STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Review

Fifteen years after the last Stalker game was released, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally here. After going through the pandemic, relocation, fire in the office, constant hacking attempts, and then a war to top it all off, Ukrainian game developer GSC Game World managed to make it through and produce what is more than deserving of a blip on players’ radars — especially post-apocalyptic survival-horror enthusiasts. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a first-person shooter survival horror game that sees players stepping into the boots of Skif, a lone Stalker wandering the fictionally-revised Chornobyl Exclusion Zone as the story unfolds before him.

Since I began my journey into the Zone, my relationship with Stalker 2 has been a bit of a roller coaster. My first ten or so hours with the game were largely riddled with immersion-breaking bugs, unconvincing vocal performances, and occasional moments of panic as Stalker 2 threw way too many things at me at once. However, while some of these issues persisted, the deeper I ventured into the game, the more I settled into its sporadic awkwardness, and the more I began to appreciate its unique experience. At the end of it all, I’ve concluded that Stalker 2 is an experience worth having, with one of the most immersive post-apocalyptic open worlds I’ve ever explored, an unprecedented amount of player power, and gameplay that is rewarding enough for the challenge it poses.

Stalker 2’s Open World Is Its Main Character

Stalker 2 may have a lot going for it, but its massive open world of over 60 square kilometers is without a doubt its leading star. As the open-world genre is frequently bogged down by the same tired and worn-out formula, it’s refreshing when a game comes along and does something Games like Elden Ring and Zelda: Breath of the Wild have done their part to ensure the open-world formula continues to evolve in the right direction, and now Stalker 2 has taken the stage to show the industry what it’s made of as well. In a way, it manages to capture the essence of what Todd Howard has always claimed Fallout‘s Wasteland is: the main character.

For starters, Stalker 2‘s open world is entirely seamless, meaning the only loading screens players will encounter occur when they load their save file, either upon startup, selecting it from the menu, or after dying. This ultimately increases Stalker 2‘s immersion, which should arguably be the primary goal of any post-apocalyptic game — especially those set in a barren wasteland. Stalker 2‘s open world isn’t barren, by any means, but it is empty. Yet, this particular post-apocalyptic adventure manages to make its wasteland feel full and alive, which is largely due to its ability to utilize negative space.

Since Stalker 2 tries its best to keep players starving for resources and better equipment, exploring the abandoned buildings and irradiated pits throughout the Zone is never a fruitless venture. The main things players need to be wary of while exploring are surprise attacks from crazed animals, monsters, and enemy NPCs, as well as their inventory weight. In fact, managing inventory in Stalker 2 is more than half the battle, as it’s very easy to become encumbered if players aren’t picky about the loot they find. And since overencumberance makes Skif move slower, an inventory that exceeds its weight limit can be a recipe for a quick death in the end.

Where Stalker 2‘s open world truly excels is in its ability to create and maintain an atmospheric tension that’s almost impossible to escape. There are certainly plenty of dangers lurking in the Zone, but the world isn’t without its moments that feel like something out of a Quentin Tarantino film, where the tension could be cut with a butter knife, and yet it sometimes doesn’t even amount to anything. For myself, every little noise I heard as I traipsed through the Zone had me turning my head and aiming down the iron sights of my gun, even though it was sometimes just a bird flying away. It was always justified, however, as the enemies in the Zone, and even the Zone itself, always seemed to anticipate when I would let my guard down.

Regarding tension, when it gets dark in Stalker 2 or players head underground or into a cave, it’s almost too dark to see three feet ahead — even with the flashlight on. At one point, I turned up my brightness in order to see a little better, but I found that ruined what was originally designed to subject me to the dangers of the Zone, so I turned it back down. It’s not so bad traveling through the open areas of the Zone at night, but those routes that eventually lead to dark, abandoned hallways or caves increase the threat level as the quarters become closer and strange noises or spine-tingling roars fill the air.

Where
Stalker 2
‘s open world truly excels is in its ability to create and maintain an atmospheric tension that’s almost impossible to escape.

