The gaming world is getting more diverse every day, at least in terms of video game genres. Napoleonic soulslikes,roguelike deck-builders, animal simulators, and sprawling fantasy-RPGs have all been released this year, and that’s barely scratching the surface. But despite the overwhelming variety of video game genres out there now, many modern games share similar gameplay features, even when fans would least expect them to. That’s exactly the case withSTALKER 2andDragon’s Dogma 2.
STALKER 2is a post-apocalyptic survival shooter with immersive sim elements set in the dangerous Zone surrounding Chornobyl that’s filled with mutants, raiders, and monsters.Dragon’s Dogma 2, on the other hand, is a fantasy action-RPG that sees players slaying monsters, hunting a dragon across a continent, and embroiling themselves with the complex geopolitical landscape.STALKER 2andDragon’s Dogma 2couldn’t be further apart from one another in terms of tone, story, setting, and gameplay, but the two share one rare feature.
Emergent Gameplay Is Core to The STALKER 2 and Dragon’s Dogma 2 Experience
A Brief Explanation of Emergent Gameplay
Emergent gameplay has many different definitions and interpretations, but it’s most commonly associated with immersive sims and open-world sandbox titles.Emergent gameplaymost commonly refers to moments in a game in which the action on-screen is mostly unscripted, occurring naturally through the merging of individual gameplay systems.
Emergent gameplay can also be player-led, AI-led, or a mix of both. An example of player-led emergent gameplay is when players can find multiple ways to complete an objective, such as instealth games likeHitman. An example of AI-led emergent gameplay is when groups of enemies interact with one another freely, without the player’s intervention.
As an immersive sim,theSTALKERserieshas been at the forefront of emergent gameplay for over a decade, often being used as a key example in definitions.STALKER 2continues this trend nicely.
STALKER 2 and Dragon’s Dogma 2 Have The Same Flavor of Emergent Gameplay
Proudly taking the torch passed from its predecessors,STALKER 2’s open-worldis filled with emergent gameplay opportunities, most of which revolve around enemy encounters. Much of the joy ofSTALKER 2’s challenging combat comes from working out clever ways to deal with large groups of enemies, such as luring them into other groups of enemies or sneaking past them undetected.
This player-led emergent gameplay is often paired nicely with AI-led emergent gameplay, with mutants or animals occasionally joining the fight randomly.STALKER 2’s Anomaliesalso feed into the game’s emergent formula, delivering some memorable moments, such as a mutant being caught in an explosive blast of lightning just before they leap to strike the player.
Dragon’s Dogma 2features a very similar flavor of emergent gameplay, with its own combat often blending player-led and AI-led emergent elements as well. It’s a regular occurrence to be attacked by multiple groups of enemies at once inDragon’s Dogma 2, but it’s also often the case that these enemy groups will start to fight each other. These frantic brawls can lead to some unforgettable moments, especially when large monsters like cyclopes or griffins join the fight.
BothSTALKER 2andDragon’s Dogma 2use friendly AI to enhance their emergent gameplay moments, withDragon’s Dogma 2’s Pawnsrushing into combat and using their free will to get into all kinds of scrapes, whileSTALKER 2’s friendly factions attempt to help the player by putting their own life on the line during a firefight.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone has changed dramatically after the second massive explosion in year 2006. Violent mutants, deadly anomalies, warring factions have made the Zone a very tough place to survive. Nevertheless, artifacts of unbelievable value attracted many people called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s, who entered the Zone for their own risk striving to make a fortune out of it or even to find the Truth concealed in the Heart of Chornobyl.EPIC NONLINEAR STORY IN SEAMLESS OPEN WORLDTake over a role of the lone stalker and explore photorealistic seamless open world in a 64-km² radioactive zone with a variety of environments that reveal post-apocalyptic atmosphere from different angles. Make your way through the Zone to define your destiny as you choose your paths within highly branching epic story.VARIETY OF ENEMIES AND HUNDREDS OF WEAPON COMBINATIONSMeet members of different factions deciding who of them worth your friendship and who deserve a bullet. Engage intense gunfights with a variety of enemies that follow different tactics trying to outsmart you. Choose your preferable firearms from 30+ types of weapons with numerous modifications that allow creating hundreds of distinctive lethal combinations.
