The prolonged and torturous absence of Fallout is something that we’ve spoken about on numerous occasions here at GamingBolt, especially over the last year or so. Sure, we get frequent Fallout 76 updates, and yes, we recently got the fan-made expansion-sized mod Fallout London, and of course, Amazon Prime’s Fallout show has been an absolute delight so far. But a new Fallout game is something we haven’t seen in what feels like an eternity, and it’s probably going to be many, many years before that changes.
Fret not, however, Fallout fans, because the recently released S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl might just be the game to scratch that Fallout itch- and maybe even do it better than Fallout itself in some key ways, depending on what exactly you’re looking for. GSC Game World’s gargantuan open world shooter launched on November 20th for Xbox Series X/S and PC, bringing the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise back from roughly a decade and a half of dormancy, and early reception for the game has called it a strikingly unique open world experience, even if it is one that has significant technical issues at present, and even if, by its very nature, it ends up alienating many who attempt to play it. But though S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is obviously ultimately a different kind of experience than the Fallout games, there is a surprising amount of overlap in the two franchise’s DNA- which is why S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is such an easy recommendation for anyone who’s desperately looking for a return to Fallout.
Like Fallout, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 puts players in the middle of a massive open world wasteland, where emergent gameplay and reactive systems are king, where survival mechanics play a key role, and where the inherent tension and friction that comes with a post-apocalyptic setting become a pivotal part of the experience. Broad strokes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl does a lot of the things that the Fallout series is known for delivering, and does it quite effectively. In particular, the emergent sandbox gameplay that the game touts is unparalleled. Whether you’re engaging with the many different factions in the open world, marveling at the dynamic weather mechanics, or attempting to come to grips with how unpredictable the open world constantly feels, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does emergent gameplay like few other games have done in recent years.
But it’s not just the things that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does like Fallout that make it easy to recommend to fans of Bethesda’s post-apocalyptic RPG series. Just as important in making the game what it is are the things that it does differently- more precisely, the extra step that it takes in a lot of areas. From the survival mechanics to its horror atmosphere, in some major ways, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 deviates from the Fallout formula drastically – sticking instead to what the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series itself was always known for – and it is those things that make it stand out that much more, to the extent where it could be argued that its version of the open world wasteland fantasy is perhaps a stronger and more comprehensive one than the one in the Fallout games.
Take its survival mechanics, for instance. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series has always placed a heavy emphasis on survival mechanics, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does admittedly tone that down ever so slightly, from players having relatively fewer things to take care of, to the survival mechanics that do exist not being as overbearing as they can so often be in similar games. And yet, even so, survival elements are a big part of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2. You’re often in danger of bleeding out, hunger and radiation sickness need to be constantly kept at bay, stamina and inventory management are critical, and the weapons and armour in your possession also need constant care, lest they degrade so much that they end up outright hampering you in combat, much less working properly.
All of that feels significantly more challenging than you would ordinarily expect because S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an inherently punishing game. Regardless of which of the three difficulties you’re playing on, this is not an easy game by any stretch of the imagination. Death is around every corner, to the point where it’s even expected- hell, the restart screen has a death counter for your entire playthrough. You will die a lot in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, because there’s a million different things in the game that can kill you in a million different ways. And that level of difficulty lends such an incredibly authentic feel of danger to the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, making it truly feel like a horrifying wasteland that you’ll be terrified of exploring and excited to dive into all at once.
Fallout obviously does have its own version of that kind of an experience. Specifically, Survival Mode in Fallout 4 places stringent restrictions and demands on players, making survival in the wasteland a constant challenge, entailing limited saves, disabled fast travel, stronger enemies that do more damage and spawn more regularly, and a litany of other things to deal with, including diseases, thirst, hunger, fatigue, injuries, more limited inventory space, and more. But Fallout, simply by virtue of being Fallout, is deliberately corny, satirical, funny, and goofy. That’s all a big, big part of the series’ identity, and we obviously absolutely love it for that- but in taking itself much more seriously, the significantly more grim S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series (and more specifically, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2) is able to deliver, shall we say, a much more unadulterated version of the first-person open world wasteland experience.
Which, naturally, ties into the game’s nature as an out and out horror game as well. Again, Fallout does have shades of horror here and there, but the series has always very consciously made it a point to balance its grim, brutal world with a healthy dose of levity (which often takes pretty dark forms itself, but you know, levity is levity). S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, however, is outright a horror game, which adds significantly to that fantasy of diving into a dangerous and terrifying world, fighting against all odds, and somehow scratching and scrounging your way to unlikely survival.
As an overall package, it’s undeniable that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is obviously going to be a much harder sell as a mainstream, mass market product when compared to Fallout, and that’s not just because the latter is a much larger and more established IP. No, it’s more about a stark difference in ideologies. Fallout wants to capture a broad audience, which means its games are growing increasingly leaner and most streamlined, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is almost the complete opposite, feeling almost hostile towards the player in its attempts to not hold your hand even in the slightest. Both experiences obviously emphasize emergent gameplay and player agency above all else, but they end up going about it in different ways.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s uncompromising nature comes with some obvious potential issues that will mean many players not getting to experience what it has to offer, but if you’re looking for a Fallout-esque experience that isn’t afraid to make things more than a little bumpy for the player, this may just be the game for you. Obviously, it’s a shame that it has launched with the many technical issues that currently plague it, but our hope is that GSC Game World will make significant improvements in this area in the coming weeks- because barring those issues, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an absolute gem. Mind its edges though, because they can and will cut you.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
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