Life’s tough in the zone
The demo starts, and my health is already draining. Welcome to STALKER 2, I guess. This Gamescom, for the first time, GSC Game World’s long awaited sequel is available to play – albeit just the smallest possible slice. But while the demo may be only 15 minutes long, it manages to pack in all the grim, dystopian misery a STALKER fan could want.
Case in point, my health. I’m unconscious in an irradiated field full of anomalies. But that isn’t what’s killing me off. No, my character finally opens his eyes, and I discover the culprit: a mutant dog that’s been snacking on his leg. My character pulls out a gun. It jams. The dog lunges at his neck. My character struggles to hold it at bay, weakly kicking it away just far enough for it to land in a gravity anomaly.
Finally able to stand, I look around to find a stranger who’s been silently watching this all unfold. He chucks me a bolt. Right, yes. The field is full of anomalies. Bolts are a STALKER classic – an invaluable tool for pinpointing any anomalies in your immediate area. If I throw a bolt at a gravity anomaly, it’ll be briefly weakened, letting me pass.
Radiation is a factor too, which I discover as I dash past the anomaly and towards a nearby lake. My Geiger counter clicks into overdrive, and static starts to cover the screen. Not that way then. I double back and instead head over to the stranger, who advises I deliver a couple of medkits to some locals in exchange for a safe place to go. And with that, I’m left to my own devices.
RADIATION IS A FACTOR TOO, WHICH I DISCOVER AS I DASH PAST THE ANOMALY
I get the sense this Gamescom build is taking it easy on me. I check my inventory and I’m well stocked with weapons and healing items. A couple of syringes later, and I’m basically good as new. Still, I’m not feeling particularly welcomed by the Zone, which is why I’m not surprised when, as I crest a nearby hill, I encounter a man who immediately opens fire.
I shoot back, taking him down with relative ease. That’s when a pop-up in the corner informs me that I’ve failed a quest to meet some locals near a post office. He wasn’t shooting at me. He was shooting at the dogs that are now charging at me.
TAKING THE CHAIR
Investigating a building, I anger some bandits who think