The Zone is also filled with Anomalies, which are usually damage-inducing (and sometimes fatal) if players get caught in them. These unique occurrences within the Zone defy all known principles of physics and can do anything from pulling Skif’s body apart to making him bleed out. For example, one of the more common and threatening Anomalies acts like a black hole, in that it attempts to tear Skif’s limbs from his body. Players will also find spheres of floating glass shards that will inflict a Bleed status effect on them as they walk through. Thankfully, Stalker 2 gives players an unlimited number of Bolts, which can be thrown into Anomalies to trigger and often disable them temporarily.

Stalker 2‘s Zone also has frequent bad weather rolling through the area, including Emissions, which are deadly storms that are only survivable from within shelter. When it’s possible to stay outside during a weather event, however, it’s often both captivating and terrifying to witness. There were plenty of times during my playthrough where a bolt of lightning would strike the ground directly in front of me, and since I was usually playing with headphones on, the explosive sound it made would send me flying back in my chair. Any other storm would generally add to the stress of trying to fend off enemy ambushes or just trying to get a quiet moment for once. It’s the kind of weather system I hope to see in Monster Hunter Wilds‘ Inclemency Events, but that might be too much to ask.

Stalker 2’s Lack of Morals Makes Players Powerful

Another of the game’s most notable features is its emphasis on player agency, which is far from a new concept, but Stalker 2 manages to achieve something that many other choice-driven games don’t. Specifically, whereas most choice-driven narratives give players a somewhat clear definition of right and wrong, Stalker 2 lacks those morals, thereby encouraging players to play it the way they see fit. I’ve often been referred to by my closest friends as one of the most benevolent gamers, as I tend to gravitate toward making whatever the game tells me is the best decision to make. However, in Stalker 2, that was largely out the window, and I found it highly gratifying.

There were plenty of moments during my playthrough where I had no idea what the best decision was, and this is why Stalker 2 shines so brightly in this area. Almost every choice feels morally gray, and this is likely due to the nature of playing as one of the Stalkers, who are known for being renegades among the various factions in the Zone — although they are technically a faction themselves. Their rogue nature makes them hated by almost every non-Stalker in the Zone, as they generally do whatever is best for them, and I fully embraced that philosophy throughout the game.

Whereas most choice-driven narratives give players a somewhat clear definition of right and wrong,
Stalker 2
lacks those morals, thereby encouraging players to play it the way they see fit.

There are numerous narrative events throughout Stalker 2‘s story that require players to make a major decision, all of which eventually work together to produce one of four different endings. But again, the majority of the time, it’s almost impossible to know what the “right” choice is. Furthermore, Stalker 2‘s emphasis on player agency isn’t limited to these major story moments, as just about every side quest challenges players’ morals, sometimes even giving them a short amount of time to make a choice.

For instance, I did a side quest where a soldier had dropped his gun into a ravine but couldn’t leave his post, so he asked me to retrieve it for him. When I did, I had the option of giving it back to him or telling him I was going to keep it for myself. I tried both options, and neither one of them resulted in the game making me feel a certain way about my choice, which is just a testament to the player power that Stalker 2 offers. As far as major narrative choices go, they often come down to players choosing which faction they will side with, but it’s still sometimes hard to tell which choice will lead to what outcome.

The narrative as a whole feels a bit disjointed at times, but this is fairly common in open-world games. Thankfully, there isn’t an overwhelming number of side quests, although there might seem to be initially, so that helps with holding the main story together. However, it’s so easy to get distracted while exploring the Zone because of the almost flawless execution of Stalker 2‘s open world, that the main narrative can quickly be placed on the back burner, potentially resulting in some temporary amnesia concerning what’s currently going on in the story. That being said, there are enough “big” moments in Stalker 2‘s story that it can trigger an emotional response, even when some things are missed or forgotten.

Stalker 2
‘s story does suffer from some underwhelming vocal performances in the early game, many of which can break immersion, but they vastly improve as the story progresses.

Stalker 2’s Gameplay Is Challenging But Rewarding

As far as gameplay goes, Stalker 2 is not for the faint of heart. Players heading in for the first time should remember that Stalker 2 is a survival horror game, and they won’t have Fallout‘s V.A.T.S. system to help them take out enemies. Most of Stalker 2‘s combat sequences start out as ambushes, so if players aren’t constantly aware of their surroundings, they’ll find themselves struggling to get a foothold in battle. It is possible to get the jump on enemies and silently assassinate them using a knife or a silenced firearm, but these opportunities are few and far between. Plus, Stalker 2‘s firearms just sound so satisfying to use.

