Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is desperate to kill you, and it will often succeed.
Fail to get indoors before an emission kicks off, and your life is measured in seconds.
These emissions are deadly, yes, but they’re also hypnotically beautiful.
In moments like this (and there are many others)Stalker 2’s atmosphere is incomparable.
This vulnerability makes combat tense and nervy.
But for the most part, rival stalkers and bandits are just as squishy as you are.
But they remain brutally difficult, and you’ll often survive an encounter wondering how you’re still standing.
It’s painfully dated, and lacks any of the texture that defines Stalker’s hectic shootouts.
This means that you’re free to neverreallydrop your guard (remember that path to Zalissya?)
There’s a practical element to taking optional missions: money.
Despite having all the gravitas of a main story mission, it was entirely optional.
However, the real drama comes from Stalker 2’s ludicrously ambitious main quest.
You’re frequently forced to choose between these groups, and these decisions have tangible consequences.
At every turn, there’s something that breaks your immersion.
Bodies and loose clutter often clip noisily around buildings, killing any tension you’re meant to feel.
Likewise, AI detection fluctuates between hawkish vigilance and willful ignorance, which makes relying on stealth pointless.
As someone who adoresthe original Stalker trilogy, jank and instability are issues I’m all too familiar with.
But Stalker 2, in its current state, has too much baggage to overlook.
But if waiting out emission storms has taught me anything, it’s that patience is a virtue.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.
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