"Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" played: Merciless survival adventure
GSC Gameworld's "Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" is a merciless, unwieldy and technically outdated survival adventure for die-hard genre fans.
(Image: GSC Game World)
Almost 15 years of development, war in our own country, hacker attacks – Hardly any game has had to go through a more difficult development phase. Now "Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" is finally in the starting blocks. Like the first part, the game is loosely based on the novel "Picnic by the Wayside" by Arkady and Boris Strugatzki. First things first: it's not a game for the masses.
Return to the "zone"
The story takes place in an alternative reality. In 2006, a second explosion contaminated the area around the Chornobyl nuclear reactor and created the "Zone". While gangs fight for power and plunder the area, strange mutants and anomalies appear. As a so-called S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (short for "Scavenger, Trespasser, Adventurer, Loner, Killer, Explorer, Robber"), the player trudges through the countryside, helps the inhabitants and has to choose his allies carefully. Many decisions have consequences that lead to one of the four endings.
"Stalker 2" angespielt (5 Bilder)
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)Like its predecessor, the game from Ukrainian development studio GSC Gameworld is a survival shooter. The first-person perspective takes you through the bleak landscape. Every step can be deadly, regardless of whether players are walking through contaminated water or fountains of fire suddenly erupt from the ground. Dangerous anomalies are best avoided. But as is so often the case in science fiction stories, it's not even the environment that is the most dangerous thing, but above all the human predator.
Extensive survival adventure
The world can be freely explored. However, players should not expect to find any great treasures. If anything, they will find a little food or a bandage. Weapons found are usually on the verge of being scrap and can sometimes break in battle. The missions take the players from one ruin to the next. Search for a certain person there, kill a few bandits there. Sometimes the players can also set off in search of mysterious artifacts. It takes a long time for the story to get going and for the players to discover the secrets of this world. According to GSC, one story run takes up to 40 hours. If you want to see everything, you have to invest more than twice as much time.
This can be stressful. Players must always keep an eye on the health meter and the Geiger counter. A few wild dogs suddenly appear out of nowhere or the players stumble into the reconnaissance party of an enemy gang. The enemies may not be particularly clever, but they are quickly deadly even on the medium difficulty level. Two or three shots and the stalker is history. Anyone who only knows shooters from "Call of Duty" will experience a culture shock.
If the weapon breaks, it has to be repaired by the technician in a settlement. If necessary, he can also equip the weapons with a few upgrades, such as a better scope. There are no level ups – players have to rely entirely on their equipment. "Stalker 2" dispenses with the usual open-world bells and whistles.
Technically not up to date
On the other hand, it gives players a lot of freedom in terms of exploration and play style. Combat is not always the solution given the scarce resources. Players also discover new things away from the story paths and meet numerous characters with additional missions. GSC's proprietary "A-Life 2.0" system ensures that all NPCs interact independently of the player. The characters and the extensive game world bring a touch of "Fallout" to the contaminated Chornobyl. It's a shame that GSC doesn't give players more toys to play with in order to make the most of the concept. It's a game for purists.
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All of this could be exciting if it weren't for the technical side. Although there were no crashes in our play sessions, the visual implementation lags far behind the 2019 competition of "Metro Exodus", even on the highest setting. Muddy textures, choppy animations, little detail – that fits the dreary scenario, but is miles away from current player expectations.
Annoying: Several times the enemies shot through the walls. Sometimes the enemies get stuck in the environment or the light reflections flicker. This noticeably spoils the fun of the game. "Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" does not make it easy for fans. It is a constant battle against the radioactively contaminated environment and outdated technology.
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Our review version contained the complete game without the multiplayer mode. This will be released after the game is released.
Interim conclusion
"Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" is not a crowdpleaser, not an off-the-peg game. The technology is outdated and the game concept has since been developed further by games such as "Metro Exodus" or "Chernobylite". Everything about "Stalker 2" is outdated.
But behind the dusty shell is an extensive adventure that takes the term "open-world" seriously. Fans are not overwhelmed with countless, interchangeable missions, but can explore the world freely. This is not always easy, sometimes even cumbersome. Players have to work for the fun in "Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl". This will put off the masses, but will make fans of the original happy.
"Stalker 2 – Heart of Chornobyl" will be released for Windows and Xbox Series. It costs around €60. We played the Windows version for a few hours for our hands-on.
(mki)
