I’m three deaths into an encounter. Wasn’t planning on sticking around much, but there’s a stash hidden under a broken log and it’s guarded by a pack of rabid mutant dogs. With each attempt, something weird happens, weirder than anything I’ve ever ran into in the Zone. Wait, why is that mutt standing in place? Free shot. Awesome. Oh no, I ran into an anomaly. Dead again. If you are feeling lost, it’s because you are. Welcome to the world of STALKER 2: Shadow of Chornobyl.
It took developer GSC Game World a long time to get this game out. Way too long. But unlike other game development cycles that are hindered by more mundane things like technical issues or lack of funds, they ran into literal war. With the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February of 2022, what was an already quite delayed game – 14 years between it and the last entry released, Call of Pripyat – turned into a far, far more distant dream for its devs. Some of them even saw themselves joining in the actual fighting, trading their in-game fiction into harsh cold reality.
But good things come to those who wait, and while, sadly, conflict remains in Ukraine, Shadow of Chornobyl finally came out on PlayStation 5 with a port that is sure to please those without a powerful enough PC or an Xbox to call their own. And for someone like me with some very cherished memories of skulking around the ravaged Zone – the large irradiated area that surrounds the doomed nuclear power plant, home to all manner of deadly creatures and bizarre phenomena – years ago, it’s like I’ve never left.
Playing as a lone Stalker who was swindled out of a deal and is now after sweet revenge, getting to live through STALKER 2’s unique flavor of the post nuclear apocalypse has been insanely immersive, thanks to the obvious leap in technology since the early 2000s entries in the series. Shadow of Chornobyl is simply gorgeous, with incredible weather effects that rival and sometimes surpass the competition’s, honestly.
The game somewhat tries to be a tad more demanding than say, Fallout, in terms of keeping your guy alive in the midst of all the dangers related to radioactivity, forcing you to keep an eye on your Geiser counter at all times, as well as the sometimes hard to pick out signs of anomalies – deadly “natural” traps that can instantly kill you if you get too close – once you’re through this sequel’s admittedly demanding first hour of play, it establishes itself as more of an exploration and resource management adventure than anything else.
Sure, there’s combat in it, but its immersiveness comes in the way you can skulk around and take more creative approaches to potential encounters, all of which can have profound consequences in the way you interact with other living beings around you. Living in such a hostile environment is not for the weak of heart, and the humans you run into as you explore the vastness of the Zone are always dangerous, as the people in this game are weird and can quickly turn on you if you’re not careful.
Factions present themselves in the form of the Ward, a newly-established local militia group who has taken over in the period between the previous entries and this game, the others – read: stalkers – who they aren’t too keen on having them loot and conduct their business in their territory, and everything else inbetween, which happens to be a whole lot that should remain unspoiled. So if you hope to survive, it’s a good idea to weigh the pros and cons of playing nice with them. Or, while not recommended, be a true loner and face the Zone by yourself.
It’s totally possible to stick with one through the entirety of STALKER 2, but you are encouraged to carve your own path through its very flexible mission and reputation structure. If you happen to really piss off one end of the spectrum, though, you can always fix things by spending some of your hard-earned cash, or, if you are feeling gutsy, just raid their base and give their leader a good talk-to.
STALKER 2 2: Shadow of Chornobyl runs surprisingly well on the base PS5. Lighting effects like HDR and higher refresh rate make it look sharp especially on newer displays. And when playing in performance mode, it certainly lives up to the name, with little to no drops in frames; a nice balance of visuals and smoothness that has kept me going for more than 15 hours of play so far.
The same can’t be said, however, when it comes to bugs. The aforementioned enemy behavior issues do pop up occasionally, where some just stop dead at their tracks, turning them into sitting ducks. On the other hand, I’ve yet to run into more serious problems like crashes, something I was accustomed to with the earlier entries on PC – and more recently, on console via the problematic Enhanced Editions – and was expecting to see happen here, which has been nice.
It’s bittersweet to finally be able to play the sequel to one of my favorite videogaming experiences ever knowing that the folks behind it are forced to contend with their home being unjustly invaded on a daily basis. Still, hopefully GSC can take some satisfaction in knowing that they have succeeded in crafting a worthwhile follow-up and that indeed it has been very well worth the wait for diehard STALKER fans like me. Here’s hoping peace will make its wait there sooner rather than later.
