Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is out now for PC and Xbox, and GSC Game World’s sequel has met with a smattering of positive yet occasionally brutal reviews. Most critics heaped praise upon its engrossingly oppressive atmosphere and its dedication to building on the mechanical complexity of the 2007 original, while others are unable to forgive the constant stream of bugs and glitches that seem to permeate the experience.
Together, these crystallise into a consensus that marks Stalker 2 as the game plenty of hardcore fans wanted it to be, but one that falls short of mainstream success thanks to pushing the average player away at every turn. Even without technical issues, it’s not the sort of game that’s going to play nice. Ahead of launch, I talked about how it was destined to turn a lot of people off, and in doing so, it would gradually form a loyal community much like we saw the original three games foster. A collection of people creating mods, communicating with GSC Game World, and becoming permanent residents of The Zone is Stalker 2’s destiny.
Before its arrival, I had my eye on a couple of people when it came to Stalker 2 and how I could judge its overall quality. First was TheGamer’s own Joe Parlock, a superfan who had been waiting 15 long years for this sequel and knew exactly what they wanted from it.
He has been hyping up Stalker 2 for months, telling me how it was easily going to be his game of the year because it was unafraid to be harsh, uncompromising, and in some cases, broken. But so long as it offers the freedom to create your own stories amidst an unforgiving world brimming with possibilities, that was enough. Despite its underwhelming quest design and combat, which is consistently held back by mediocre AI and performance issues, you’re still in control of your own destiny. Every successful firefight is another step forward into crafting who you want to be in The Zone, and freely exploring that is what fans want.
Stalker 2 isn’t nearly as busted as something like
Cyberpunk 2077
was at launch, but it’s the closest modern comparison. Yet the climates around these two games couldn’t be more different.
There’s also content creators like CohhCarnage who have attracted communities with a love for niche PC titles like this, describing himself as being in a “state of shock” because Stalker 2 is delivering on every expectation he had. It’s quite an achievement for a cult series like this one that has attracted mainstream attention to keep its mechanical identity unsullied.
It’s intimately aware of the type of game it wants to be, and how that appeals to a specific player even if that means turning others off. I doubt I’m the type of person who is going to become a certified Stalker 2 sicko, but I’m happy for those who are, and what this game represents.
And Its Future Will Be Defined By Their Involvement
The original Stalker has attracted a rather hilarious reputation for only being good if you install a bunch of mods. It can be hard to parse on new hardware otherwise, even more so than it was back in 2007. GSC Game World subsequently brought a lot of these community members into the development team for Stalker 2. It trusted much of their combined expertise and how they could craft a sequel that not only lives up to their internal expectations, but what fans wanted from it too.
This cycle has continued with Stalker 2, with passionate fans releasing hotfixes or mods mere hours after release to address problems they were facing, aware of the fact the game that sat beneath was well worth the tribulation.
It’s also important to consider the development journey of Stalker 2 which saw so many of the crew members flee from the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Games like this are vital due to the communities they attract and the talent they foster, even if it’s just a small pool of players who pour hundreds of hours into The Zone before walking away for good. This game was so obviously made for them, and anybody else who comes along for the ride is a bonus.
That’s partially why the problematic technical nature of its launch and a few middling reviews do not matter. If anything, fans had probably already expected things to shake out this way and knew there was going to come a time when looking past the consensus was necessary. It’s not going to stop them from picking up Stalker 2 and embracing the creative vision that GSC Game World has spent years pursuing. That’s all that matters, whether right now or years on, when Stalker 2 will be treated as yet another cult classic.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the long-awaited follow-up to the apocalyptic first-person shooter. As a Stalker, you must venture into the deadly Exclusion Zone, contending with mutants and warring factions alike, in search of valuable artifacts.