STALKER 2 Review – Surviving The Desolation

STALKER 2 is a survival shooter that nails the atmospheric horror and feeling of desolation that it sets out to achieve. You are a lone Stalker pitted against the vast Zone, and against the Zone and the way of life in this unique ecosystem, your existence or lack thereof has no impact. A common theme of the story reiterates how the Zone is both a provider and an oppressor, a cruel mistress of sorts that Stalkers have a love-hate relationship with. And that’s exactly the kind of experience you can expect going in.

Before getting started, I’m going to comment on the biggest issue this game faces, and that is performance issues. Despite playing on a 3070, I was forced to turn the game down to Low for any semblance of consistent playability. That still didn’t fix all the issues, and sometimes the game would start dying after a lengthy session or when you speak to certain NPCs or load into some areas. There’s a massive day 0 patch planned, and I hope it fixes up the major performance issues because, at its best, STALKER 2 looks drop-dead gorgeous.

Set in the ruins left behind after the Chornobyl explosion, the game depicts desolate and deteriorating infrastructure, abandoned towns and factories, and people who are trying to survive by any means necessary. The scenery varies from horrific red skies, radioactive and poisoned ponds, and charred brutalist architecture to beautiful vistas, fields, and sunsets that will momentarily let you forget the horrors. Beyond the scenery itself, STALKER 2 provides a very unique experience and isn’t just a mindless action shooter.

Let’s start with our main character, the Zone itself. This deadly biome is a vast 60km square map with additional underground sections and buildings that give it an unmatched sense of vastness. Within the Zone, you will find mercenaries, gangs, mutants, the military, the occasional safe haven, and deadly anomalies that all have a sense of natural balance with one another. You are the outside element here to somehow survive and make your way up the food chain. The Zone is oppressive, and as you go from place to place, you’ll find points of interest and open fields; however, the Zone does not allow you the feeling of safety at any point.

STALKER 2, and by proxy, the Zone, requires your attention and respect, and if you are willing to learn its ways, you will get rewarded for this. The game does this by seamlessly incorporating survival mechanics with the different environmental hazards and enemies around you. Respect everything that can potentially kill you, and prepare your gear and backpack beforehand. However, if you waste your resources and pick a fight with everything that walks, you’ll find yourself beaten down soon, much quicker than you’d think.

There is always the risk of radiation poisoning, enemies, mutants, anomalies, and area-wide mass emission events that will immediately kill you unless you find shelter. Safe to say, death is a common occurrence, and you’ll have to get used to dealing with all the oppression STALKER 2 throws at you. However, there is a unique sense of progression and conquest that you can only get from a game like this that’s hell-bent on beating you down when you do manage to conquer the dozen or so obstacles in your way.

If all of this sounds like your cup of tea, then STALKER 2 will not disappoint in terms of the gameplay and atmosphere. Now, we’re going to give an overview of the quests, gameplay, systems, and some other notable details.

Quests in STALKER 2 vary in difficulty, with some of them being hand-holdy, while others expect you to be observant and figure things out yourself after several tries. Furthermore, there’s a fair deal of decision-making during all of these quests, which gives you a sense of agency. There are no right or wrong answers as you tread a morally grey area at all times with the consequences of the choices you make not being obvious at all.

If you truly love the game, you should invest 80+ hours into experiencing all the content here. The story starts off with a wild goose chase, but it manages to hook you back in once the real story kicks in. I spent 20 hours with STALKER 2 in the limited time I had, and I feel like I’ve barely touched the tip of the iceberg.

As for the exploration, it’s all about preparing for every expedition with clear goals in mind. You’ll rely on medkits and anti-radiation kits for most of your healing, but it’s also important to have guns and armor that are well-maintained. Running out of healing, ammo, or a gun jamming in combat is generally a death sentence.

There is no leveling system, and your progression depends on you improving or finding better gear and learning to master the resource management of your limited inventory. Prepare for a lot of learning in inventory management. You’ll also explore the map and treacherous anomalous fields in search of powerful artifacts that provide both benefits and drawbacks. Always think about your gear before heading out.

As for the gunplay itself, don’t expect an action shooter that feels accurate and responsive like modern FPS titles. It’s more akin to something like PUBG (for lack of a better comparison), where the aiming can feel like a random mess of recoil until you get some upgrades or better weapons. This is not a complaint, as it generally adds to the atmosphere and feeling of desperation in combat. That said, learning how to get consistent headshots is absolutely one of the most satisfying experiences you can get.

All in all, STALKER 2 provides a challenging but incredibly atmospheric experience that is sure to please fans of the original and draw in a whole new crowd of fans to this previously niche franchise. The Zone beckons.