S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl from developer GSC Game World has been a long time coming, and after several delays, the final product is right around the corner - launching November 20, 2024, for PC and Xbox Series consoles. And with that, the development team has just dropped a new 35-minute deep-dive video, taking a closer look at the game and The Zone.
Fans of the original games will undoubtedly feel a sense of familiarity with the bleak isolation from exploring the Zone. The developers note that even though STALKER 2 has a story to tell, with quests, factions, and missions to discover and undertake, players will be free to explore the world, and it will be as tough and challenging as the original games.
Making the game easy would not be an authentic "STALKER experience," GSC adds, and a player's skill and familiarity with the environment will drive progression - not skills and abilities that unlock.
Modeled after the real-world Exclusion Zone, STALKER 2's environments look incredible and terrifying in equal measure.
The game's realistic depiction of Chornobyl features 20 distinct regions to explore, filled with dangerous, mutated, supernatural animals, entities, and humans. There are various weapons to discover, crafting, and gadgets to ensure that no two playthroughs are the same. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is shaping up to be pretty epic, with the developers also noting that the final game features over three hours of cinematics.
The highly anticipated S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is also coming to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass on day one.
- Read more: John Carpenter is helping make a new Halloween game
- Read more: Big 3 console hardware revenues compared: Xbox made just 13% of annual earnings from hardware
- Read more: Dishonored and Prey creator's next game mixes first-person action with Fallout
- Read more: Witcher 4 updates: 'We know Geralt will be a part of the game,' voice actor says