The demo begins, and my well being is already draining. Welcome to Stalker 2, I suppose. This Gamescom, for the primary time, GSC Sport World’s lengthy awaited sequel is out there to play on the present flooring—albeit simply the smallest attainable slice. However whereas the demo could also be solely quarter-hour lengthy, it manages to pack in all of the grim, dystopian distress a Stalker fan might need.
Living proof, my well being. I am unconscious in an irradiated area filled with anomalies. However that is not what’s killing me off. No, my character lastly opens his eyes, and I uncover the perpetrator: a mutant canine that is been snacking on his leg. My character pulls out a gun. It jams. The canine lunges at his neck. My character struggles to carry it at bay, weakly kicking it away simply far sufficient for it to land in a gravity anomaly. It is pulled into the air and crushed to loss of life. Life’s powerful within the zone.
Lastly capable of stand, I go searching to discover a stranger who’s been silently watching this all unfold. He chucks me a bolt. Proper, sure. The sector is filled with anomalies. Bolts are a Stalker basic—a useful device for pinpointing any anomalies in your quick space. If I throw a bolt at a gravity anomaly, it’s going to be briefly weakened, letting me move comparatively unscathed.
Radiation is an element too, which I uncover as I sprint previous the anomaly and in direction of a close-by lake. My Geiger counter clicks into overdrive, and static begins to cowl the display screen. Not that manner then. I double again and as a substitute head over to the stranger, who advises I ship a few medkits to some locals in change for a secure place to go. And with that, I am left to my very own units.
To recap: I have been chewed up by a canine, blasted by an anomaly, and irradiated. I am about three minutes into the demo.
Oh. He wasn’t taking pictures at me. He was taking pictures on the canines that are actually charging straight at me.
Nonetheless, I get the sense this Gamescom construct is taking it straightforward on me. I verify my stock and I am properly stocked with weapons and therapeutic gadgets. A few syringes later, and I am principally good as new. Nonetheless, I am not feeling notably welcomed by the Zone, which is why I am not stunned when, as I crest a close-by hill, I encounter a person who instantly opens fireplace.
Advantageous, be that manner. I shoot again, taking him down with relative ease. That is when a pop-up within the nook informs me that I’ve failed a quest to satisfy some locals close to a submit workplace. Oh. He wasn’t taking pictures at me. He was taking pictures on the canines that are actually charging straight at me. Life’s powerful within the zone.
In a recreation that could be very recognisable Stalker, the search system is probably the largest change I discover—particularly the Skyrim-esque compass alongside the highest that marks close by quest areas and distances. It is maybe an indication that this shall be a extra accessible outing than earlier video games within the collection. As somebody who prefers open world video games with extra naturalistic orienteering, it is not a change I relish, however my time right here is just too transient to attract any significant conclusion. We’ll see the way it performs out within the full recreation. Actually, I am not too frightened that that is going to be a much less intense expertise. In any case, I’ve practically died thrice at this level.
Make that 4 occasions. Investigating a constructing, I anger some bandits who suppose I am making an attempt to reclaim their territory again for the Stalkers. These guys are positively taking pictures at me. I could have weapons, however I am quick on ammo, and the weapons I am utilizing aren’t precisely good—they kick like hell, making it exhausting to land photographs. I am having to make use of cowl correctly, dodging out at opportunistic moments to scavenge ammo from a physique, then diving again to security. My therapeutic gadgets are depleting quickly. Ultimately, although, the final man falls, and I discover a good stash of ammo and weapons for my hassle.
Close to loss of life expertise quantity 5 arrives on the finish of the demo, when the sky turns purple and a broadcasting system warns of an incoming emission—a form of lethal lightning storm. Fortunately I am close to the safehouse, and thus the tip of the demo, however somewhat than rush straight there, I cease to understand the impact of the sky turning apocalyptic. Elsewhere, Stalker 2 regarded good, certain, however utilitarian. It is the post-apocalypse. The buildings are concrete and rubble. The vibes are gray and dour. However right here, amid the alien purple glow of an emission, it feels prefer it’s profiting from Unreal Engine 5.
Lastly, regretfully, I head to the safehouse. I knock on the door, and begin to collapse. The door opens and somebody carrying a gasoline masks seems. I can really feel their weary disdain as they drag me inside. Life’s powerful within the zone.
Stalker 2: Coronary heart of Chornobyl is scheduled to launch later this yr. You’ll find it on all the same old PC shops, together with Steam and GOG.
