Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl has had an extended journey to get to the place it’s as we speak. It’s a venture that’s been in limbo for over a decade because it was initially introduced in 2010. It’s been canceled a number of occasions, and the latest Russian invasion of Ukraine didn’t assist.
However we’re nearer to it popping out because the final time we noticed it at Gamescom, and I used to be fortunate sufficient to strive a demo of the sport at Summer time Recreation Fest Play Days, and it was a surreal expertise that immersed me into its world.
The demo launched me to the protagonist, a person on the mission who acts as if he has nothing left to lose. Regardless of any warnings, he must dive deeper into the Zone to study extra about some artifact, and that’s the place our story begins.
At its core, Stalker 2 is an immersive first-person shooter, and it leans into supernatural horror components. I began off with a pistol and knife, and I needed to scavenge for every other tools and ammo.
The sport began me within the Zone, a spot affected by the aftermath of a second alternate-history Chornobyl catastrophe. The native wildlife has been irradiated and irreversibly mutated, and I bumped into just a few of those creatures.
However after all, the true monster in any of those types of tales is our fellow man. Some army group can also be in search of the identical artifact my character is studying about, resulting in some gunfights in darkish locations.
Total, the gunplay right here feels somewhat bit floaty and weightless, which is at odds with the remainder of the motion. Working and turning felt somewhat heavy and intentional, inherently slowing down the final tempo of the sport. However when the weapons really feel a bit like peashooters, the expertise doesn’t fairly mesh nicely.
Stalker 2 looks like the kind of recreation that may actually encourage exploring and looting something that isn’t nailed to the bottom. Ammo was scarce, and I discovered plenty of new weapons to modify to simply by looking enemy our bodies or rundown houses.
By way of story and dialog although, I used to be principally hooked into the thriller of the world and the protagonist. I haven’t seen a lot of the opposite Stalker video games, so I’m seemingly lacking some context. However contemplating the franchise has been quiet for a pair years, I’m seemingly not the one one who may expertise it for the primary time via Stalker 2.
There’s one thing eerie within the air within the Zone. The protagonist desires to maintain digging deeper into it to determine the key behind some bizarre artifact he discovered, regardless of another person telling him to go away earlier than issues worsen.
However is it the Zone itself that’s by some means getting worse? Are the opposite troopers going to be the issue? It at all times looks like one thing is lurking within the shadows, making the environment tense.
Whereas it’s exhausting to say how Stalker 2 will shake out when it releases on Sept. 5, I believe there’s sufficient right here to maintain me enthusiastic about seeing extra. It has an fascinating narrative hook with a compelling setting, and there’s a dystopic open world to discover.
Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl was previewed at Summer time Recreation Fest Play Days courtesy of Xbox.
