Several years have passed since the last Stalker, but The Zone – a combination deadly nuclear wasteland and treasure trove of supernatural relics – isn’t something we’ve been able to forget. Naturally, GamesRadar+ jumped at the chance to enter it once again, jetting off to Prague in the Czech Republic to get an exclusive look at Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which has quickly become one of Xbox’s biggest exclusives of the year.
There, we got to spend several hours going hands-on and talking with the developers at GSC Game World about the long-awaited revival, bringing Stalker to a modern audience, and how they’ve tackled Stalker 2’s massively expanded open world. Playing the game is a great place to start as we dive into everything you need to know about it, but it’s also provided an excellent jumping off point for considering the nature of its brutal-yet-rewarding mechanical loop, especially with how it has evolved alongside its similarly post-apocalyptic contemporaries. We’ve also taken a look back at classic Stalker as well – refamiliarizing ourselves with the roots of this iconic series has allowed us to better appreciate how much it has grown.
Keep reading to discover our Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl Big Preview, your guide to getting started with one of the biggest upcoming Xbox Series X games and one of the most anticipated new games of 2024.
The Big Preview
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Cover Story Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl hands-on impressions: Spending three hours playing Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, we report back on the game’s opening and being let loose on the sprawling Zone to weave our own stories of desperate survival. Demanding and immersive, Stalker 2’s post-apocalyptic grit feels fresh compared to its contemporaries. Far from being sanded down, this modern shake up of the classic Stalker spirit polishes and adorns its edges. Enhancing the freeform promise of the originals, this truly huge world more greatly empowers you to approach missions your way. After our session, we find ourselves desperate to recommend the game to everyone else who became obsessed with the likes of Fallout’s survival mode and The Last of Us’ Grounded modes – a good sign indeed.
The video
Video But don’t just take our words for it! Allow us to show you what impressed us about Stalker 2 as well. Building off our time spent going hands-on with Stalker 2, we’ve put together a video version that really allows us to demonstrate why we’ve been so eager to talk about all the mishaps we got into across The Zone. The ruined landscape is at once grim and oddly beautiful, making it all the easier to become immersed as you struggle to survive against all hope while also marveling at the dangerous creatures and strange anomalies that lie in wait. Even if, like the protagonist, we might sometimes have no idea what’s going on.
The interview
(Image credit: GSC Game World)
Interview Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl interview:
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl – The Big Preview
