S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Reviews
Fans of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R franchise expect uncompromising action and are largely immune to the series’ rough edges. For them, S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 delivers, adding a vast open world filled with danger and discovery. The release day patch fixed many big issues, but the game still needs serious additional polish. Some casual shooter fans might be put off by S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2’s difficulty and opacity, but players who have patiently waited for S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 will be pleased.
One of the most beloved games is finally back, not without some flaws but full of content capable of gluing us to the monitor for weeks to come. A fantastic, alive open world, populated by credible NPCs who will accompany us along a well-narrated story with various side quests to be faced to obtain a particular item or for the sole pleasure of exploring the Zone. Excellently made maps, worthy of a PvP shooter (in terms of quality, the game is currently only single player), go hand in hand with survival horror atmosphere and gameplay. Some aspects, such as crafting and food management, are barely sketched, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl will be able to break into the hearts of all first person RPG fans.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In many ways, Stalker 2 succeeds in being a bold modernisation of GSC Game World’s classic survival shooter packaged and prettied up for today’s audience. That said, it’s a sequel that also manages to stay true to its in-depth PC roots by retaining an emphasis on resource management, scavenging, and a world that is seemingly as wide as an ocean that’s somehow equally as deep. Prevalent bugs and purposefully clumsy gunplay aside, Stalker 2 is an impressive successor worth the decade-and-a-half wait, providing you’re willing to meet it on its own terms.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a worthy successor of the original in every regard, good and bad. The vision is the same: an uncompromising game that will often frustrate you, but also offers a unique experience that can hardly be found anywhere else. It's the classic example where the total is more than the mere sum of its parts. Bugs and balance issues are still very much an issue, but they shouldn't stand in your way of playing, especially if you're willing to wait a while for developers and modders to fix them. If you enjoy open world games and shooters and don't mind a challenge, there's no reason for you to pass up on this game.
Stalker 2 is brutal, unforgiving, and not for the faint-hearted. While its storyline is poised for new players, its gameplay feels the opposite, providing a hardcore experience for anyone looking to dive into the Zone. Nevertheless, Stalker 2 is the kind of game that ages like a fine wine, getting better, richer, and slightly bolder as you push through its 35-hour campaign. That being said, the performance issues and missing features do leave a somewhat bitter taste.
Like the Chornobyl Zone since the terrible accident at its nuclear power plant in 1986, STALKER 2 seems to be stuck in a time bubble that ignores current industry standards.
Review in French | Read full review
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is one of the greatest disappointments of 2024. A technical mess combined with poor gameplay and a very hard to follow story.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
What might once have been intended as a rebuke to open-world excess is instead a cautionary tale, an argument for all the little carrot-on-a-stick elements that make a game like this feel like more what it is: a wasteland.
The hope remains that future patches will at least fix most of the problems mentioned, especially the buggy sound and the poor enemy behavior, in the coming days. And who knows, maybe Stalker 2 will experience a resurrection like Cyberpunk recently did and even put some mechanics like the fast travel system to the test again.
Review in German | Read full review
Fortunately, the extraordinary artistic inspiration of STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl makes up for most of these flaws and paints a still quite captivating picture that is worth getting lost in.
Review in Italian | Read full review
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is actually a difficult title to evaluate. We can't base ourselves on everything that the GSC Gaming World team members have been through to add points to the analysis or feel sorry for them. But the good thing is that it's not necessary, because after all that effort, I can say, categorically, that it has been worth it .
Review in Spanish | Read full review
While STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl features a beautifully-crafted rendition of the Zone and its odds characters, a collection of small flaws and annoyances holds it back from being a truly great game.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an undoubtedly remarkable achievement in atmospheric game design. This post-apocalyptic experience offers an unmatched dynamic open world that is bound to satisfy long-time fans of the series. However, the extremely poor technical hiccups and hardcore yet niche nature of the game prevents it from getting a full recommendation. This is not a game for casuals.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is an independent game, in the truest meaning of the term, and, beyond the hook of its mysteries, you may be drawn to it by virtue of being tired of other things.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a wonderful game to play and will have you on the edge of your seat. That being said, if you don't enjoy some light survival elements and more simulation based shooting. This one probably isn't for you, but if it is your cup of tea… you will lose hours to it.
We go out, we come back. We hope. Sometimes, someone turns on a radio. Sometimes, someone tells a joke. Sometimes, someone dies. This is life in The Zone. Happiness is when a friend plays a song on a guitar. Enjoy every campfire. Enjoy every energy drink.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a game you love despite its flaws, not for being perfect. The superb atmosphere, immersion, gameplay, game world and audiovisual setting collide with technical flaws that shouldn't have happened on the day of release, though we probably expected a bit of that. The technical bugs couldn’t fight the magic of this game. It shows perfectly how hard it is to give a one, final note – both high and low notes can be justified with many arguments. It all boils down to: how much can you forgive for the opportunity to dive into the Zone?
Review in Polish | Read full review
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an achievement for so many reasons. As well as being the little game that could, given the team's real-world challenges, the game doubles down on the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. way, delivering a sublimely realised sense of place with the Zone. Unfortunately, so much of the console experience is rendered so disappointingly undercooked.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an anomaly. It dazzles with stunning visuals, an eerie atmosphere, and gameplay that captures the soul of the original series. Yet, like The Zone itself, it's plagued by technical glitches, inconsistent performance, and design missteps that get in the way of its lofty ambitions. Despite its flaws, STALKER 2 has a strange magnetic force, and once you're in, it's hard to look away.