Summary
- A single-player campaign could add depth to the supposedly counter-terrorism focused gameplay of Rainbow Six: Siege.
- The White Masks, supposed antagonists of Siege, are underutilized, offering potential for a more detailed story in a single-player campaign.
- Siege's gameplay could benefit from a single-player mode experimenting with different goals and objectives, utilizing the unique skills of operators.
Ubisoft has had a lot of success with its various Tom Clancy properties, but one franchise that has done really well is Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The games centered around the titular counter-terrorism task force (the name "Rainbow" being inspired by America's color-tiered DEFCON scale), and its clashes with various terrorist organizations, have been consistently well-received. Most of these games were tactical shooters that emphasized team leadership and strategic problem-solving over charging in guns blazing.
In 2015, Ubisoft decided to try something new with Rainbow Six: Siege. Where previous games favored a single-player story-driven campaign (sometimes with optional co-op or a secondary multiplayer mode), Siege focused exclusively on multiplayer. Players took on the role of various operators with different skills, with an emphasis on tactfully approaching problems.
Siege has some great characters and lore, but there is not much room for those details to come out in repeated matches of specific game modes. As beloved as Siege is, perhaps it is time that Ubisoft looked at doing another single-player campaign, something not seen since 2008's Rainbow Six Vegas 2. Doing so would be the best way to explore the untapped potential of Siege's story, and would be a benefit to the series for several reasons.
6 A Chance To Do Actual Counter-Terrorism
The Core Theme Of Siege Doesn't Actually Appear Much In-Game
The setup of Rainbow Six Siege is supposedly about fighting a mysterious terrorist organization, but very little of that plot actually appears in-game. Despite being a counter-terrorist organization, most of the gameplay involves Rainbow operators fighting against other Rainbow operators. The full game is essentially endless training missions where operators are simulating different scenarios.
A single-player campaign would be an opportunity to move away from simply firing at other Rainbow operators to actually do some real counter-terrorism. It could be refreshing to see some attackers and defenders working together for once, since they're supposedly on the same side.
5 Giving The Bad Guys Their Due
The Supposed Antagonists Of Siege Are Severely Underused
The supposed antagonists of Rainbow Six: Siege are the "White Masks," an enigmatic terrorist organization, but they don't really appear much in the game. Players spend more time fighting each other than they do actual terrorists. This used to be somewhat mitigated in the Terrorist Hunt mode, which actually had the players fighting against them, but then it got removed to the annoyance of many.
Even then, the White Masks didn't have a lot going for them other than "generic bad guys who want to cause destruction for no reason." Who are they? What do they want? Why are their members so fanatical they're willing to turn to suicide bombing? This feels like something that could be explored in a lot more detail, and a single-player game could offer just the opportunity to do so. The mystery of just what these terrorists are up to would make a great driving force for a story.
Another detail worth noting is Siege's Terrorist Hunt mode offered different types of enemies, which could be further developed in a single-player campaign. The big one that easily threw off players was the suicide bomber, identified by his ominous breathing. That alone would be a good one to have appear from time to time in a solo campaign. Having different types of enemies, combined with the surveillance equipment already available to players, would also impact the tactics used against them.
4 Gameplay Variation
Siege Has Some Good Options, But It Is Hindered By Formulaic Game Modes
Arguably, one of the biggest issues Siege has is that its gameplay can occasionally stagnate. While it has several possible objectives, sessions in-game often turn into deathmatches where one side wipes out the other and then wins by default. The bomb or hostage becomes irrelevant. A single-player game could experiment with different objectives and ensure they are actually fulfilled, like making sure the player actually gets the hostage out instead of just killing the enemy team.
It could also experiment with different parameters, such as requiring players to rely on stealth and ambush tactics to avoid setting off an alarm, or avoiding direct engagement altogether. One of the big things about Siege's roster is that each operator has a unique skillset, including a distinct "gadget." This is something a single-player campaign could take full advantage of, as it would affect the experience of playing as different characters.
3 Setting Variety
New Maps And An Opportunity To Try New Environments
Rainbow Six: Siege has no shortage of maps. Most of them center around a building, with one side tasked with attacking from the outside while the other defends from the inside. Earlier Rainbow Six games often made use of similar environments. That said, they all make use of the same basic elements: Tight spaces and asymmetrical layouts. It makes sense, but can be a bit repetitive.
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A single-player campaign could offer a wider range of locations, which also means more variety in the environments. There would have to be CQB of course, but mixing it up with larger rooms or outdoor settings would force players to keep adapting and trying new strategies. On the flip side, it could be interesting to experiment with some even tighter spaces, like a submarine, that could add an extra layer of challenge.
2 Character Development
A Great Roster Of Characters With Interesting Stories That Should Be Explored More
Rainbow Six Siege has a large roster of playable operators, each of whom has a detailed backstory and characterization, but most of that is limited to a description given in their profile. Sometimes, Ubisoft makes cinematics that explore the characters in more depth, but very little is actually in the game, if anything. The fast-paced multiplayer format doesn't leave a lot of room for individual characters' personalities to shine through.
A single-player campaign, on the other hand, could take its time exploring the relationships between different operators. Their profiles describe friendships and rivalries, but very little of it actually appears in the game itself. A single-player campaign could, for instance, go into a lot more detail about the difficult relationship between sisters Ela and Zofia. This would offer a much more personal experience compared to Siege.
There was a big development where several playable characters actually left Rainbow for the mercenary company Nighthaven, but that isn't at all obvious when booting up a typical session of Siege where they're still working with Rainbow. This kind of thing would be a great source of tension for a single-player campaign, maybe even an opportunity to dive into some moral ambiguity and question Rainbow's effectiveness as a counter-terrorist organization. It's just the sort of thing that could produce a really good campaign that could stand out from Siege's predecessors.
1 What A Single-Player Game Could Look Like
How To Make Use Of Siege's Lore For A Great Campaign
The obvious rebuttal against a single player campaign would be to point out just how many operators are currently available. There are so many, it would be impossible to give all of them a major role in a single story. Ubisoft would have to pick which ones should be the main focus, and there are a few ways this could be done. The simplest would be to pick out a team of five or six, with others appearing in cameos. This would allow a simpler, more intimate story that can focus on character interaction. Having one protagonist could work, but an approach like this could lend itself to multiple playable characters, either all making up a single squad, or spread out in several groups.
Perhaps a Borderlands-style format where the player can choose from a set of playable characters with options for co-op would be effective. Alternatively, it could experiment with having the player switch between different operators over the course of the story, allowing different perspectives and more gameplay variety. Either way, it would be taking advantage of each operator's distinct skills and equipment.
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That said, if Ubisoft wanted to go bigger, another option might be to have the game alternate between multiple squads across different locations. This would have the benefit of allowing more of the game's roster to appear, and add room to experiment with different characters' skillsets. It would also allow more variety in settings and environments.
Yet another option is to play up the tactical aspect by letting the player pick their team. If the player character is team leader (as was often the case in previous single-player R6 games), that could extend to evaluating each mission and deciding which operators are best suited for it.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
- Released
- December 1, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Platform(s)
- PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Amazon Luna, Stadia, PC
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
