STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review: Embark On a Lonely And Vigorous Journey Inside The Zone

STALKER 2 is a game that, despite all the obstacles it faced during production, managed to exceed my expectations, delivering a unique experience that reflects on their emotions and work. I cannot even begin to comprehend the emotional states GSC Game World went through, as they had to develop a video game in the midst of an active war, and relocate to shelters, leaving all their personal belongings and memories behind.

Several team members, including programmers and artists, had to abandon the project because they enlisted to support their beloved country. All of the above do not even cover half of their suffering. I truly suggest watching the documentary about the creation of STALKER 2, as it describes in great detail the dangers they came across and the passion they have for their game.

I personally tried the previous STALKER games in the series, but I never invested a lot of time, as they appeared to be very difficult at the time for me. Nonetheless, I always loved the setting of the STALKER series and games like the Metro series, although they were very well made and fun, only made the itch for a new Stalker stronger, because it fills a gap in the gaming market by providing deep lore and raw emotions not only from the actual plot but from the world itself.

TL;DR

STALKER 2 is one of the greatest survival horror games you will ever play. The world feels so alive, with events taking place even when you are not there. By being a sim game as well, it truly makes you feel alone and always in danger. The combat has some small problems, but in general feels truly satisfying, making every firefight stressful because of the danger of the zone. Do not miss out on this opportunity to try this impeccable video game.

Story – A Great Adventure Inside The Zone

STALKER 2 narrates the story of Skif, a man whose house was destroyed on the mainland by a radioactive artifact caused by an anomaly. So Skif abandons everything and enters the zone in the hope of activating this artifact and making a fortune, when suddenly someone attacks him and wanders off with his artifact. After that, Skif is off to an epic adventure seeking revenge, but it will not be as easy as it looks, as the zone does not give second chances and can be cruel.

The way the story progresses helps the player explore the zone. Skif will have to work really hard to get back what is his, as nothing comes easy in the zone. To learn things first, you have to show you are useful, so prepare your gear and set off to do what a stalker does best: survive. Your quests, both story and secondary missions, will have you explore countless areas filled with secrets, danger, and lots of anomalies.

Skif’s actions and decisions affect the world around him. STALKER 2 features 4 different, distinct endings, but that is not the only reason you make choices in the game. There are multiple side quests in the game that affect both the world and your relationships with merchants or certain characters in the game. In STALKER 2, it truly feels like you are contributing, and your actions have consequences. So, think again before killing that stranded stalker for his loot; it might retaliate against you later in the game.

Environments – Both Gorgeous And Deadly

The environments of STALKER 2 really reminded me of Elden Ring. From afar, they look like art paintings, a beautiful mix of nature taking over the cities, with the mysterious sightings caused by the radiation poisoning. Once you approach to take a second look, this is where you realise almost everything you see will eventually try to kill you. I may sound like a masochist, but being in constant danger and afraid that every little thing can harm you makes STALKER 2 a truly immersive and realistic experience.

The environments are deeply rich and diverse. The map is divided into up to 20 distinct areas, with each one being unique in its own way. From underground bankers filled with treasures guarded by monsters, to whole forests where people disappear. There is something truly inexplicable about entering a new area for the first time without knowing what you are up against and what you are going to find.

What is even more fascinating is the fact that the main campaign of STALKER 2 does not lead you to all the areas of the game, just a mere part of them. So it is left entirely to the player themself to explore it, at their own pace, in their own time. It might seem like a lot of ground to cover, but you do not need to worry because the game has a sort of fast travel system between bases, with a small amount of money, that gets rid of the tedious walk back to leave loot.

Gameplay – Needs Some Tweaks But Fantastic Overall

The gameplay system of STALKER 2 clicks so well with the rest of the game aspects, thus making it a fantastic achievement of a game. Of course, nothing is perfect, and everything has its flaws, and so does STALKER 2. The good thing is that the game’s problems are not game-breaking, and they will likely be fixed with a future patch.

Satisfying Weapon System

The guns in STALKER 2 are so many that I found myself not finding them all in my playthrough. Every gun I used felt different from one another. For instance, SMGs have very low recoil and a high rate of fire, while assault rifles deal more damage and have a longer range. Therefore, it is up to the players themselves to equip the loadout that suits their play style before heading out to the zone.

Another cool thing is the customisation and upgrade system of the weapons. While exploring, players can come across a variety of attachments. Most of them can be attached and detached on the go by just pressing a button, while others need your weapon to be upgraded to a technician.

