S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the unforgiving FPS survival adventure in a dark science-fiction open world. Scavenge for gear and resources, hunt for wonders, make hard decisions to survive and pave the path through the Chornobyl Anomalous Zone.
About the story
Yevhen "Skif" Martynenko, a veteran of the Ukrainian Marine Corps, has returned from a 3-year deployment in an unspecified conflict. He awakens to find his apartment has been destroyed by an anomaly that has mysteriously appeared outside of the Zone, leaving an unknown artifact in its wake. Looking to earn money for a new home, he is smuggled into the Zone by a scientist, Professor Hermann, along with a piece of technology called the 'Scanner' that creates local anomalies and can apparently "recharge" depleted artifacts. Venturing into the Zone, he finds his initial team he was to make contact with have been killed and sets out alone to use the Scanner in special coordinates where it works. On the third and successful attempt, he is interrupted by an investigation from soldiers of the faction called 'Ward', dedicated to controlling the Zone and stopping its expansion. The soldiers themselves are killed by an unknown third party, who steal Skif's belongings and knock him unconscious. Skif awakens and sets out to recover the Scanner and artifact, aided by a friendly loner named Richter. He finds himself on the trail of Solder, who sold him and the scientists the coordinates of where to place the Scanner, collaborating with either the local Stalkers or the Ward in the process. Following the trail, he is led to Scar, the protagonist of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, who leads an anarchistic faction called Spark that opposes the Ward and believes the Zone can be transformed into a utopian 'Shining Zone', as well as the Noontide faction, consisting of the formerly-brainwashed soldiers of the Monolith from previous games, who seek to make their own lives, having no memory of their pre-zone life or enslavement to the Monolith. They are divided between Strider, who aims to make the Zone a safer place, and Faust, who still preaches the original mindset of the Monolith.
Platforms
PC PS5 Series X|SGenres
Adventure Role-playing (RPG) ShooterThemes
Action Horror Open world Survival
Languages: English and 16 more
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Media
Critic Reviews
Eurogamer.pt
By Adolfo SoaresStalker 2 features a stunning world, supported by Unreal Engine 5, where the freedom of exploration and survival mechanics stand out. However, it suffers from technical problems, poorly structured missions, and problematic artificial intelligence. The launch was obviously rushed.
But Why Tho?
By Arron KluzStalker 2‘s bugs and issues are numerous and severe, but it stands as a testament to how great the game buried underneath them is that it still manages to shine.
GRYOnline.pl
By Dariusz MatusiakSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a game you love despite its flaws, not for being perfect. The superb atmosphere, immersion, gameplay, game world and audiovisual setting collide with technical flaws that shouldn't have happened on the day of release, though we probably expected a bit of that. The technical bugs couldn’t fight the magic of this game. It shows perfectly how hard it is to give a one, final note – both high and low notes can be justified with many arguments. It all boils down to: how much can you forgive for the opportunity to dive into the Zone?
Slant Magazine
By Steven ScaifeWhat might once have been intended as a rebuke to open-world excess is instead a cautionary tale, an argument for all the little carrot-on-a-stick elements that make a game like this feel like more what it is: a wasteland.
Atomix
By Alberto DesfassiauxS.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the greatest disappointments of 2024. A technical mess combined with poor gameplay and a very hard to follow story.
