I’ve already written about how Stalker 2 is going to turn a lot of new players off, but this hard exterior is precisely what makes GSC Game World’s radioactive shooter so appealing. It has no interest in holding your hand through tutorials or slowly easing you into The Zone. Only a few minutes after being let loose into my hands-on preview last month, I was given free rein to embrace its open world and carve my own path forward. One that would be defined by bloodshed.
But this is the experience I signed up for, and one I will eventually master, as I figure out how to defeat my enemies, navigate deadly environments, and become the ruthless mercenary I need to be in order to survive. This game won’t be for everyone, and like the cult original, will likely go down in history as an outing that is defined by its niche, but unwavering, community. However, it is also launching on Xbox Game Pass with a healthy dose of marketing from Microsoft, so the general audience is going to jump in whether they are prepared for its hardship or not.
Stalker Is Nothing Like Fallout…
My initial fear when jumping into Stalker 2 was that it was going to be dumbed down for a mainstream audience. It wouldn’t have been surprising, especially with the sequel focused on attracting a massive console audience alongside its usual cavalcade of sickos. But it’s nothing like that, and feels every bit the successor you’d want this game to be. You will deal with guns jamming in the middle of firefights, be murdered by packs of ravenous dogs, all while trying to figure out what exactly you even need to do in order to survive.
It’s stressful, and that’s partly what makes Stalker 2 so special. You get out as much as you put in when it comes to progressing the narrative and building up your character to be a true force to be reckoned with inside The Zone. It will take hours, but seasoned players are more than willing to take on the task, while more casual onlookers risk walking away frustrated.
But as a first-person shooter with RPG elements set in a nuclear wasteland, there are bound to be similarities to Fallout. I remember playing New Vegas as a teenager when a friend of a friend came over and spent the entire time comparing it negatively to Stalker. Fallout, he said, is little more than a hollow ripoff (despite predating Stalker by over a decade). I was a good host though and kept my mouth shut until he went home, deciding against dragging his ass because the two games are nothing alike. Aside from focusing on nuclear disasters and giving players a vast open world to explore, they couldn’t be more different.
For one, Fallout is pretty easy. Yes, you can crank up the difficulty and turn most enemies into obnoxious bullet sponges or embrace the survival mechanics of New Vegas, but more often than not, you are breezing through firefights by using VATS, so you can take on quests or meet new characters. The joy came from exploration and discovery without having to hit your head against obstacles constantly, while the general vibes and atmosphere were more satirical than outright depressing.
There were moments of melancholy to be found across the Capital Wasteland, but otherwise you signed up for a fun time, not a sad time. It’s also a series that went after a console audience long before Stalker ever did, knowing it was trying to capitalise on a mainstream contingent of players who fell in love with Oblivion.
…And You’d Be A Fool For Pretending It Is
My fear is that Stalker 2’s presence on Game Pass and the way in which Microsoft decided to market the game is going to burden it with false expectations, as subscribers jump into it hoping for an entertaining nuclear adventure only to have their teeth kicked in. Just because Stalker 2 revolves around a similar subject matter and occupies the same genre isn’t going to instantly guarantee it tickles the fancy of Fallout fans. If anything, it may turn lovers of all things Vault Boy and Brotherhood of Steel off entirely.
If you fail to meet Stalker 2 on its own terms, it will chew you up and spit you out, and only those with the resilience to meet GSC Game World’s sequel on its own terms will feel at home with it. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this hardcore reputation excuses the game’s flaws, and there were many to find in my preview build.
Enemy encounters could feel unfair or bullet spongey, while the quest system wasn’t especially compelling or building on the immersive sim design choices a game like Stalker 2 would benefit so massively from. It was in dire need of refinement, and with any luck, the finished game this week will deliver on those promises.
But if you’re looking at Stalker 2 and hoping it will be your next nuclear apocalypse fix, try to be conscious that this likely isn’t the game you’re hoping it is, and patience will be required if you truly want to see it through to the end. It ain’t no Fallout, and that’s okay.
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.