After being delayed countless times, cancelled at one point and even to the point of shifting the development to a new engine. After being first announced in 2010 but due to financial and issues the game was in a development freeze until now. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally coming out for PC and Xbox series X and S. Join us as we take a look at what Stalker 2 offers different from its predecessors.
Story & Setting
Stalker 2 is a Open World Survival First person shooter with elements of resource management set in the post apocalyptic wasteland of the Chornobyl exclusion zone. The location of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster which occurred in the year 1986 in Ukraine, displacing thousands of residents.
Stalker series is set in a alternative future where the zone has turned into Unhabitable No man’s land with factions and monstrosities fighting over its dominion. Stalker 2 is the sequel to the original trilogy which includes Shadow of Chernobyl (2007) Clear Sky (2008) and Call of Pripyat (2009).
In Heart of Chornobyl you take control of Skif, not a lot is known about Stalker 2 story right now. But the devs have confirmed that the game will follow a nonlinear path of storytelling. With your actions having Short and long term consequences to the game world and everything in it. As the fate of the known world is in the hands of the survivors.
New & Improved Features
Being the first modern era stalker game, it is set to bring many new features and make it an experience everyone can enjoy. As the original stalker titles are some of the more tougher games for just an avid gamer.
Stalker 2 will have multiple new features which will appeal to the old fans of the series and new fans alike:
Improved Graphics
- Improved graphics – Being shifted to Unreal Engine 5 was a blessing in disguise for as it has provided the game with a far fresher look to its graphics. Unreal engine 5 is one of the best engines and with it the game has a certain look to it. Which appeals to gamers looking for hyper realistic settings,Lighting and characters look realistic with crisp animation and models. As seen in trailers and demos of the game it is safe to say that Stalker 2 is going to be one of the best looking post apocalyptic Shooters of all time.
- Survival enhancements – The game will have a fully and functioning Day and night cycle with dynamic weather. Players will have to take into account their Sleep, hunger, injuries, radiation and more to survive in this brutal world.
Weapons
- Crafting for weapons and ammo is going to be crucial to even stand a fighting chance. On top of that players will also have to scavenge for better gear and clothing as they progress further.
- New enemies – One of the major selling points of the Stalker series has been its wide array of enemies. Being in a post nuclear fallout world has its fair share of problems. The most challenge any Stalker player will face is when they come face to face with the anomalies. In the game, these are the most dangerous foes you as a player will have to either fight or avoid them to progress further
- The game will feature a wide array of factions and human enemy type with their own motivations for this world.
Survival
- A-Life 2.0 – The game will have a far better AI this time around rather than just being bullet sponges for the player to deal with. The AI of stalker will make the player feel that they are playing in a living breathing world. This will make every walkthrough uniquely different varying from player to player. As the AI will use any means necessary to take you down.
- Multiplayer – Stalker 2 will official feature a multiplayer this time around. While GSC Game World has yet to reveal the specific details about it. The studio has announced that it will add multiplayer to the game with a free update once Heart of Chornobyl releases in September.
Mod Support
- Official Mod Support – The Devs have announced that the game will have a proper mod support to Stalker 2. This involves giving modders information, guides, and support to help them develop high-quality content for the game. While there will most likely be a platform or mechanism in place to distribute and download the different mods.
- The Stalker series actively embraces mods to extend the game’s longevity and replayability with official mod support. As players over the years have heavily modded the games to their liking. With some of the mods even being so popular that even the Devs have acknowledged their quality.
System Requirements:-
Stalker 2 minimum system requirements
| OS Version | Windows 10 / Windows 11 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 1600X / Intel Core i5-7600K |
| Memory | 8 GB |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB |
| Disc space | 150 GB available space |
Stalker 2 recommended system requirements
| OS Version | Windows 10 / Windows 11 |
| Processor: | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X / Intel Core i7-9700K |
| Memory | 16 GB |
| Graphics | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB |
| Disc space | 150 GB (SSD recommended) |
Summary
Even after nearly 14 years since its announcement, fans across the world highly await this game. As the series has maintained its reputation due to the quality it offered to its players. Only a few games offer the survival-shooter niche what Stalker offers and its not even close. GSC games world is hoping for a revival to their beloved series and Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to launch on Sep 5, 2024. Pre order you copies today on our site
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