Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl review – transfixing Ukrainian dystopia built on underlying tragedy
When GSC Game World, a Ukrainian developer, launched the dystopian game Stalker in 2007, it was viewed as a darkly unrealistic work of speculative fiction. Drawing significant inspiration from the cult classic novel Roadside Picnic, the game envisioned a different timeline where a scientific experiment in 2006 led to a second Chernobyl disaster. This resulted in a large, contaminated area packed with potent space-time anomalies, inhabited only by mutants and the game's namesake stalkers—individuals who roamed the desolate landscape in search of precious artifacts.
The follow-up, on the other hand, comes at a time that is markedly different, as its long production timeline was influenced by the Covid pandemic as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Today, the concept of Stalker feels much more realistic, with its themes carrying a stronger sense of immediacy and genuine relevance.
To highlight this idea, Stalker 2 opens with an apartment building being completely demolished in a massive explosion. As a result, the main character, Skef, who is now without a home, enters the Zone with a high-tech scanning device that might help him on his journey for revenge and freedom. However, he is soon overpowered by a mysterious gang and knocked out. When he comes to, he discovers that his scanner has been taken and he is now left alone in the contaminated wasteland.
What follows is an incredibly tough survival journey where you’ll have to make your way through landscapes teeming with monsters and bands of wild warriors, all while searching for your gear and trying to stay alive. The situation is always against you: your weapons frequently jam and need repairs, your supplies of food and ammunition are alarmingly low, and every building you encounter might have essential resources or rabid dogs or hidden traps—or all of these hazards. Throughout the map, there are scattered safe houses where various characters gather, providing chances to trade, upgrade weapons, take on side quests, and access other resources. You collect what you can before heading back into the uncertain wilderness.
The setting of Stalker 2 is strikingly gorgeous yet treacherous: a constantly shifting landscape of meadows, marshes, and woodlands, where nature reclaims the remnants of human civilization. One minute, you're navigating a rocky trail under a bright sun, and the next, a storm rolls in, with fierce winds whipping leaves and debris into the darkening air. Anomalies are everywhere—sometimes they appear as floating blobs of antimatter, at other times as explosive mini volcanoes that obstruct your path—all of which can be fatal if you don’t learn to recognize and steer clear of them. Similar to Death Stranding, this game is focused on solitary exploration, where you find yourself wandering for long stretches with a heavy backpack full of treasures and dwindling stamina, desperately seeking shelter in some shack for a moment of peace. The tension and immersion are so intense that it’s hard not to get drawn into the experience.
The storyline resembles a tangled, murky maze. There's an overwhelming amount of background information, featuring countless feuding groups, cults, and armed factions, making it difficult to keep track of the characters, their story arcs, and alliances. The situation isn't improved by clunky voice acting and clumsy dialogue, nor by the fact that the world seems primarily inhabited by grumpy, bald men sporting the same style of goatees. It feels as though you've stepped into a chaotic post-apocalyptic beer festival. When I finally met a woman after hours of gameplay, it felt like finding an unexpected oasis in the middle of a desert.
During the pre-release phase, I came across many issues, including character models that weren't fully developed, side quests that didn't register as completed, and cinematic scenes that nearly came to a halt. While significant updates have resolved many of these problems, I doubt the game will operate perfectly for at least a few more weeks.
I found myself immersed in the game, often playing late into the night, captivated by its peculiar and flawed world. Among the various dystopian tales created in recent years, this game stands out for its intense feelings of hopelessness and an underlying sense of sorrow. It's nearly impossible to roam through the desolate landscapes, stepping over the remnants of destroyed towns, abandoned helicopters, and corroded tanks, without considering the experiences and realizations of its creators. To shed light on this journey, GSC Game World even produced a documentary called War Game.
Is Stalker 2 a metaphor for the Russian invasion? One of the key military groups in the game, known as the Ward, has entered the Zone, asserting that they're there to restore order, but their true motive seems to be the annexation of the territory for their own state. You can draw your own conclusions from that.
At its core, the game delves into the theme of trauma, evoking an intensity reminiscent of Elem Klimov’s *Come and See* and Michael Herr’s *Dispatches*. As you progress, you uncover new weapons, enhance them, form new alliances, and unlock fresh locations and map areas. The story propels you deeper into the Zone, revealing the unknown horrors that lie ahead. The feeling of impending doom, the loneliness that permeates the experience, and the portrayal of humanity barely surviving are both grim and striking.
Stalker 2 is a unique, daring, and occasionally flawed tribute to standing firm against formidable challenges. Its vision is bold and unyielding, which can sometimes work against it, drawing you into a dark realm filled with science, violence, and chaos. If you enjoyed Dragon's Dogma 2, which also danced around the edge of self-mockery with its quirky mechanics, unusual characters, and general imperfections, you’ll likely manage well with the technical and storytelling quirks of this game. Much like the stalkers navigating its devastated landscape, you might find yourself adapting and pushing forward. If you believed that developers have stopped creating ambitious, one-of-a-kind open-world experiences, think again: they’re still doing it, and many have overcome significant obstacles to bring their visions to life.
