After several sneak peeks and unfortunate delays, GSC Gameworld has finally released a substantial gameplay trailer for their upcoming game,STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. The new trailer, titledCome to Me, shows off a bunch of the game’s characters, environments, weapons, and much more.
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Most importantly, however, the trailer offers the clearest glimpse of what kind of gameplaySTALKER 2is going to have since its first showcase at E3 in 2021. From scrounging the ruins of the Zone for anomalies to surviving mutant attacks, here’s a breakdown of some of the most interesting elements that can be found in the Come to Me trailer.
7What Is The Noosphere?
Early in the trailer, one of the characters mentions something called the Noosphere. In theSTALKERuniverse, the Noosphere is an invisible field that surrounds the Earth that can most accurately be described as a sphere of all human thought and emotion—a kind of collective consciousness.
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This unnamed character mentions how people foolishly tried to tap into the Noosphere, which is something the player can learn more about by playingthe three previousSTALKERgames. The Zone itself is understood as being the result of various experimentation with the Noosphere. How the story of STALKER 2 will involve this is not yet known, as the trailer merely teases at certain characters, conflicts, and story beats having to do with the Noosphere and the Zone itself.
6Returning Locations
STALKER games are commonly looked at by fans as separate iterations of the same concept. In this case, the games (particularly the first two) share many of the same locations as they are all broadly set inside the same geographic location. InSTALKER 2, the Zone returns once again, and with it many of those old locations from the first three games.
The Come to Me trailer specifically teased locations such as the train hangar in Garbage and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant C-Consciousness chambers, both of which are inSTALKER: Shadow of ChernobylandClear Sky, as well as Jupiter, a location fromCall of Pripyat. The full map size has been confirmed to be an impressive 64 square km, so expect plenty of other familiar locations alongside these.
5Iconic Inventory And UI Systems
STALKERhas always had a rather iconic UI and inventory system that thankfully seems to be returning forSTALKER 2. Certain UI elements like noise indication seem to be gone, however, the compass now shows map markers and locations on, which is new for the series. Amazingly, the classic grid inventory system will be making a much-appreciated return.
With this grid layout, different objects take up more or less space in the player’s inventory based on how many squares are taken up by that object. A box of ammo might use only one square, but a rifle might use five, thus forcing the player to be smart about what sort of items they choose to carry along with having to worry about the weight limit.
4The Monolith Faction
While they aren’t mentioned outright, the trailer seems to tease the return of the Monolith faction. Monolith can best be described as a religious cult that has formed a belief system centered around the Zone andits supernatural properties. They believe in the enigmatic Wish Granter, an entity that lies in the center of the Zone, which as its name suggests, is believed to be capable of granting people’s wishes.
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The Wish Granter is seen by Stalkers as merely a legend, but Monolith takes this belief so seriously that they’re outwardly hostile to anyone who is not aligned with them in an effort to protect the secret of the Great Crystal in the center of the Zone. What exactly their role inSTALKER 2will be is currently unknown, however, they’ve historically been an antagonist in the series. Some have speculated that the blind man featured in the trailer is a member of Monolith.
3Weapons Of The Zone
As far as the weapons are concerned, the new trailer showed off quite a few returning weapons from previous entries in the series alongside some brand-new ones. Aside from the ever-present Kalashnikov family of weapons, weapons like the GP37 (or G36 in the real world), MP5A3, TOZ-34, and PK machine gun are all making a welcomed return inSTALKER 2after being heavily featured in its predecessors.
Some of the newer weapons, however, include the HK416 (which might be a replacement for the LR-300 as the game’s AR-15 style weapon), the Malyuk (a bullpup AK style rifle), and the Israeli IWI Carmel assault rifle. All of these weapons will have their own set of stats and upgrades that the player can find while exploring the Zone.
2Hunting for Anomalies
The Zone is in many ways defined by its mind-bending supernatural properties. It is a land where the normal laws of physics may or may not apply, where Stalkers can and will run into all manner ofmutated creatures or inexplicable artifacts. Yes, it wouldn’t make much sense for the game to be calledSTALKERif it didn’t let the player act like one, would it?
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In fact, this new trailer shows not only what sort of anomalies the player might come into contact with, but how they may deliberately seek them out and capture them, presumably with the intent to sell. This was a major component of previousSTALKERgames so it’s no wonder that it has returned forSTALKER 2, however, it has never looked quite as impressive as it does with modern tech.
1Combat And Enemies
As a gameplay trailer, one of the main things Come to Me showcases very well is the kind of combat the player will be engaging in. Enemies range from the standard gunmen types to raging mutant monsters like the infamous Bloodsucker, both of whom can be seen creeping around the overgrown and dilapidated ruins of the Zone.
The gunplayitself looks to be a good mix between snappy fun and weighty realism, which should be a godsend to anyone who suffered through the jankiness of the older games' combat. The player can approach situations differently as well, with the trailer featuring both guns-blazing and more stealthy segments. Choosing the right tactics for each encounter can mean the difference between life and death inSTALKER 2.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis currently set to release in December 2023.
