Like any other Eastern European over the age of thirty, I grew up hearing all manner of wild stories about the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, some more believable than others. From nightmarish descriptions of the effects of radiation poisoning on the human body to urban legends and crude jokes about monsters and mutated wildlife in The Zone, Chernobyl routinely popped up in conversations. Both as a cautionary tale about the potential dangers of nuclear power and as an overly-embellished post-apocalyptic hellscape haunted by all manner of paranormal entities.
My fascination with Chernobyl gradually faded as I got older, but five years ago something happened that reignited my interest: I finally tried theS.T.A.L.K.E.R.series. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I had stumbled across something truly special.S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s fictionalized version of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone felt dangerous and oppressive, yet also inexplicably captivating at the same time. Once I sunk my teeth into those games, it was all I could think about for the next few weeks as I became completely absorbed by the strangeness and beauty of The Zone. Lately, those feelings have returned as I started playingS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyland got sucked into an even more immersive version of The Zone.
Welcome (Back) to The Zone
Much like its sequels,Stalker 2is an uncompromisingly difficult game that handsomely rewards patient players and brutally punishes the opposite. Once you step into The Zone, you effectively become part of it and must learn its rules through good old-fashioned trial and error in order to survive. Whereas most other titles hold your hand through the opening hours and explain all the intricacies of the gameplay in excruciating detail,Stalker 2chucks you into The Zone and lets you figure things out by yourself. There’s some obligatory basic tutorial information right at the start, but once that’s out of the way, you’re essentially on your own for the rest of the game.
Developer GSC Game World describesStalker 2as an “anti-power fantasy,” an apt description indeed. You play as Skif, a run-of-the-mill Stalker who gets lured back into The Zone after spending some time on the outside. We don’t know much about Skif and it wouldn’t make any difference even if we did. Even though this is a story-driven game where choices have far-reaching consequences, you’re not really the main character. Skif is merely a vessel you control while you explore the real protagonist ofStalker 2, The Zone.
Stalker 2 is nothing short of a miracle. Developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World over the course of seven years amidst a pandemic and a war – among many other challenges – Stalker 2 is a labor of love and the best type of sequel one could hope for.
The Zone is a massive handcrafted open world with zero loading screens. The map is split into several smaller sections you may explore at your leisure as you complete missions and progress the story. You can hire a guide to quickly hop between major settlements found in each region, but there’s no other form of fast travel outside of that. Personally, I rarely found myself wanting to use guides since traveling on foot in this game is always rewarding. Besides, guides are expensive and money is hard to come by inStalker 2, but more on that later.
One of the things I always loved about this series is that it lets you explore The Zone at your own pace. In fact, itwantsyou to do that. There’s no invisible hand or nagging NPCs constantly rushing you toward your next objective because “the end of the world is coming and you’re the only one who can stop it”. Skif is an important part ofStalker 2’s story, but things in The Zone don’t revolve around him. Whether you’re pursuing a main objective or spending countless hours roaming around aimlessly and looting abandoned buildings, life in The Zone goes on as usual.
A Place Like No Other
While some players might findStalker 2’s approach to worldbuilding and storytelling unusual, for me the game is a breath of fresh air. I’m tired of video games telling me I’m the most important thing in the world. I’m tired of video games where nothing happens unless I’m present and personally involved. My favorite kind of virtual worlds are those that feel alive with or without me in them, and that’s exactly what The Zone is. NPCs and creatures interact with the player and each other realistically, every location and object is hand-placed in a way that makes sense, the weather is unpredictable and often forces you to take shelter, Anomalies are dangerous, resources are always scarce and death is inevitable until you learn the rules of The Zone. To say thatStalker 2is highly immersive would be a massive understatement and one can’t praise the developers enough for creating such a compelling and fascinating world.
Some people have drawn comparisons betweenS.T.A.L.K.E.R.andFallout, but the similarities between the two franchies are only surface-level. There’s really only one series that resemblesS.T.A.L.K.E.R.in terms of overall atmosphere and design, and that’sGothic. Much like Piranha Bytes’ cult classic RPG,Stalker 2deliberately makes you feel powerless and alone in a hostile world where danger is lurking around every corner.Stalker 2, however, takes things even further thanGothic. There’s no leveling system, skill trees or anything of that nature here. The only way you can become more powerful is by finding better equipment and getting better at the game.
