When Ukrainian developer GSC first released S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl in 2007, there was nothing else like it. It’s an action-oriented, first-person survival horror with RPG elements, set in a fictionalized version of the Chornobyl exclusion zone. It wasn’t a perfect game by any stretch of the imagination. Still, its innovative blend of genres, immersive setting, and cheek-clenching horror firmly established it as a cult classic.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the fourth game in the series, but the first proper sequel. The expansive story is decidedly more action-packed and cinematic than previous entries, but retains the tension and atmosphere that made the original games unforgettable. What it also retains, unfortunately, are its predecessors’ janky tendencies.
The world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R centres around “The Zone,” an area of anomalous events that appeared after a fictional second meltdown of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Despite the dangers... Read more
