I’m going to say something about the new gameplay trailer for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl that’s probably going to sound stupid. The thing that has struck me, more than anything, is how Stalker 2 looks like Stalker…2. I know that’s an obvious statement but it’s the thought that won’t go away. It’s more Stalker, just updated, polished, and made shiny, which is exactly what I wanted.
It’s presumably what a lot of people want too, as Stalker 2 continues to be one of the most anticipated games ever. The FPS game is finally nearing its launch, so it’s great to be able to see a bit more of how it actually plays. The good news is that it looks incredible. Developer GSC Game World has done an amazing job with the look and feel of The Zone, filled with dilapidated ruins and all the strange stuff you could ever ask for.
Human and mutant enemies are on show as is tradition, as well as plenty of anomalies that will no doubt have a variety of effects on the player and the landscape. There’s also a few glimpses of downtime in hubs where you can restock, chat with NPCs, and take a breath before heading back out into the horrors. Hopefully there’ll be some nice guitar music and a few stalkers singing songs too, something that greatly enhanced the feeling of safe areas back in the original games.
One of the key aspects of the Stalker series has been its propensity to encourage emergent events. Plenty of times in the earlier games you’d see soldiers facing off against each other, or a mutated animal would run headlong into an anomaly, killing it with a colossal thump. In Stalker 2 all of this seems to be intact, with several different human factions competing over The Zone and plenty of mutants to fight. I’m definitely looking forward to taking my time with it, seeing if I can make my enemies fight each other while I scavenge stuff from their bodies.
GSC Game World is also using this trailer to show off a few moments from the game’s overarching story, a narrative it promises will be non-linear. There aren’t many details just yet about what shape this story will take but if it’s anything like previous titles it’ll be morally ambiguous and filled with delightfully odd and supernatural elements.
Stalker 2 will launch on Thursday September 5 and you can pre-purchase it right now over on Steam. Should any of this change, your best bet is to keep your eyes on our Stalker 2 release date article to make sure you stay informed.
While you wait you can also take a look at our recommendations for the best horror games and our best apocalypse games guide for a taste of the end of the world.
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