S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Reviews
Underneath the technical problems that plague STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a unique greatness. It emerges as a refreshingly brutal shooter that strives to hook you with its incredible atmosphere and leave you invested by the end of this long, arduous journey.
Full of anomalies in more ways than one, Stalker 2 is a mess of bugs and jank that nonetheless stays faithful to the open world survival shooter of yesteryear.
Just like in the old days, performance issues and bugs don't stop Stalker's mad, wonderful heart from shining through.
After spending 55 hours in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, I have no qualms recommending STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl to post-apocalyptic enthusiasts.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a perfectly average open-world survival shooter. It’s an interesting setting with well-realized characters, but it’s held back by unsatisfying gunplay and a run-of-the-mill sense of exploration. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. But if you’re a fan of games like Fallout, or you enjoyed past Stalker games, then this one is worth your time.
Stalker 2, in its current state, has too much baggage to overlook
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is rough around the edges, but its propensity for creating emergent moments in a deadly and alluring world makes this trip back to the Zone a fraught and compelling experience
Stalker 2 is nothing short of a miracle. Developed by Ukrainian studio GSC Game World over the course of seven years amid a pandemic and a war -- among many other challenges -- Stalker 2 is a labor of love and the best type of sequel one could hope for. While many long-running franchises have strayed from their roots in an (often misguided) attempt to appeal to as many players as possible, Stalker 2 knows its core audience well and delivers exactly the type of game we were hoping for.
It's incredibly buggy, but persevere and this survival FPS will reward you with intense shootouts and some wonderfully atmospheric free-roaming.
As it stands now, STALKER 2 is fun and has a lot of potential, but it would be unfair to call it good. You can easily sink 100 hours into it without noticing, especially if you have a deep love for previous iterations. However, the performance issues, overall inconsistency in many areas, and clumsy presentation will hold this game back until a major overhaul comes.
If you're looking for a game where "taking a walk" potentially means encountering psychic anomalies, mutants, hungry folks, and stalkers who probably want your last can of beans, then S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is your game. It's like extreme camping where you forgot the tent, food, and sanity at home. Is it worth venturing into the Zone? Absolutely. Even if it's just to brag about surviving to tell the tale. And if you find that last can of dog food, save it for me. You never know when radiation might work up an appetite. And remember, stalker: in the Zone, it's not paranoia if everything really is trying to kill you. Now, who's ready for an adventure?
Review in Spanish | Read full review
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an immersive experience like no other. It's a tense shooter, a gripping survival experience, an immersive explorable sandbox, and a stunning piece of art come to life despite the harrowing circumstances of the team behind it all.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a unique experience in post-apocalyptic games. Unfortunately, it all falls flat due to a myriad of bugs and technical issues. We are hopeful, as beneath the radiation lies a game with enormous potential, but for the time being it is not advisable to venture into the Zone.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl crumbles under the weight of its own ambition.
Fortunately, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is still on its path to greatness. It's just going to need a little more love to get it to its destination. I just hope the rest of the journey is a bit faster than Skif's walking speed.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl stands tall as one of the most captivating open-world shooters I've ever played, with palpable atmosphere and deeply rewarding exploration that kept me glued to my seat along with addictively intense and dynamic action that kept me on the edge of it. Some major issues with certain mutant encounters and noteworthy bugs and performance snags take away from the experience, but even so, The Zone will engross you with its haunting wonders. There's truly nothing else like it.
It’s a miracle that we’re even playing Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl right now, yet GSC Game World has crafted a world so packed with detail and excitement that you’ll yearn to explore its mysteries from the moment you step foot in The Zone. While bugs are as rampant as its mutants, Stalker 2 outshines its adversities in every way, forcing you to face its darkest moments with courage and resilience — something its developer knows all too well. If you’re looking for a challenging survival shooter to lose hundreds of hours of your life to, this is it.
Stalker 2 could be a great game in a few years, but what's presented at launch is a technical mess that doesn't capitalise on its best ideas. Compelling side stories and a brilliant setting do a lot of the heavy lifting, but at launch Stalker 2 isn't an adventure we'd fully recommend embarking on.
Ambitious and engrossing open-world immersive sim.