STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is Looking GREAT – A Far Cry From Fallout
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Well, actually it’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. but I’m simply going to write it as STALKER) arrives nearly 15 years after a trilogy released in 2007, 2008, and 2009—yes, three games in three years! STALKER 2 looks beautiful, mysterious, and fascinating, but there’s a lot more to it than I initially thought. Launching on Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Game Pass Ultimate on 20 November, I’m really looking forward to diving in. Let’s look at what to expect from the game, as well as the sources and inspirations behind its fascinating but deadly world.
I never played the original STALKER games, but I’m not too bothered, and I don’t think you should be either. Sure, you can grab the Legends of the Zone remaster trilogy that just dropped, but with an entirely new game around the corner, I’m happy to look forward instead.
Watch the video instead – or continue reading below!
STALKER 2 is a first-person, open-world shooter with horror and survival elements, looting, resource management, and exploration, all set in Chernobyl’s Exclusion Zone, or, as it’s ominously known, The Zone.
In other words, it’s like a harder, grittier, Ukrainian version of Fallout. Well, sort of—think nuclear radiation, monsters, weird phenomena. It’s got it.
I actually remember hearing about the Chernobyl power plant incident when I was just a preschooler, and it was quite a big deal. If you haven’t seen HBO’s Chernobyl series, which dramatically retells the events, you’ve missed some of the best television ever made.
For some of you, your first experience with Pripyat and Chernobyl may have been through Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’s excellent “All Ghillied Up” mission.
Visuals and Performance
First off, STALKER 2 looks gorgeous. Digital Foundry even reported that the Xbox build they played showcased great image quality and consistent frame rates around 60 FPS—exactly where you’d want them.
Technical aspects aside, the art and visual design are stunning. The footage shows truly haunting locations with intricate details and characters. I was initially concerned that STALKER 2 might struggle on console, possibly compromising frame rates or resolution to keep it running smoothly. But so far, it looks like I had nothing to worry about. This might even be thanks to the delays, some of which resulted from the developers at GSC Gameworld having to flee Ukraine and relocate to the Czech Republic after Russia’s invasion.
Setting and Story
For me, the story and setting alone are enough to get excited about my first STALKER game. The inspiration for STALKER 2 goes beyond the Chernobyl disaster; it’s also based on a Soviet novel published in 1972, Roadside Picnic, which famously inspired the 1979 masterpiece STALKER, a film about three men who venture into a dangerous wasteland called The Zone in search of a Room that’s said to grant wishes.
STALKER is a 2-hour 45-minute masterpiece, though the production that seemingly and literally killed its director.
One major difference between the original story and the game is the cause of The Zone’s strange phenomena. In Roadside Picnic and STALKER, it’s the result of discarded alien technology, while in the game, it stems from secret experiments that triggered a second disaster in Chernobyl in 2006.
Gameplay and Choice-Driven World
STALKER 2 is all about you and The Zone. There’s no multiplayer co-op or online lobbies here. The only people you’ll interact with are those you encounter in The Zone and its surrounding areas. The way the open world and missions are handled is incredibly exciting, especially given the previews that showed how much can change depending on your approach to certain scenarios. As someone who often regrets their in-game decisions, I can see myself reloading to explore what would happen if I did things differently.
Choices matter. If you’re on a mission with someone and start looting the bodies of their friends—as we’re all so accustomed to doing in games—they might take issue with it. I love this level of realism.
If you’re planning on playing STALKER 2 like a Far Cry game, thinking you can blaze through and mow down enemies, you’re in for a shock. STALKER 2 is tough; it requires brains as much as brawn, with scarce resources and ammo, making every conflict a calculated risk.
And those risks will come with diverse enemies, from other STALKERS and factions to truly grotesque mutants that want nothing more than to rip you apart. The Zone itself is equally treacherous, filled with anomalies and hazards that you’ll need to navigate, avoid, or exploit to survive.
The difficulty and survival elements might put some players off, and I’ll admit I’m a little nervous about how I’ll handle it. But I’m also excited to throw myself into such a hostile environment—it’s a refreshing change from the recent Call of Duty sessions I’ve been having.
Hype Levels: High
In summary, STALKER 2 draws from incredible source material and real-world events, it’s looking fantastic on console (even better on high-end PCs), and the gameplay seems tough yet rewarding, with consequences that ripple through the world and story. The best part? Its Day One launch on Game Pass means it’ll be affordable and accessible for many gamers when it releases in November.
So, what are you most looking forward to in STALKER 2? And which platform will you be playing on?
