Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl will give you plenty of ways to approach each objective when it launches early next year. According to the developer, you won’t need to push through enemies all the time, as stealth tactics will be entirely viable in the sequel.
Stalker 2 is an open-world shooter set in a massive 64 square kilometers post-apocalyptic environment of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. With such a scale, players can expect all types of missions available in the game – from eliminating a squad of bandits to securing important buildings. However, you don’t need to rely on a loud assault, as seen in the sequel’s gameplay trailer, as the team hinted at much more sneaky ways to complete your tasks.
Speaking to fans on the official Discord account, GSC Game World developer known as McCulkin shed some light on whether it’ll be possible to play the sequel quietly and carefully. According to McCulkin, “the Zone does not like noise, therefore stealth mechanics will be important” in the game. He added it would be possible to reach the goal in different ways, not always by pushing through and killing everything that moves.
From the sound of it, it seems Stalker 2 will have a much stronger emphasis on stealth than previous games in the series. Naturally, players could try to play Shadow of Chernobyl or Call of Pripyat this way, yet lack of possibilities, unpredictable AI, and some overall clunkiness suggest you’d better not. It will be interesting to see how Stalker 2 is different and what mechanics the game possesses. Presumably, the team might take some inspiration from Metro Exodus or even the Far Cry franchise to implement proper stealth for their open world.
Stealth mechanics are a good addition to the game, yet we already learned that some things won’t be there in Stalker 2. The devs confirmed there will be no squadmates or animal companions, as well as any vehicles or driving sequences available to the players.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl is running on Unreal Engine 5 and will release on 28 April 2022 as a timed exclusive on PC and Xbox Series X|S before arriving on other platforms.