Atti Abderrahim
Table of Contents
15 Years in the Making and Still a Raw Experience! My Impressions of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the most anticipated video games in recent memory, a title that has been in development for 15 long years. GSC Game World has been working on this sequel to their cult FPS since 2009. Plagued by multiple delays and the ongoing war in Ukraine, this highly awaited game is finally gearing up for its mission. Our first steps into the Pripyat exclusion zone were anything but easy, but there’s still hope for the future.
A Long-Awaited Return to Pripyat
Chornobyl’s troubles are far from over. After the initial nuclear disaster that devastated Pripyat and its surroundings, a second explosion has once again transformed this Ukrainian region into a dangerous wasteland. The exclusion zone, now teeming with mutants and plagued by deadly anomalies, has become the battleground for multiple factions, making it a particularly hazardous place. In this apocalyptic setting, adventurers seeking glory and fortune dare to enter, hoping to discover valuable artifacts.
GSC Game World promises a nonlinear, open-world narrative, but we cannot yet confirm whether this vision will be fully realized. The first 30 minutes of Stalker 2 are linear, primarily introducing a legendary post-apocalyptic universe that remains unfamiliar to many, along with the core gameplay mechanics that make this FPS stand out in today’s gaming landscape. The Ukrainian studio promises a photorealistic open world spanning 64 km², with varied environments that exude a persistent sense of doom, a day-night cycle, and dynamic weather.
Our initial moments in the exclusion zone reassured us on one point in particular: the oppressive atmosphere that contributed to the success of the original games is very much intact, making Chornobyl a unique environment without parallel in 2024. However, visually speaking, Stalker 2 still has some ground to cover. There is a noticeable gap between the visuals shown in trailers and those currently displayed in-game. That said, the mission we played was set entirely at night, so certain details and/or graphical subtleties may have escaped our notice as we were entirely focused on the basic task of survival.
A Brutally Raw FPS Experience
Stalker 2 is not your typical first-person shooter. The gaming experience envisioned by GSC Game World blends action, horror, immersive simulation, and survival in a hostile environment—quite the package! After just a few minutes in the exclusion zone, the feeling of being back on the frontlines hits hard. Heart of Chornobyl is very much a continuation of the franchise, remaining faithful to its core principles—perhaps too much so. The survival elements (sleep, hunger, bleeding, and radiation) push players to be cautious, which is a success. Anything less would have been disappointing, as the essence of Stalker lies in that primal fear of dying prematurely.
The mutants haunting Pripyat and the factions determined to leave no one alive represent another serious threat that should not be underestimated. The studio boasts of advanced AI that could give players a hard time, but in practice, this so-called advanced AI still has a lot to prove. The gunfights, though still sporadic, have not fully convinced us, but they were too few in number to form a solid opinion. Beyond that, Stalker 2 exudes an “old school” feeling, both in its missions and in its gameplay, which is not entirely unwelcome up to a certain point. However, GSC Game World’s FPS remains (too) rough around the edges and needs several adjustments to become a worthy heir to the franchise. With competition modernizing their productions, Stalker 2 finds itself lagging behind.
OUR IMPRESSIONS
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl still has a lot to prove. GSC Game World’s FPS is indeed the sequel to one of the most iconic post-apocalyptic franchises, with its unique atmosphere and singular gameplay proposition. However, it struggles to rise to the level of its competitors. The old recipes need to be updated, if not partially reinvented, to avoid disappointing the survivors of 2024.
