There’s a lot to love about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, with GSC Game World’s mammoth open world horror shooter touting everything from best-in-class visuals and top-notch horror atmosphere to a huge and expansive map to explore and more. At the same time, however, it’s also a blatantly divisive game, due to both issues intentional and unintentional, with significant technical deficiencies and a deliberately daunting approach to challenge. Here, then, we’re going to talk about the things we like most about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, and some of the things that we dislike.
THINGS THAT WE LIKED
LARGE AND VARIED OPEN WORLD
A large, well crafted open world is always a big allure in any game, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 definitely delivers in that area. At over 60 square kilometers, its Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is absolutely massive, made even more impressive by the stunning variety of environments that it boasts. What truly sets it apart, however, is the painstaking level of detail that that word touts throughout its entirety- which, considering its size, makes it particularly impressive.
THE CHALLENGE
This specifically is one of the game’s defining traits, and while S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s approach to difficulty might be precisely what makes it downright unplayable to some, for us, it’s what sets it apart. The Zone is crawling with danger, and around every step is something new and terrifying and unknowable that’s trying to kill you. You’ll die a lot in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, which also makes it so much more rewarding when you slowly learn, grow, and become a better survivor all on your own.
THE ATMOSPHERE
This is wat has always set the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series apart, and boy does Heart of Chornobyl deliver with its atmosphere in spades. Feelings of constant danger, imminent death, and pervasive isolation seep through every inch of the Exclusion Zone, and whether you’re creeping through dark and overgrown woods in the middle of a storm or silently making your way through a claustrophobic cave, the game never misses the mark with how incredibly atmospheric it feels.
SURVIVAL HORROR ELEMENTS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s heavy emphasis on survival horror mechanics (and its survival mechanics) contribute significantly to how frightening it is. Ammo conservation is key, as is inventory management, while having to manage things such as your hunger, any radiation effects, the condition of your weapons and gear, and more also makes things that much more hectic. While none of these elements add too much actual difficulty per se, they’re additional layers of friction for players to deal with- and friction is exactly what the Zone in its entirety is built around, after all.
REWARDING EXPLORATION
Thanks to the constant feeling of dread and the punishing difficulty, going out to explore the vast world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 always feels like it’s fraught with risks, but when you do go out and explore, the game has a knack of consistently rewarding you for it. Obviously, nothing ever comes easy, but from the gear and resources that you find to the money that you get from completing side quests, the rewards that you get tend to be substantial enough to make exploration feel worthwhile.
EMERGENT GAMEPLAY
From older examples like Skyrim and Fallout 3 to newer ones like Breath of the Wild and Baldur’s Gate 3, it’s been proven on more than a few occasions over the years that a game that manages to deliver actual, well-crafted emergent gameplay is going to enjoy an incredibly long shelf life, and we imagine S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is going to fall in that group as well. A multitude of systems are constantly working together to turn the game’s open world into a highly reactive playspace, and an equally unpredictable one. Using those systems your advantage in creative ways is just as much of a blast as it is to watch those systems react to your own actions in ways you absolutely couldn’t have seen coming.
IMMERSIVE SIM ELEMENTS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s systemic nature means it also allows players to tackle situations in a variety of different ways more often than not. GSC Game World has proudly touted the game’s immersive sim elements for some time now, and the game absolutely does deserve praise in this department. From solving quests in creative ways (including those that you may not think would be possible- like, say killing a quest-giver) to approaching combat encounters in the most experimental manner possible, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 usually lets players do what they want while taking it all into account and reacting (and changing itself) appropriately.
CHOICE-AND-CONSEQUENCE MECHANICS
It’s not just the moment-to-moment gameplay that emphasizes player choice. No, like its predecessor, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 makes use of narrative choice-and-consequence mechanics as well. Obviously, you shouldn’t go in expecting something on the level of, say, The Witcher 3 or Baldur’s Gate 3 in this department, but the choice mechanics here are solid enough on their own nonetheless. More than a few times, you’ll be asked to make choices that will legitimately give you pause, and it’s always fascinating to examine the ways in which your decisions impact the story.
TENSE COMBAT
This is about as far from a run-and-gun game as it possibly could be, but it concocts a thrilling combat system nonetheless. Every single shot that lands has the potential to be deadly, both for you and your enemies, which means being slow, methodical, and tactical is almost a necessity. Taking cover, changing up positions, and carefully picking off enemies is always a thrill, and nothing quite beats the adrenaline of making it through a firefight alive.
GORGEOUS VISUALS
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call this one of the best looking games we have ever played. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a staggeringly large experience, but in spite of its size, the gorgeous art design and unprecedented level of visual fidelity it touts simply cannot be praised enough. Of course, it does have its rough edges, but by and large, the game is drop-dead gorgeous. Speaking of its rough edges though…
THINGS THAT WE DIDN’T LIKE
THE TECHNICAL ISSUES
We absolutely love S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, but even its most ardent fans will tell you that technically, the game is a bit of a hot mess. Minor issues like texture pop in or broken lighting, more significant ones like glitched audio or inconsistent AI, critical ones like crashing or progress blocking bugs- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has all of that and more, and that is in spite of a couple of hefty patches. Hopefully, GSC Game World will be able to address the game’s biggest issues as quickly as possible.
MUTANT ENEMIES
Combat in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is generally a tense and exciting affair, but at times, it can be a bit of a nuisance. Specifically, taking on mutants tends to be very frustrating. Pretty much all mutant enemies move quickly and erratically, which makes hitting them an absolute nightmare. More than actual challenge, the game artificially increases its difficulty with these encounters entirely by being deliberately sloppy and annoying.
SLOW TRAVERSAL
Not everyone will have a problem with this (especially given how well-done the exploration usually is), but some definitely will. Traversal in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is always pretty slow and ponderous. The only way to get from point A to B is to walk, with no vehicles being available as an option, and walking becomes even more of a drag (literally) if you happen to be over-encumbered (which isn’t that uncommon of an occurrence). Add to that the fact that the only fast travel method is supposed to be used infrequently (and isn’t free), and traversal can become potentially even more of a headache.
INCONSISTENT WRITING
Much like its predecessors, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 boasts intriguing lore and strong world-building, but the writing as far as the actual, immediate story is concerned is often a little spotty. By and large, the story is well-told, especially for existing series fans (though it does take quite a while to get going), but from sluggish initial pacing to clunky dialogue and interactions, the writing isn’t always putting its best foot forward.
POTENTIALLY TOO DAUNTING
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 makes zero concessions in its attempts to bring its unique and singular vision to write. For our money, that’s absolutely one of the game’s biggest strengths, and a big part of what gives its very distinct identity. That said, we’d have to be fools to not recognize that for many, that uncompromising nature is going to make S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 difficult to get into- especially for those completely unfamiliar with the series.
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