The origins of the open-world genre is a hotly debated topic in the gaming world, with some believing it to have debuted all the way back in the 1980s with games likeThe Legend of Zelda, and others believing its true beginnings to have taken place much later in the early 2000s with the release of 3D games likeGrand Theft Auto 3. Regardless of which side of the fence is correct,the open-world genrehas evolved a great deal in the last few decades, as have many of the franchises that began life back then.STALKERis one such franchise.
Releasing three games between 2007 and 2009, theSTALKERseries developed a passionate cult following upon its debut, and that following has stayed loyal in the 15 years it’s taken for a full sequel to finally release. Now finally in players' hands,STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylhas introduced a wealth of tweaks and additions that have pulled the series into the modern era of gaming, and that includes injecting even more dark beauty into its post-apocalyptic world. And this beauty leads to some stepping-out moments that go toe-to-toe with Bethesda’s.
STALKER 2’s Stepping-Out Moments Rival Bethesda’s
The Bethesda Stepping-Out Moment Has Become a Staple of Open-World RPGs
Over the last two decades or so, Bethesda has released a handful of belovedopen-world RPGs, most of which include something called a “stepping-out” moment. These moments usually involve the player leaving the prologue area and accessing the game’s open-world for the first time, essentially marking the RPG’s true start.
For instance, inFallout 3andFallout 4, these stepping-out moments occur when the player finally leaves the opening Vault, and literally “steps out” into the wasteland for the first time. InSkyrim, the stepping-out moment is a little less overt, with it occurring when players leave the Helgen Caves and exit onto the road that will take them to Riverwood.
These stepping-out moments have become a vital part of Bethesda RPGs, with them often being associated with the player’s realization that they’re now completely free to explore the expansive world in front of them. These stepping-out moments have started to seep into the rest of the open-world RPG genre as well, withrecent games likeElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreecontaining its fair share of awesome stepping-out moments, where the player is suddenly presented with a vast stretch of beautiful open-world that’s free to explore.
STALKER 2 Has More Than Its Fair Share of Stepping-Out Moments
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis full of these Bethesda-like stepping-out moments. The first time players hop the fence and enterSTALKER 2’s Zone, they’re presented with a long stretch of bioluminescent foliage and a dilapidated building, setting the juxtaposing tone ofSTALKER 2’s horrifying beauty. Similar stepping-out moments are then littered throughoutSTALKER 2, with players often leaving a structure only to be struck in the face by an oddly picturesque setting that wouldn’t normally be expected from a post-apocalyptic survival game.
MuchlikeThe Last of UsandHorizon,STALKER 2explores the theme of beauty in destruction. Though the Zone is filled with mutated monsters, gangs of murderers, and decimated buildings, it’s also filled with vibrant poppy fields, tall trees, and bizarre natural wonders that have formed due to the Zone’s anomalies, and this strange beauty is captured well via the game’s frequent stepping-out moments.
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.
