Active Matter takes the increasingly familiar extraction-shooter formula and gives it a suitably strange science-fiction twist. Published by Gaijin Network and developed by Matter Team, the game puts players in the role of an operative trapped in a temporal loop, repeatedly returning to the same point after death. The objective is to venture into unstable zones, collect valuable resources and equipment, and escape before the surrounding reality collapses. That premise immediately gives the familiar risk-and-reward structure a stronger identity, particularly because the titular active matter is not merely a piece of lore but something that actively changes how the world works. The result is an extraction shooter that can feel recognisable one moment and decidedly alien the next.
The story is deliberately more environmental than exposition-heavy, with abandoned Soviet-era research facilities, scattered documents and other remnants of the experiments that caused the catastrophe gradually filling in the background. The Dali Island setting is particularly effective, combining decaying industrial locations with laboratories and areas where reality itself appears to have broken down. There is a strong post-apocalyptic atmosphere here, with echoes of games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but Active Matter develops enough of its own visual language to avoid feeling like a straightforward imitation. The time-loop premise also fits nicely with the progression structure, particularly through the Monolith and its relationship with permanent improvements and resets. The narrative is not especially elaborate, but the way the fiction and mechanics reinforce each other gives the setting considerably more purpose than a simple excuse to send players into another loot-filled battlefield.
At its core, however, Active Matter remains an extraction shooter, and the familiar cycle of preparing equipment, entering a raid, gathering resources, completing objectives and attempting to escape is very much intact. What makes that loop work is the constant pressure placed on every decision. Maps gradually become more dangerous as zones close in, while completing contracts can provide access to earlier extraction opportunities. Failing to do so can leave players facing the final extraction alongside everyone else still desperate to get out alive. The limited inventory and weight system add another layer to the risk-reward equation, turning every piece of valuable loot into a potential problem. Once the backpack is full, deciding what to discard can become almost as stressful as deciding whether to engage an enemy. Successfully extracting then feeds directly into the next raid through equipment, crafting, base improvements and blueprints, creating a progression system that feels more meaningful than simply accumulating experience points.
Combat is similarly deliberate. Weapons have noticeable recoil, ammunition has to be managed manually and movement, stamina and positioning all matter, making reckless attacks particularly dangerous. The PvE option is useful for players who want to learn the maps and systems without constantly worrying about human opponents, although the aggressive AI means it is hardly a relaxed training mode. The PvPvE option adds the uncertainty that extraction shooters depend on, as a previously quiet section of the map can suddenly become dangerous because another player has arrived. Audio becomes particularly important here, with distant gunfire and footsteps providing information that can determine whether to investigate, avoid an area or prepare an ambush. That unpredictability is one of the strongest aspects of the game, although the solo experience can feel considerably more demanding when players have to contend with hostile AI, environmental anomalies and organised groups at the same time.
The active matter itself provides the game’s most interesting gameplay ideas. Certain areas can alter gravity, distort space or otherwise interfere with the expected rules of a first-person shooter. Walls can become viable walking surfaces, while other anomalies can affect movement, projectile behaviour or the player’s perception of the environment. This gives the level design a welcome sense of verticality and forces players to reconsider the usual assumptions about where an enemy might be positioned. A firefight can therefore take place across surfaces that would normally make no sense as combat positions, and simply keeping an eye on the traditional forward-facing view is not always enough. These mechanics can be confusing initially, but once understood they give Active Matter a genuine gameplay identity rather than merely decorating a conventional extraction shooter with science-fiction imagery.
That complexity is also where some of Active Matter’s biggest problems originate. The game throws a considerable number of systems, mechanics and pieces of information at new players, while the interface and menus can feel unnecessarily busy. The onboarding does not always do enough to explain how everything fits together, which is particularly problematic in a genre that already comes with plenty of unfamiliar terminology and systems. Controller-based inventory and menu management can also feel cumbersome, while some of the heavier movement mechanics make the character less responsive than a more conventional shooter. That deliberate weight helps support the tactical approach, but it can make combat feel sluggish when quick changes of direction are needed. These issues do not undermine the underlying systems, but they make the first several hours harder to appreciate than they need to be.
Visually, Active Matter has considerably more going for it than its technical rough edges might suggest. The environments have a convincing sense of decay, while the areas affected by active matter provide some of the game’s most memorable imagery. The contrast between familiar military technology and locations where gravity, perspective and architecture no longer behave normally gives the game a strong visual identity. At the same time, we saw technical inconsistencies, including texture pop-in, clipping, image-quality issues and occasional performance irregularities in more demanding situations. These problems can be especially noticeable when they occur in otherwise atmospheric environments, as sudden visual loading or distracting image treatment can break the sense of immersion that the art direction works hard to establish.
The audio design fares particularly well and plays an important functional role in addition to creating atmosphere. Ambient sounds, creature noises, footsteps, gunfire and the effects associated with anomalies help make the world feel dangerous even when nothing is immediately visible. Positional audio can also provide useful information during PvPvE encounters, making sound an important part of deciding whether to push forward or stay out of trouble. The soundtrack, created by Akira Yamaoka, is used relatively sparingly, leaving plenty of space for environmental sounds and unsettling effects to build tension. It is a good example of how Active Matter’s strongest atmospheric qualities are often found in the details surrounding the shooting rather than in the shooting alone.
There is also the question of longevity. The combination of PvE and PvPvE, multiple maps, contracts, blueprints, anomalies and progression systems gives Active Matter plenty to work with, while the PvPvE mode naturally creates situations that are difficult to reproduce because human opponents are unpredictable. Nevertheless, the underlying raid structure remains familiar, and repeated objectives and routes can eventually become recognisable. The PvE mode is particularly susceptible to this once enemy behaviour becomes familiar. Future updates may add more variety, but the current experience has to be judged on what is already there. We have some mild concerns about the game’s monetisation, as the developers’ plans for additional content suggest that Active Matter is intended to evolve beyond its launch foundation. We’re certainly interested in that, but also hope for some more attention to the current rough edges.
Active Matter succeeds less through reinventing the extraction shooter than through finding an unusually effective way to bend its established rules. The time-loop premise complements the progression system, the active matter gives the maps a distinctive identity, and the combination of tactical gunplay with supernatural anomalies creates situations that can genuinely feel different from one raid to the next. Its biggest weaknesses are largely tied to presentation and accessibility: an overloaded interface, an onboarding process that could explain its systems more clearly, weighty movement and some technical imperfections can make the experience harder to settle into than necessary. For players willing to invest the time required to understand its systems, though, there is a very compelling sci-fi extraction shooter underneath the rougher edges, one where the greatest danger is not simply losing a good weapon, but discovering that the world itself has stopped obeying the rules.
Score: 7.6/10