Playing STALKER 2 Just Made Me Want To Play A Different, Underrated Game Inspired By The Original

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the grimy, post-apocalyptic worlds of both STALKER 2 and ZERO Sievert, I must say that these games have left an indelible mark on my gaming experience. Coming from a background where I’ve seen my fair share of AAA blockbusters with their bloated budgets and underwhelming results, it’s refreshing to see the power of passion and determination in action.

Recently, I’ve begun exploring the world of STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a game I’ve been eagerly waiting for all year, given my fondness for contemporary extraction titles and its significant impact on shaping this genre. Despite some rough edges, it’s been an enjoyable journey so far, evoking memories of another extraction game that, in my opinion, doesn’t receive enough recognition, and was among my top favorites during the beta testing phase in 2023.

While immersed in the world of STALKER 2, I came to appreciate the numerous similarities between this indie masterpiece and its more renowned counterpart. The visual style, gameplay mechanics, and intricate details scattered throughout the various levels all echoed the original STALKER series, despite STALKER 2 not being part of it. In essence, my experience with STALKER 2 served as an unexpected initiation into the STALKER universe, even though it wasn’t a direct sequel to the established games.

ZERO Sievert Is The 2D STALKER

A Fun Indie Worth Investigating

A game titled “ZERO Sievert,” is a creation of CABO Studio, a 2D indie pixel-art game that’s top-down in perspective. After its official release in October 2024, I had the pleasure of trying out the beta version beforehand. Currently, it boasts an overall “Very Positive” review rating on Steam, and a dedicated fanbase has formed around this engaging game.

Engaging with STALKER 2 sparked the realization of its significant influence on the development of ZERO Sievert. The similarities between the two games are evident, from propelling objects into distortions in reality to pursuing both grotesque monsters and humans. Essentially, ZERO Sievert can be likened to what Terraria is to Minecraft – they share a lot in common but offer unique, enjoyable gaming experiences that set them apart.

In the game ZERO Sievert, players navigate through various levels, collecting loot at unpredictable spawn points upon completion of tasks. Similar to STALKER 2, you’ll encounter diverse factions and intriguing NPCs throughout your journey, with opportunities for multiple quests. The game, despite being only 2D, offers a significant challenge. Indeed, there is a learning curve involved. Players who enjoy slow-paced, strategic, top-down shooters will find themselves drawn to this title, as the gameplay is more deliberate and unforgiving compared to most games in this genre.

A New Extraction Experience

A Pixel-Art Extraction Game

As a passionate moviegoer of digital adventures, I’ve battled through “Escape from Tarkov”, “Marauders”, and even the now-defunct “Cycle Frontier” – but nothing quite prepared me for my initial dive into the single-player extraction world of ZERO Sievert. To express that I was instantly captivated would be a significant understatement. With my trusty Mosin–Nagant loadout at the ready, I found myself engaging pixelated adversaries across the game’s modest collection of maps.

A noteworthy point is the performance issue with Stalker 2, which is causing concern at the moment. Even though I have a 3070 Ti graphics card, Stalker 2 isn’t the most optimized game for PC. Early beta versions had some performance problems, but Zero Sievert is significantly less demanding on computer resources if you’re playing on a PC. It might satisfy your Stalker gaming needs for those using weaker systems.

The Development Is Driven By One Person

A One Man Army Started It All

“For me, the most fascinating aspect of indie games lies in their ability to craft captivating experiences with minimal resources. A prime example is ZERO Sievert, a game developed by the single-person studio CABO Studios, led by Luca Carbonera. This project was initiated during the pandemic in 2020, and updates about its development have been regularly shared on the CABO Studios YouTube channel.

It isn’t certain whether Cabonera brought on additional team members following the initial development phase. However, in 2022, CABO collaborated with Modern Wolf and made the game available for Early Access. Since that time, the company has been consistently informing the community via regular development updates.

In a landscape filled with massive development teams numbering in the hundreds and budgets that could rival full cinematic Hollywood productions, gaming is a unique medium where highly successful and, more importantly, fun games can be driven by just a few people. The STALKER franchise itself is a small studio, GSC Game World, located in Ukraine. It just goes to show that in gaming, money doesn’t always equate to quality.

STALKER 2 Has Potential, But Bugs Are Annoying

There’s Room For Improvement & They Are Working On It

Returning to STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. I haven’t delved deep into the plot yet, but from what I’ve played, it’s been enjoyable and captivating. In contrast to another game I frequently critique (ahem, Starfield), so far in STALKER 2, I find myself eager to delve into the side activities and savor the storyline. There’s a certain grim, rugged atmosphere and high-stakes missions that pique my curiosity, making me eager to uncover more, even though it has crashed on me a few times thus far.

To date, I’ve encountered some choppiness despite my high-performance setup, had a couple of game crashes, and got stuck in one area without finding a way out. Despite these hiccups, the storyline has been intriguing, and I find myself engaged with both the gameplay loop and the world. Once I delve deeper into the narrative of Heart of Chornobyl, I plan on revisiting ZERO Sievert to check out the fresh content.

Despite STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl not technically belonging to the extraction genre, its challenges and mechanics echo those found in the original series, making it feel familiar in many aspects. I’m willing to overlook the bugs given GSC Game World’s history and struggles over the past few decades. Just like ZERO Sievert, GSC started as a small dream shared by two individuals and has grown into a notable entity. This just reinforces the idea that passion and vision often lead to better games than those backed by excessive budgets.

2024-12-02 00:17