that a game must meet in order to belong to the genre for EFT-Likes.
EFT-Like: Loot extraction mixed with PvEvP
What must a game include to qualify as an EFT-Like? Games inspired by Escape from Tarkov possess several gameplay mechanics that are significant in every round played.
MeinMMO shows you 5 crucial aspects that define the genre EFT-Like established by Escape from Tarkov:
- PvEvP-Shooter: You are on a map and play simultaneously against NPCs and other players.
- Loot: Collecting weapons and equipment is one of the primary goals. You want to find or craft better weapons, medicine, resources, and much more.
- Raid-Matchmaking: You do not play short deathmatch rounds or other known modes of different shooters. The match you start is a raid. Similar to MMORPGs, you pursue the goal in the raids to end a match with better loot and goods than you had in your inventory or stash before the raid.
- Extraction: The retrieval of loot or mission items is the crucial factor that determines whether your raid was successful or not. You must reach a starting point, a rescue ship, or something similar, with which you can free your loot and yourself from the danger zone and end the raid.
- Missions: To improve your equipment and increase your balance or level, there are missions you can complete. These may require eliminating NPCs or other players and must be completed by the players themselves during an ongoing raid.
EFT-Like games include a large part of these core mechanics, without belonging to a related genre such as “Battle Royale” or looter shooters, survival games, or MMORPGs.
A looter shooter, for example, does not have permanent death or loss of equipment, survival games do not have extraction or EFT raid mechanics, and unlike in a Battle Royale, the person or team who survives last does not win.
If you have not been playing Escape from Tarkov for long and are overwhelmed by the many different mechanics, we at MeinMMO have 13 tips for you that will make getting started in the hardcore shooter easier.
Other genre designations: Extraction-Shooter and EFT-Lite
What designations are there for the genre still? Another term that has recently been circulating for the genre is Extraction-Shooter. This name is based on the mechanic that you must always extract the loot gathered in a raid and the character you control at the end of a round from the danger zone.
Since Escape from Tarkov, in addition to the extraction mechanic, is largely based on hardcore gameplay, a classification of the individual levels of difficulty of the respective games may also be made in the future.
An example of a classification that could be made within the genre would be EFT-Lite. This would refer to games that implement the gameplay principle of Escape from Tarkov without hardcore elements or at least with lighter gameplay. EFT-Likes would then be games that combine extraction and loot mechanics with hardcore gameplay and focus on realism and high difficulty.
The creators of Escape from Tarkov are already planning a new stand-alone game:
Games that come directly from Battlestate Games and follow in the footsteps of Escape from Tarkov could be named EFT-Borne. This designation would then derive from the definition of Soulsborne games that describe Soulslike games from FromSoftware as Soulsborne.
Do you find EFT-Likes interesting and what do you think about the concept of Escape from Tarkov? Can this principle captivate you before the screen?
Feel free to check out our list of the 15 best multiplayer shooters of 2022 if you want to discover more exciting shooters.
