Today Xbox hosted a deep-dive event about the upcoming first-person shooter survival horror game Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
During the livestream hosted on Microsoft’s Twitch channel, we hear from the developers at Ukrainian studio GSC Game World that the game’s world, the Zone, includes 20 regions, each of which has its own atmosphere, architecture, and residents.
We get to see gameplay from one of the areas, the Swamps, focusing on a quest. This includes the exploration of a cellar, a pumping station infested by zombies, and a church, which is the most prominent location in the area.
Interestingly, the developers mention that players won’t be able to see all of the content in a single playthrough, as the story changes depending on the player’s choices. Each time you’ll get slightly different quests and meet different people.
There is no leveling system, and the main driver of player progression is finding items, equipment, and weapons attachments. Most of that isn’t achieved through progressing in the story, but by exploring the world.
Since this is a survival game the player will have to deal with physiological issues like fatigue and hunger. Not doing so will reduce their efficiency.
Speaking of attachments, there is a wide variety of weapons in Stalker 2, and deep gun customization increases that variety even further. Of course, you are limited by weight in the equipment you can carry, so you have to make decisions on what to bring with you and what to leave behind.
Interestingly, we also get to see how you can draw enemies into anomalies to kill them quickly and find audio logs to learn the stories of the people living in the Zone.
Lastly, the video showcases the cutscenes, including the performance capture sessions at the base of their creation.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl releases on November 20, 2024, following a slight delay that has been recently announced. You can watch the full video below.
One thing is for sure: The game has made a lot of progress from the build I saw last year at Gamescom.
