S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
GSC Game World
Discover the vast Chornobyl Exclusion Zone full of dangerous enemies, deadly anomalies and powerful artifacts. Meet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Unveil your own epic story as you make your way to the Heart of Chornobyl. Make your choices wisely, as they will determine your fate in the end.
The long-awaited sequel to one of the best open world FPS games is finally here. Before we jump into the review its important to know Stalker 2’s heartfelt development. Stalker 2 has battled against cancellation in 2012, remapping in 2018, Ukraine war in 2022 and finally its hacked leaks in 2023 but after all the delays – Stalker 2 is finally here!
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is everything we hoped for and more. Set in the vast Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, this hardcore open world game has a lot to offer with immersive survival mechanics and graphically its incredibly amazing. We played together on our ZOTAC RTX 4000 series graphics card, enhancing the photorealistic dynamic world at ease and even with ultra settings enabled. With the ZOTAC RTX 4000 series graphic cards you’re able to active the DLSS 3 feature for increased FPS and Ray tracing enabled for realistic lighting.
You’ll play protagonist Skif, a lone stalker who is devastatingly betrayed by contact man “Soldier”, this sets you on a mission for revenge. One of the shining points of Stalker 2 is engaging with characters and making pivotal decisions can have an short and long impact on the dynamic world around you. The characters add a richness as you explore and surviving the forsaken land. Various groups struggle for control of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone and you’ll encounter all kinds of horrifying mutated monsters.
Pros
Unique and interesting characters
Gun fights are satisfying
Lots to explore
Challenging quests
Fantastic graphics
Cons
Weak story
Weapons and gear degrade quickly
Some launch bugs
Inconsistent English voice acting
Enemies spawn closely behind you
The gameplay and graphics are the stars. Exploring the world, especially on ultra settings is incredible and leads to all kinds of dangerous situations with fights against humans, wild animals and monsters. Stalker 2 has a huge 64-km² radioactive world to explore and points of interest are highlighted on the map so you won’t get too lost. Searching and scavenging takes up a large part of the game which isn’t unexpected since Stalker 2 is a survival FPS title:
Combat is very fluid and you can take any approach to combat you like. There’s a wide range of weapons to scavenge here but, you’ll need to be strategic since weapons and gear degrade relatively quickly. Stalker 2 doesn’t allow you to become comfortable and keep the exact same combat style throughout the game. It keeps you on edge and forces you to adapt to whatever The Zone has to offer.
Blending FPS with survival and horror elements, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a challenging game where a lot can go wrong. Even without the humans, animals and monsters trying to kill you, the land itself is also dangerous. Radiation and psionic energies have warped the landscape. Lethal emision storms can swamp The Zone and kill anyone caught outside within seconds. At the same time, Skif will die if he’s shot multiple times, needs to eat semi-regularly and the psychic horrors lurking in The Zone can really mess with his head.
I’m only 10 hours in but I can thoroughly say I’m addicted. I haven’t played Stalker 1 and there are some references to the 1st game but it doesn’t affect the story or gameplay. Unreal Engine 5 really shines and the developers have used new technology to really making an impact on all gaming. The atmosphere and sound design is fantastic. The graphics and story has easily kept me immersed and I’m super invested in the outcome of finishing. If you’re looking to receive the full experience I highly suggest upgrading to a ZOTAC RTX 4000 series graphics card and enabled ultra settings, DLSS 3 and Ray tracing!
If you’re struggling to meet the £50 Steam price tag we highly recommend you go check out our sponsored Kinguin where their on a mission to bring games to everyone. You can find Stalker 2 on Kinguin for £32 and use discount code “BNQ” for an additional saving!
Overall Rating
