Hawked is a great extraction shooter, and it’s out on PS5 today | Hands-on preview

It’s hard to stand out in the world of multiplayer shooting games, especially if you’re looking to steal the attention away from Fortnite and company. One of the most interesting recent trends in multiplayer gun games is the extraction shooter, which builds a whole lot of tension by tasking you with escaping from a whole load of other teams after completing an objective and usually features some AI nasties for good measure. Hawked is hoping its take on this exciting genre will capture the hearts of many when it launches on PS5 soon, and I was more than happy to give it a go in a closed beta recently.

Set in a colourful sci-fi universe, your character in Hawked is a member of a group known as GRAIL. This ragtag bunch has only one goal in life, to find and obtain the most valuable treasure by any means necessary. Doing this is no easy task though, because there are hundreds of other treasure hunters who are more than happy to gun you down and take the loot for themselves.

Each match of Hawked follows the same basic loop. You start by aiming to collect three special relics from around the map, then you use them to unlock a big vault that contains all the most valuable treasure. The last (but arguably most important step) is to escape with this treasure before any of the other teams can steal it from you. You can technically escape earlier with any less valuable loot you find, but honestly where’s the fun in that.

What’s particularly cool about all this stuff you do in Hawked though is that it’s all wrapped up in this awesome Indiana Jones style packaging. Acquiring the relics is done by solving a little puzzle that keeps it encased, and there are things like arrow traps and pressure plates that set off jets of flame from the ground. It all really helps bring the game to life, and ensures that in a packed landscape of multiplayer shooters that Hawked feels unique.

Once you’ve successfully looted a few bits and bobs you can start unlocking new upgrades to your character and level up the expected battle pass to unlock all sorts of colourful cosmetics. I can’t pretend I got to check out how all of this works after playing five matches, but I did unlock a handy equippable that gave me some extra shield.

There are plenty of positive aspects to Hawked that are worth talking about and were noticeable even after only playing the game for an hour or so. The movement feels perfect, thanks to an awesome grappling hook you always have equipped and lots of zip wires connecting various parts of the environment. The array of weapons available is great too, with all the classic guns, some more advanced alien weapons and plenty of explosives you can chuck around with glee.

There was only one aspect of Hawked which I found a little disappointing, and even that was more of a personal preference issue. I’m someone who really appreciates a longer “time to kill” in my shooting games, and in Hawked your health gets depleted very quickly if you’re against someone with even passable aim. I’m used to having a decent change of retreating or making a comeback when taken by surprise in Fortnite, so for me getting taken down extremely quickly was a bit jarring.

From what I played of Hawked I’m hopeful that it will find a happy home on the PlayStation, with a healthy audience of trigger happy treasure hunters. The puzzle solving elements and adventure movie packaging is absolutely perfect for an extraction shooter, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with it when it launches.

Hawked is out today on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.