S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl has been a long time in the making. In development for several years, and coming from the Ukraine by way of THQ, this is an unusually long-awaited game. While at first glance, this is simply a first person shooter in a post-apocalypse-style environment, it manages to be a good deal more complex than that.

Radioactive Personality

The game’s history begins in 1986, when the worst nuclear accident in history took place. From there, it creates a divergent timeline. Ten years later, there was a second completely unexpected reactor explosion in Chernobyl, which had an even more profound effect on the landscape. In 2012, the game begins with another accident. A mercenary, called a Stalker, who works within the ravaged zone crashes a van that results in a bad case of amnesia.

Rescued and taken in by a local band of zone dwellers, you discover that your skills are valuable in this savage place. Immediately put to work to help out, the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is filled with odd jobs, tasks, favors, and adventure. Thanks to your trusty PDA, you know that your original task was to kill a man named Strelok, but discovering the hows and whys will take you through about ten hours of gameplay.

Fallout to Adventure

Admittedly, the main quest is just one aspect to the game. This quest-based design makes S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl seem like much more than a mere shooter. The game’s immediate pedigree is in games like System Shock 2, Deus Ex, and the Elder Scrolls series. Look further, and what the game evokes is a first person reimagining of the venerable, post-apocalyptic role-playing Fallout. The look, the feel, the characters, and the quests will all seem comfortably familiar to fans of Interplay’s classic.

It’s a shame that the designers stopped short of making S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl a true first person role-playing experience. There are no stats to build or characters to create, yet you have to worry constantly about bleeding, radiation poisoning, becoming overloaded with weight, and even eating. Weapons can jam and break, and instant death is always a threat. In fact, radiation poisoning and blood loss can be so unforgiving a gameplay element that the game’s difficulty level on even the medium setting can seem insurmountable at first.

Once you learn the ropes of this bleak world, however, dealing with such details becomes more manageable; but even so, novices and the easily frustrated will find a far more appealing experience on lower difficulty settings. In addition to the lethal environment—with random radiation-filled black holes—the world is alive with warring factions, seriously wild wildlife, soldiers, mutant freaks, and other seemingly endless dangers.

Factioning Gameplay

You’ll need to switch out guns constantly, search bodies for ammo, health, food, and rad kits, and duck for cover. Indeed, almost nothing in the game is friendly. While this isn’t a stealth game per se, neither can you play it like Doom. Disappointingly, the game doesn’t focus on letting you play factions against each other. Granted, it is easier to know who your enemies are this way, which is good given how numerous they are.

Teamwork plays some role, and you’ll find allies wandering around the landscape, or holed up in a rundown complex. Treat these guys nicely and they’ll be more willing to help you out. Giving them med kits when injured, completing tasks for them, and other similar things all make them ready to lend a hand. Another minor, yet commendable, touch is that many of the zoners you’ll talk to don’t like having guns pointed at them, so you’ll actually have to be polite and put your boomstick away before getting the goods.

Old School Russian Design?

While the design is certainly on par, if not better than, other current shooters, the technology shows rigors of the long development phase. The world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl looks good over all, yet lacks the more polished, organic look of newer engines. Character models are a bit blocky as well, but weather and other environmental effects look excellent. The audio work is very good. Authentic sounding voice work, exceptional ambient noise, and great gun effects highlight the sound design.

Although primarily a single-player game, multiplayer modes are included. Modes are mostly team and free-for-all deathmatching, but there is also an artifact hunt mode. None of these are particularly innovative in comparison to the great single player game. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. also contains some noticeable glitches. Mostly minor, there are quests that break easily and some problems with special areas that contain replenishable treasure troves.

Stalking Goodness

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is an innovative and engaging game, provided you can get over the steep learning curve. The game can be incredibly frustrating and unforgiving, yet also truly interesting and entertaining. Full of crazy horrors and hours of violent adventuring, this is a distinctive and original take on role-playing games and shooters.

Article by: Jason D'Aprile