The weapons have a kind of skill tree that you upgrade by using the game’s currency, which improves different statistics of it. All of the above contribute a lot to the immersion of the game, making you think twice when you upgrade your gear. Another important part of STALKER 2 is the gear the player wears. Armour vests and masks offer protection against anomalies and, of course, bullets.

Controversial Enemy AI

The enemy AI in STALKER 2, particularly the human AI, often fails to deliver a humanized feeling. The way they patrol is too robotic, never changing roots, and they never really react to their dead comrades that the player just shot, lying on the floor next to them. This was a bit disappointing, especially if someone has experienced the AI in the previous titles of the series, which feel way better.

When it comes to the actual encounter, there is a great improvement. Engaging in combat is very vigorous; enemies will flank you, try to flash you out with grenades, and their aim is more than threatening. As for the monsters of the zone, they can be as dangerous, with wolves chasing you, Bloodsuckers becoming invisible and reappearing from behind you to finish the job, and let’s not forget the Controller, a vicious monster messing with your head, making you drop your guns and dizzy.

Overall, I had lots of fun when it came to fighting enemies. I felt scared and helpless, as a survival horror game should make me feel. Some parts may not work as they should, such as the stealth and the general AI investigation, but it did not put me out of the mood at all, and I am pretty sure the developer team will come up with improvements in the upcoming patches.

Vibrant Modding Community

It is also worth mentioning that STALKER 2 already has a very active modding community, making quality-of-life mods, such as more realistic death animations or bullet impact animations. But they also create new mods, including new features and ideas of what they would like in the game. This means that this game will stay on for a long time, with new content for lots of years to come.

Graphics And Performance – A Beauty Working Like A Well-Oiled Machine

I had the chance to play STALKER 2 on a PS5, choosing the performance mode, which targets 2K 60 FPS, and to my surprise, it holds up to the goal quite steadily, with small drops happening only when there is an insane amount of effects happening on the player’s screen. For the more cinematic people out there, there is a quality mode as well, offering 4k resolution, with the downside being the 30 fps limit.

What really impressed me was the physics of the anomalies. Seeing a guy getting sucked into a gravitational field and torn apart into little pieces of meat is really impressive. That, combined with the variety of eye candy environments, makes STALKER 2 one of the most beautiful games of the year.

The graphic section of the game is also phenomenal, with Unreal Engine 5 showing its teeth with the realism of the environments, and the fantastic textures and details on all the objects, with the most impressive one being the facial expressions of the characters during a cutscene. In conclusion, another sector of the game is done with perfection and detail.

Sound Design & Music – The Secret Ingredient That Completes The Game

While visuals are important, you cannot achieve complete immersion without giving importance to the sound design, and the people at GSC Game World had that in mind when creating STALKER 2. Words are not enough to describe the bone-chilling sounds of the zone.

If you close your eyes, you will feel like you are there, leaves crunching, monsters growling, and the emissions filled with storms are enough to keep you immersed in the game. I definitely recommend playing with headphones if you are looking for the best way to experience the game.

As for the soundtrack of the game, it is there, but its presence is not as noticeable as I had hoped it to be. It consists mostly of ambient sounds mixed, making something that is familiar, like something from Netflix’s Dark series. Something that deserves a shoutout is the crazy radio songs in the bases that are so goofy and yet truly entertaining. Try them out yourself when you get the chance.

Conclusion – Should You Try STALKER 2?

I cannot even remember the last time I spent so much time exploring rather than rushing the campaign, and wanting to do every side quest available. STALKER 2 is a fun, creepy, filled with danger playground that gives the players the freedom to choose their own path. You can be a villain, killing everyone in your path, and only care about coupons, or you can be the savior of the zone, looking for ways to help people.

The game does not forgive; you will die plenty of times, and the quicksave will be your best friend. Although it is hard, when you actually get the hang of it, you will start to love the challenge like playing a Souls-like game. The bizarre world of STALKER 2 pulled me inside with its intensity and immersion, making me love it.

As of the time of writing this article, GCS Game World has released a whole new free content update with more than 5 hours of story-driven gameplay. That, combined with the numerous patches the game has already received, makes it an unmissable opportunity for newcomers who enjoy games like this and, of course, the more hardcore fans of the series.

A big thanks to Enarxis for sponsoring our review!