Although Destiny 2 remained among Steam's best sellers for September, it's now time to get spooky in October. The Farm 51 has just what true horror fans need: the perfect blend of survival and adventure. Ever wanted to traverse the radioactive wastes of Pripyat and Chernobyl? Now's your chance with Chernobylite, now in early access on Steam.
What The Farm 51 has done with this game is truly incredible. Set in the Exclusion Zone of Chernobyl, for which developers 3D scanned "using laser scanning, photogrammetry, drones, movie equipment and hand-crafted props and costumes," Chernobylite follows a former physicist returning 30 years after the incident in search of his long-lost loved one. As players explore Chernobyl they will encounter terrifying threats in the form of military personnel, radioactivity, and imagined beasts, called "Stalkers."
Revealed more in-depth on their Kickstarter, The Farm 51 has breathed life into their own sci-fi infused Chernobyl of the future with a non-linear storyline and real-world imagery. Weaving both science fiction with survival horror, the game invites a certain tension unlike many other games, primarily because of its real-world roots, but also for its randomness. This isn't Fallout or The Last of Us, despite utilizing similar mechanics like radiation sickness and crafting. Instead, Chernobylite feeds off of its own non-linear structure. Every moment is meant to feel like the last as the Geiger counter ticks louder in the background.
The Farm 51 says it best:
"The key is, how to get inside the most dangerous place on Earth? Collect equipment, companions and information. You can set off on a suicide mission at any time, but the more days you spend in the Zone, the better you'll be prepared for the final encounter at the Chernobyl's heart of darkness."
What makes this game stand out from many of its horror counterparts is the extreme randomness of events and the unique gameplay this elicits. Every character can die and every quest can be failed, it's all a matter of the player's in-game decisions. The Farm 51 states that "each game throws different challenges, different possibilities and tasks ahead of the player's journey," which ultimately creates this tension not seen in any other survival horror video game.
Fans of HBO's hit miniseries Chernobyl will appreciate this one-of-a-kind title made by a Polish developer of around 20 employees. This isn't their first foray into gaming, either, as they have worked on World War 3, Get Even, Deadfall Adventures, and even did some outsource work on The Witcher. Having exceeded their initial Kickstarter goal, they plan on adding even more monsters, locales and will even give backers a free Steam key to the game along with their Chernobyl VR experience.
Chernobylite will fully mutate onto both PC and consoles by late 2020.