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Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl appears to have captured the isolation of exploring an irradiated wasteland with absolute precision. Achieving that atmospheric tension was always going to be one of the biggest challenges for developer GSC Game World, for as beloved as the original Stalker trilogy has become over time, the series always succeeded on the strength of its desolate vibe as much as it did its underlying systemic design philosophy.
Where the wilderness was once spread across wide, interconnected spaces it's now a sprawling open-world comprising 20 interweaving regions – each containing a commanding visual identity, contentious factions, and caustic anomalies. Expect fauna and flora as deadly a threat as the mutants and hunters that stalk the Anomalous Exclusion Zone, survival pieced together under the shadow of the ashen, unnatural ruins of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Whether GSC can settle a consistent vision across such a vast landscape is a big question coming into Stalker 2, but nothing I have seen or played of Heart of Chornobyl so far would suggest that such an accomplishment is impossible.
When I got my hands-on Stalker 2 in June, I walked away from the session impressed by the fidelity, performance, and ultimately, its feel – a nebulous observation as ever there was one, but it is what it is. What the new 35-minute deep dive released by GSC has shown (set across a different biome and series of missions to what I played previously) is that the strong impression I was left with of this shooter wasn't an anomaly – if anything, it's a sign the demo I played is increasingly representative of what the final experience will offer when it lands.
What's curious is that Stalker is returning to a shooter landscape that it has helped subtly shape, and I'm keen to see how new players respond to the series' sharper edges versus its contemporaries. The heavy weapon modeling, aggressive artificial intelligence, and open-ended framework that's willing to leave you stranded between anomalous events and domineering threats with little more than a dwindling supply of ammunition as the only line of defense; the steady click of a geiger counter the only solace from your surroundings. Where those players will migrate from to reach Stalker 2 remains to be seen, but I could see Far Cry, Fallout, and Metro fans finding a home in Heart of Chornobyl.
Brave new world
Even after its most recent delay, Stalker 2 remains one of the most anticipated upcoming Xbox Series X games of 2024.
For as brash and needy as Far Cry can be, the series has shown a tremendous capacity for capturing a similar scale of freedom in player agency and exploration – in fact, Ubisoft Montreal came exceptionally close to delivering a mass-market Stalker experience in the perennially overlooked Far Cry 2, perhaps more so than any other studio that's delivered an open-ended first-person adventure in the nearly two decades since Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl landed. Fallout fans will likely bristle at the lack of comprehensive RPG systems, but I could easily see players looking to feel some sort of domination over a dangerous open world finding a wealth of opportunities here. As for Metro players, looking for somewhere to turn after 2019's Exodus, then Stalker 2 will be a natural home; developer 4A Games was founded by former GSC staffers, and there's clear shared design philosophies between the two franchises.
The truth is, there's nothing quite like Stalker out there right now; the Stalker: Legends of the Zone Trilogy is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, but these legacy titles aren't exactly easy playing in the modern era – so if you're interested in Heart of Chornobyl you may be better of waiting. Speaking of, if the recent deep-dive is any indication there really will be nothing quite like Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl either. The appearance of real depth and quality across its vastness is exceptionally promising, so I really do hope that fans of franchises like Far Cry and Fallout graduate up to this more combative first-person experience, and that Metro players take the time to engage with the series' roots. It looks like it'll be worth it.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl will land on PC, Xbox Series X, and Game Pass on November 20, 2024.
