GSC was revived in 2014, its first project a reignition of the Cossacks series.
All of which is vital context for understanding Stalker 2’s development.
But it also begs the question what is the game that has emerged from all of this?
How much does this Stalker 2 relate to that initial project from fourteen years ago?
Does it achieve the series' long-frustrated ambition of delivering a truly open world survival shooter?
“The standard changed, and we couldnt take that content we had previously.”
“We were doing it from scratch based on the Stalker 1 lore.”
The second question I’ll answer myself.
As for that final question, well, that requires a longer answer.
To retrieve the equipment he needs, Skif descends into an irradiated bunker filled with dead scientists.
“It’s not a marketing asset.
It’s more like a sharing of people’s story,” he says.
Grygorovych explained that Stalker 2 doesn’t reference the war directly.
“Our priorities [were] adding more cultural elements that show Ukrainian culture in the game.
We made more artworks, additional artworks there,” he says.
“It affects but it’s not related to the war.
It’s related to us being changed because of war.”
Two things I took away from Stalker 2’s first chapter.
First, it’s amuchslicker and more polished experience than any of the earlier Stalker games.
And it really does seem like you’re free to go wherever you want.
This, apparently, was one of the bigger challenges of the sequel’s development.
“It’s fun to solve something that you’ve never faced before.”
The stalker, whose name is Zhorik, rewards me with the location of a nearby stash of equipment.
But he also asks me if Ill help him rescue another Stalker the bandits abducted, named Gloomy.
While combat is more refined than the earlier games, it’s still distinctly Stalker.
Some of the similarities are very specific.
I assault the complex using a low quality submachinegun, which jams after just two shots.
All of this info is divulged through involved conversations with branching dialogues and full voice acting.
According to Grygorovych, this has been a major focus of the sequel’s development.
In my short time in the Zone, I saw these systems at play frequently.
Such flexibility isn’t exclusive to the open world either.
It’s also weaved into quests and the campaign.
This kind of reactivity is what GSC hopes will mark Stalker 2 out from other open world games.
The surprises didn’t end here either.
But after defeating the creature and retrieving the artefact, I received a “mission failed” notification.
Excuse me, Stalker 2, but don’t you mean “mission succeeded”?
This much certainly proved true.