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Hard Work Pays Off, Usually
Stalker 2features a wide variety of weapons, armors, Artifacts, consumables and other items that can greatly increase your survivability, but you won’t be able to get your hands on most of them unless you earn them. This even extends to the bonus content that comes with the special editions. Most developers simply throw all your bonus items into a chest and let you grab them the next time you log into the game. Not so here.Stalker 2’s bonus content is hidden in stashes scattered all over the map and you’ll need to unlock a quest that gives you hints on how to find them. If you’re not paying attention, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on some of the stashes. Hats off to the devs for keeping things consistent and not breaking immersion, even if that means possibly upsetting some players in the process.
Regardless of which edition of the game you’re playing, acquiring good equipment inStalker 2takes a lot of work. Vendors typically only sell basic gear and tend to charge an arm and a leg for it. For the most part, you’ll get your gear and essentials by looting and scavenging. Fortunately for you, The Zone provides plenty of opportunities for the intrepid Stalker. Rummaging through old buildings and looting corpses are always surefire ways of acquiring new equipment, though much like a box of chocolate, you never know what you’re going to get. Stealing items from hidden stashes left behind by other Stalker is another popular option. You can learn the location of certain stashes from NPCs or by reading notes and PDAs found during exploration, and you’ll almost certainly stumble across some of them by pure accident.
Completing quests generally rewards you with Coupons, the primary currency used by people living in The Zone, rather than items. Relying on quests for gear acquisition is (mostly) not an option. Meanwhile, the various mutated creatures that roam the land don’t drop anything outside the occasional quest item, so farming isn’t an option either. In fact, fighting mutants is usually a waste of valuable resources and should be avoided whenever possible. But, of course, you’ll run into plenty of situations where combat isn’t optional. Fighting other humans isn’t always a great idea either. Sometimes you’ll kill a bandit with a well-aimed headshot and find a couple of valuable items on his corpse, while other times you’ll waste two full mags of ammo and a whole bunch of consumables on some thugs only to be rewarded with a couple of rusty pistols and some stale bread.
Unpredictable Encounter or Divine Intervention?
Fighting NPCs inStalker 2isn’t dissimilar to fighting human opponents in an online multiplayer FPS. Enemies work together to outflank you and use grenades to flush you out whenever you try to take cover. To some degree, this even extends to fighting mutants. Combat is dynamic and never feels like a shooting gallery. Opening the inventory doesn’t pause the game and there’s no mid-combat saving either. Actions like reloading weapons, swapping armor or using consumables have to be done in real time while you’re fighting some of the smartest enemies found in gaming. The shooting mechanics are solid and weapons behave just like you would expect them to. Among other things, this includes jamming mid-combat if you happen to be using an old half-broken gun in dire need of maintenance. Odds are usually stacked against you in combat, but if you’re lucky enough, another group of enemies might come along and even those odds in your favor. Or, on the contrary, make things even worse.
The AI Recieved Some Serious Updates Since The Last Game
These encounters are made possible thanks to GSC Game World’s proprietary AI system dubbed A-Life 2.0. A similar system can also be found in the original games, but the developers made a lot of improvements to it in the meantime. It’s not perfect just yet, though. Enemies often don’t have any reaction when you make noise in their vicinity but can easily spot you even when you’re hiding behind a wall in a pitch-black room. They also seem to be suspiciously proficient at landing grenades at your feet regardless of where they’re throwing them from. Bullets have realistic flight times and trajectories, but the grenades feel iffy. Most other weapons are enjoyable, although it would have been nice if they added a few options for melee.
Combat is generally something you only engage in out of necessity inStalker 2. Not only is combat difficult due to how the AI works, but weapons and armor take durability damage and will become increasingly ineffective the more you use them. You can always repair and even upgrade equipment, although doing so will cost you a small fortune. As previously mentioned, buying items from NPCs is expensive. Repairing and upgrading them is even more costly. You can, of course, earn some honest Coupons by selling things you don’t need, but inventory space is limited and you don’t want to carry around a whole bunch of junk in your backpack anyway as doing so will slow you down and make you vulnerable to The Zone’s many dangers.