Stalker 2 enjoys ensuring its players never know its next move. Just when they think they’ve only encountered a room full of human NPCs who can be easily subdued with a well-placed headshot, a new mutant appears with abilities they probably weren’t prepared to counter. Apart from Bloodsuckers, who cloak themselves and let out a deafening roar that will temporarily stun Skif, there are other major mutants I encountered that drained my inventory of Medpacks and Bandages before the fight was over. For example, one of these mutants has the power of magnetism that can pull Skif’s weapon right out of his hand, then make it unload an entire clip on him.

While gear is the main driving force of Stalker 2‘s progression, players can also acquire various Artifacts during their travels that can provide helpful bonuses when they’re used correctly. Unfortunately, these Artifacts come with a massive trade-off, because unless players are equipped to handle the radiation output of the Artifact, they will constantly be poisoned and have no choice but to drink some alcohol or use an Anti-Radiation kit. That being said, as players find better gear, they will be able to equip Artifacts, benefit from the bonuses they provide, and never feel the effects of their radiation output.

Repairs and upgrades in Stalker 2 cost an absurd amount of money, especially considering how much the game’s weight mechanics limit inventory space that might otherwise be used to haul expensive gear back to a vendor for a decent buck. In some ways, Stalker 2‘s gear economy is reminiscent of the controversial durability mechanics of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and its sequel, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as Stalker 2 seems like it wants players to regularly replace their gear. Unfortunately, any gear apart from weapons is fairly hard to come by, meaning players will either end up armorless as they explore the Zone or bankrupt from keeping it repaired.

The reason this is such a big issue is that
Stalker 2
‘s progression is entirely gear-based, so a balanced economy is all but necessary to make the system work.

When it comes to the technical side of Stalker 2, it seems like most of the bugs I initially encountered were ironed out through pre-release patches. There was also a massive update just released that might have worked out even more dents in the game’s armor. That being said, should they still be present in the final release, players might find it challenging to remain immersed in the game’s world. Some of the bugs I encountered ranged from frustrating to hilarious, like the UI occasionally going transparent after a cutscene to a soldier urinating through his uniform as he walks through a crowded corridor where all eyes were on him.

I also encountered a bug where NPCs would not be positioned where they weren’t supposed to be. During one conversation, a soldier’s headphones were floating around where I assumed his body was supposed to be, but his body stayed in one place. The camera even continued to track the headphones during the conversation, which led me to believe I was supposed to be looking at the NPC instead. Fortunately, with how paranormal the Zone can be with Anomalies and such, the floating headphones bit fit right in with the rest of Stalker 2‘s strangeness.

There was also a point in my playthrough of Stalker 2‘s story where I was unable to progress. Thinking I must have been missing something, I tried every other legitimate route I could imagine, but I was still prevented from entering the location I was meant to for the mission. Fortunately, I was able to carefully make my way around the location and enter through a back door of sorts, almost venturing off the map to do so. From there, I had to guess who I was supposed to talk to, since the objective that initially led me there never updated once I got inside. However, after completing the mission, the objective was finally updated, and I was able to proceed with the story as intended.

There were plenty of bugs I encountered during my roughly 55-hour playthrough of Stalker 2, and while some of them initially broke my immersion in the game, I felt them lessen as I progressed deeper into the story. At around the 15-hour mark, I had formed a strange bond with these glitches, and that might have been due to everything else that Stalker 2 does really well. At the same time, that might not be every player’s perspective, so if bugs like the story-halting one I encountered are still present during the game’s full release, it might be a deal-breaker for some.

Overall, Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is truly something special. It’s not perfect, but it manages to succeed in some major areas that many other games fall short in. Its open world is one of the best I’ve been in for quite some time, but its morally gray choice-driven narrative is also something worth writing home about, with the immense amount of player power it offers. Stalker 2‘s combat is challenging and exciting, and there is almost never a dull moment as players explore the Zone. So long as players can look past some of its blemishes that are arguably overshadowed by its best features, they’ll find a memorable and worthwhile experience in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.