STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl – The Final Preview

I’ll preface all this by admitting that I’m not a STALKER exper that means I’ve not performed the 2009 hits. However I most likely needs to be, as a result of I’m an enormous fan of video games that supply us numerous choices for coping with a narrative situation – particularly these the place one seemingly small choice can have results that ripple by means of the remainder of your playthrough. That’s what this collection (which started with 2007’s Shadow of Chernobyl and was constructed on in Name of Pripyat in 2009) is greatest recognized for, and it’s what caught with me essentially the most from my handful of hours with STALKER 2. I stored enthusiastic about the choices I had made and questioning if I had made a mistake by selecting a violent, weapons-blazing strategy and questioning if I ought to have tried a stealthy and even totally peaceable one, however STALKER 2 takes it a number of steps additional. There are occasions you’ll have NPCs abruptly finish a quest with out rewarding you since you’ve looted the physique of their useless buddy, for instance. Have that occur a pair of instances and it’ll offer you pause even if you’re doing the sort of routine job that you just usually wouldn’t even take into consideration.

Our demo started with an Enter the Zone trailer cinematic earlier than we have been unleashed right into a small subject space lined by the darkness of evening the place we have been attempting to find anomalies. These are harmful areas which were disturbed within the irradiated space and might reveal highly effective artifacts with particular attributes on them. And on the graphics entrance, for each PC and Xbox, these areas look beautiful on each platforms.

This introductory sequence has us meet Skif. We nonetheless don’t know a lot about Skif, however we did study that he appears to be properly-versed with the brand new expertise of STALKER 2, such because the Gilka-1 detector you can flip open and use to seek for artifacts because it beeps louder and louder when approaching the right space. STALKER 2 artifacts are mainly small objects that offer you advantages like a sooner stamina recharge. Whereas trying to plant and cost a separate bigger Topaz Scanner at three such anomaly places, I’ll yadda-yadda-yadda over some spoilers right here however after a dramatic second, we wind up within the open-world part of STALKER 2 the place our journey actually begins – with a most important quest that we shortly discover which despatched us on a seek for a person named Squint.

However earlier than discovering the Squint questline I used to be stunned by simply how a lot may occur within the open world. One instance was an encounter with some unsavory of us attempting to assault a personality bunkered down of their dwelling. As soon as I took them out by sneaking round behind them and making fast work of them with a sidearm shot to the noggin I used to be launched to a brand new NPC character. Regardless of who you meet in STALKER 2, the character fashions specific emotion, and the somber temper is on full show as you sit round campfires on a short break. This explicit new character despatched me on a quest to test on his buddy, and a series of different small quests unlocked as a result of I opted to assist this one particular person who I may have merely walked previous had I been mainlining the story missions. I discovered it attention-grabbing as a result of it was an early instance of how one small aspect-quest may start branching out into a bigger, and extra concerned story beat that I may have simply missed.

Not solely are there human enemies to fret about which is able to often have your customary arsenal, however there are additionally the bigger extra unpredictable Flesh Mutants, and Bloodsuckers who’re further lethal and might make brief work of you for those who’re not cautious. In addition to fields of poppy flowers to navigate (the latter of which sounds fairly good however will put you to sleep perpetually for those who wander too far off the primary pathways). Not solely does this maintain fight and the wastelands of the exclusion zone attention-grabbing, but it surely additionally gives moments of awe as you look out on the stunning crimson sea of poppy flowers realizing you will must go in there and punctiliously navigate it to finish your goal.

After I lastly did discover Squint, I used to be given two choices: Confront him with violence and head again to base, or assist him survive and be despatched on a very completely different story department with him. At first, I took the violent strategy, however once I realized it felt a bit anticlimactic to finish the journey with a gunfight, so I loaded up a save simply earlier than the encounter and went the opposite approach. I couldn’t assist however keep in mind the lots of of hours I performed Fallout 3 or Fallout New Vegas – some of my favourite video games ever – and skilled that very same lingering doubt as as to whether or not I made the proper choice in a given scenario. It is probably not particular, and lots of video games have used this earlier than, however I hadn’t realized how a lot I missed this stage of nuance. Whereas video games like Cyberpunk supplied attention-grabbing beats to discover, lots of the tales wound up on the similar place. I’m left hopeful that the branching paths may end up in some wildly completely different leads to STALKER 2’s case.

This temporary session with STALKER 2, which appeared to begin us on the very starting of the sport jogged my memory simply how nice a branching fashion of storytelling may be from a gameplay perspective. Particularly when it’s interwoven because it has been right here with STALKER 2. I can’t wait to see what else is in retailer for the complete expertise and am capable of uncover simply how far issues can unravel.

Past the branches of storytelling you may discover, and the beautiful graphics, I additionally discovered it actually refreshing to be challenged with managing assets like ammunition and meals to make sure survival. Should you don’t eat sufficient you’ll fatigue simpler and which means worse goal or much less stamina with which to run away from a battle. Should you run out of bullets your knife most likely gained’t reduce it in lots of conditions, however you may attempt to as an alternative use the surroundings to your benefit by luring opponents into an anomaly or just convincing them to allow you to “assist” them from a greater vantage level. This type of useful resource administration lends properly to the general feeling this oppressive world is attempting to convey and it reminds you that each struggle needs to be thought-about a calculated threat. Do I unload with my AK ammo, or do I attempt to use a bit of stealth right here? Can I get away with utilizing a pistol or do I must get further aggressive with an assault rifle for the larger enemies? Do I sort out this through the evening once I can use darkness to my benefit, or would I quite use the daylight to my benefit for clearer sight? The proven fact that the designers at GSC Gameworld have struck a steadiness with how a lot they offer you, at the least early on, with the situations you’re put in feels prefer it’s in an important spot proper now. Hopefully, that sticks for the remainder of STALKER 2 and also you don’t turn out to be overpowered by the tip of the marketing campaign, as a result of this sense of desperation is what it’s all about.

I’m left with an eagerness to get again into the world and see what different bother Skif will get into. Despite the fact that November 20 is now lower than two months away, STALKER 2 can’t come quickly sufficient.