“Stalker 2: The Heart of Chernobyl is the title of the upcoming video game by Kyiv-based GSC Game World, which has become a symbol not only of the Ukrainian gaming industry but also of the resilience and courage of developers in difficult times.
Everyone who is familiar with the Stalker series knows that this is not an ordinary game, but a real immersion into a post-apocalyptic world where danger awaits at every step and the atmosphere of threat and survival becomes part of everyday life.
A combination of a first-person shooter, horror, and survival simulator that continues the traditions of the previous installments while adding many new elements to surprise even the most loyal fans of the series.
The entire development process was accompanied by numerous challenges, especially after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine.
But despite all the obstacles, GSC was still able to continue working on the project.
Not only technical innovations are integrated here, but also a deep cultural context that makes the game a true reflection of modern Ukrainian reality.
First of all, you will encounter a huge post-apocalyptic space that unfolds around the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.
The world is unique in its atmosphere with a combination of realistic landscapes of the zone, destroyed buildings and unpredictable natural phenomena.
One of its main features is its seamlessness – for the first time in the Stalker series, players will be able to move freely through territories that were previously divided into separate zones.
The game world contains more than 60 square kilometers of territory, offering players many opportunities for exploration, and almost the entire Zone is filled with dangerous anomalies and mutants that are the result of radiation exposure.
Such elements create an atmosphere of constant threat and require players to be extremely careful and cautious.
In addition, the developers claim that the cycle of day and night is elaborated in detail, as well as dynamic weather that affects the gameplay.
For example, night raids can be especially dangerous due to limited visibility, and during a thunderstorm, anomalies will be even more aggressive. Some more gameplay highlightsSurvivalin the Zone.
Players will not only have to fight mutants and other stalkers but also constantly monitor their condition.
The Zone is an extremely hostile environment, where you need to monitor radiation levels, hunger, sleep, and blood loss.
The use of medicine, food, and protective equipment will be the most important part of survival. A dynamic world. We will see the A-Life 2.0 system, which simulates life in the Zone independently of the player.
Factions and mutants will interact with each other even outside the player’s field of vision: they will fight for territories, migrate, and change their behavior depending on the circumstances.
All this means that each passage will be unique, because events in the world are constantly changing. Weapons and modifications. The game will feature more than 30 types of weapons, each of which can be modified with various upgrades.
Gamers will be able to change some elements of the weapon right in the battle, for example, add a silencer or a sight.
More complex modifications are available only through special points on the map. Multiplayer. Although the game is focused on a single player campaign, a free update is planned after the release, which will add a multiplayer mode, so it will allow players to interact in the Zone with other real stalkers. A little bit about the plot The main character of the game is a stalker named Scythian.
He goes deep into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in search of answers to the secrets that lie within it. The zone is like a living organism. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has become the epicenter of unusual phenomena, where reality is literally distorted by anomalies.
You will explore it in search of valuable artifacts that can have both positive and negative effects.
For example, the Jelly artifact shown in the trailer can regenerate stamina.
Anomalies are still deadly traps, so they can suddenly appear at any time. Factions. There will be several factions fighting for control of different parts of the zone.
Each has its own interests and values, and you will be able to interact with them, determining who to help or oppose.
All these choices will affect the development of the plot and its ending. Moral choices. In fact, the entire plot is based on the moral choices that the player must make throughout the game.
Choosing allies, resolving conflicts, and treating other characters all affect how events will unfold.
It is also known that the video game will have several endings that will depend on the player’s decisions. Return of old characters. In addition to new characters, Stalker will feature familiar faces from the previous installments of the series.
Fans will definitely be able to feel a good amount of nostalgia.) What will be the duration of the course? It all depends on the style of play and how deeply you want to dive into the world exploration.
According to the developers, the main plot and related tasks can take more than 100 hours of playing time.
This is all due to the huge territory of the exclusion zone, which, as we wrote at the beginning of the article, covers about 60 square kilometers, as well as a large amount of content, including side quests, exploration of territories, and interaction with different factions.
Of course, if a player focuses only on the main plot, it will take less time to complete the game, but given the non-linearity and multiple solutions, each gamer can spend a different amount of time on the game.
In addition, again, thanks to the A-Life 2.0 system and the dynamic world, a second playthrough can give a completely new experience, thereby changing the duration.
As a result, Stalker 2 will definitely be 100% a game that can take tens or even hundreds of hours for those who want to immerse themselves in the world of the zone, exploring all its secrets.
The release date is currently scheduled for November 20, 2024, although the release should have already taken place in September.
Probably, GSC wants to polish their project as much as possible so that there are fewer bugs at the end of the release.
The video game itself will be released on Xbox Series X/S and PC platforms, and will also be available by subscription on Xbox Game Pass from the first day of release.
The price for the standard edition, excluding additional content, starts at UAH 895.
P.S. Subscribers can get the game at a much more favorable price – only 230 UAH, but here you should also take into account that the subscription works on a monthly basis, so it’s up to you to choose what’s best for you.