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After visiting The Zone myself for a three-hour preview, I’ve unfortunately got the receipts to prove it.
But in Stalker 2, I caught myself grinning at respawn screens and victorious shootouts alike.
Given how squishy protagonist Skif is, the difference between the two can come down to a single bullet.
It sort of worked.
Sometimes they’d catch me before I could duck behind a tree and riddle me with bullets.
“It’s about keeping that sense of being highly expendable,” says Bocharov.
So you oughta adjust, you oughta figure out these rules on the go."
Of course, there are some major differences between Stalker 2 and its predecessors.
“It’s about being authentic to itself, to the formula,” says Bocharov.
“In some aspects, [Stalker 2 is a] really modern game being released in 2024.
But at the same time, it’s old-school to a certain degree.
As Bocharov touches on, much of Stalker’s throughline is its challenge.
Yet the series' greatest strength lies in its shooting mechanics.
Gun recoil is jerky and violent, making crucial headshots hard to hit.
Yes, most human enemies will die in just a few shots, but crucially, so will you.
Bocharov also credits the game’s AI for giving shootouts that frantic, knife’s-edge feeling.
“They actually search for the player, and make their own assumptions about where the player is.
It’s a combination of all these elements done right, while being authentic to that original difficulty.”
Bocharov acknowledges that Stalker 2 will have a similar pacing.
“But this is not stable.
But it’s hard not to jump ahead.
Ultimately, it’s Bocharov that sums it up best.
Not ready to leave The Zone?
Don’t worry, ourStalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl hands-on previewhas much more to dive into.
