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Radiation gets a bad rap. Sure, it causes cellular damage, hair loss and weird mutations, but…well, it causes weird mutations! That means superpowers, right? If you want a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you could hardly do worse than soaking up some rads. Find the nearest neon-green pool of muck and dive on in. You’re bound to love what it does for your skin. Before that, though, maybe you’ll want to check out S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. You wouldn’t want to miss out on this awesome game just in case things don’t go exactly as planned.
via YouTubeAfter his apartment is destroyed due to the effects of a mysterious artifact, former soldier Skif journeys into the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone to figure out what happened and build a new life. The Zone, as it’s called, surrounds the massively irradiated ruins of the Chornobyl Nuclear Reactor, and it’s home to an endless array of wonders and horrors. From near-mystical artifacts formed from a combination of radiation and mad science to hordes of deadly mutants out for blood, the Zone’s got plenty to check out for the avid explorer. This has attracted Stalkers, the avid explorers in question, people like Skif who risk life and limb in a search for fortune.
It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, especially since the turnover rate due to death is pretty high. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a brutal take on the FPS-RPG hybrid, particularly at higher difficulties where a few stray bullets can mean your end. Ammo is fairly limited, at least at first, and both weapons and armor degrade rapidly over time, requiring expensive maintenance if you want to keep them in working condition. Meanwhile, enemies tend to drop near-broken weapons themselves that sell for a pittance (if they’ll sell at all) so your income can be tight.
Properly managing resources and evaluating fights before you go charging in are both key to success. Is it worth taking out those mutants if you know they aren’t going to drop any loot to replace the ammo you spent doing so? Do you think you’ll find enough goodies in that irradiated ruin to pay for the anti-rad meds you’ll need to keep yourself from rotting away after digging around? You aren’t entirely defenseless, as the aforementioned artifacts can lend a hand by enhancing your defenses, stamina or carrying capacity, but even those offer a tradeoff thanks to their irradiating nature. Further, once the money starts rolling in, you can modify your favorite gear and become a real force to be reckoned with…but that’s a long ways off from your humble beginnings.
This tactical approach works in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2’s favor, though, lending the adventure a certain thrill similar to what you’d expect from survival horror games. Making spot decisions one after the other keeps things tense, especially when any wrong move could be fatal. Those repair costs and scarce reserves of ammo encourage accurate shooting and careful use of cover as well. Every bullet you fire has to be replaced, after all, and you’ll eventually need to tune up those guns. Later on, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 opens up in a satisfying fashion, offering abundant resources and a chance to really lean into the fantastic gunplay, but be ready to live lean at first.
Skif largely works alone, but that’s not to say he won’t cooperate with others during his journey through the Zone. You’re able to offer your services to a number of factions, from the military peacekeeping Ward to the techno-libertarian Spark, and this leads to a variety of possible endings. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is nothing if not replay-focused, so when you fall in love with its unique variety of gritty survivalism, you’ll have a reason to come back for more.
That’s assuming, of course, that your chosen platform can handle it. I played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on a high-end PC and had a pretty solid time, all things considered, but it was clear that less capable hardware would have struggled. Even then, the game had its fair share of glitches and bugs, including numerous occasions where key shopkeeping NPCs would simply vanish forever. “Save early, save often” is great advice in a game like this, and it becomes even more critical when things might go wrong through no fault of your own.
That said, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still an experience worth having. This is a tense, exciting shooter filled with tactical challenges and intriguing exploration. Given it’s currently on Game Pass, it’s also entirely affordable to book your trip to this radioactive wasteland. Strap on your boots, grab some condensed milk, get your rifle tuned up and step into the Zone – this is one post-apocalyptic journey you won’t soon forget.