Paranormal Activity
One can’t talk aboutStalker 2without mentioning Artifacts. Artifacts are strange and powerful items created by The Zone itself. Or rather, the myriad of Anomalies found within. These items grant you passive bonuses at the cost of pumping you full of radiation. Once you have good enough protection, you can mitigate the radiation to some extent, but getting there takes time. In the early game, I constantly found myself struggling to decide whether the benefits of equipping an Artifact were worth the downsides. Ultimately, much like drinking a decoction before a big fight inThe Witcher 3, I used Artifacts sparsely and only for short amounts of time whenever extra help getting out of a hairy situation was needed.
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As far as acquiring Artifacts is concerned, the process is easily one of the best parts ofStalker 2. As you travel around The Zone you’ll come across Anomalies that generate electric fields, spew fire, create puddles of toxic chemicals and warp reality itself, among other things. There are numerous types of Anomalies, and it’s often difficult to tell what each of them does unless you get in close and start experimenting. Anomalies can be temporarily disabled, but they can’t be destroyed and some of the bigger ones are completely invulnerable to any sort of interference. Delving into the unknown armed with only a scanner and a rusty bolt is a highly nerve-wracking experience, but one that may net you a powerful Artifact if you manage to walk away in one piece. I saymaybecause there’s no guarantee you’ll find anything by getting close to an Anomaly. You’ll just need to take your chances.
Visually,Stalker 2is a feast for the eyes, although it’d be advised to temper your expectations before going in if those expectations are based on the reveal trailers showcased a couple of years ago. The textures, lighting and especially shadows aren’t as crisp as what was shown back then. Meanwhile, a lot of character models could also use a facelift as there are noticeable inconsistencies in that area. Some of the faces you’ll come across look next-gen while others look like they were ripped straight out ofOblivion.
I’ve been runningStalker 2with everything cranked up to the max and I’m willing to bet my last Coupon that the devs had to tone down the visuals a bit for the sake of performance. And, credit where credit is due, it does run smoothly as butter for the most part. Save for some occasional frame drops, a couple of odd bugs involving floating characters and a random crash, I haven’t experienced any major technical issues as far as the visuals and gameplay are concerned. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the audio.
During my playthrough, I repeatedly ran into an issue where gun sounds would become muffled in combat. Needless to say, that’s a problem in a game that relies heavily on directional sound. That aside, the sound design inStalker 2is fantastic and one of the main reasons why the world feels as immersive as it does. Most of the soundtrack is appropriately eerie and unnerving, but combat is usually accompanied by heart-pumping action music. Meanwhile, radios throughout The Zone typically play a mix of pop, rock and electronic music. Just like in the original games, you’ll often find people huddled around campfires playing acoustic guitars, singing, drinking, sharing stories and telling jokes.
Closing Comments:
Stalker 2is nothing short of a miracle. Developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World over the course of seven years amid a pandemic and a war – among many other challenges –Stalker 2is a labor of love and the best type of sequel one could hope for. While many long-running franchises have strayed from their roots in an (often misguided) attempt to appeal to as many players as possible,Stalker 2knows its core audience well and delivers exactly the type of game we were hoping for.
Although the review build came with a few minor technical issues and some other annoyances, it seems likely most of them will be gone by the time the game launches. I’m saying that because the review build received no fewer than four updates that fixed a ton of problems in the last week alone and a sizeable day-0 patch has already been confirmed. If the developers play their cards right and continue improving and expanding upon the game post-launch, the future ahead should be bright forStalker 2.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Version Reviewed: PC
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the award-winning game franchise developed by GSC Game World. Experience one-of-a-kind gameplay, featuring the elements of a first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a unique, dangerous and ever-changing environment. It promises a lot — the artifacts of unbelievable value can be yours if you dare to claim them. The price you may pay, on the other hand, is no less than your own life. One of the biggest open-worlds to date, filled with radiation, mutants and anomalies, is yours to explore. All the choices across the way not only define your own epic story, but influence the future itself. Be mindful about what you see, do and plan, as you will have to find your way through the Zone or be forever lost to it.
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