They say that the sunsets following
a nuclear blast are among the most beautiful you could ever to see, and in many
ways, GSC Game World’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise has done a lot to represent
this. In the series’ bleak landscapes, many PC gamers have discovered a deep and
rich gameplay experience, as well as a fully realized world that can be noted
for both its barren wastelands and brooding sense of atmosphere. The franchise
has done a great job in the past of truly emphasizing that a game does not need
to be littered with eye candy and special effects in order to illicit a visceral
response in the player, instead focusing more on sparseness in order to convey a
feeling of isolation and overall dread.
Now, after a somewhat troubling
misstep that was S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, the series is back in fine form with
this latest entry, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. Call of Pripyat puts you in
control of a Ukrainian security agent named Alexander Degtyarev as he traverses
the barren countryside that is the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, a radiated locale
sparsely populated with mutated dogs, bandits, mutants, and all manner of
baddies. The game is a fine entry that will no doubt captivate fans of the
series’ previous incarnations, but those looking for an action-packed
twitch-based experience will likely be frustrated by the slow pace and sparse
combat.
The one area that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has
in the past and continues to nail is the sense of atmosphere. The game’s
environments, be you walking along the surface or underground or in the dregs of
a hollowed out city are captivating, providing all the depth you could hope for.
The Chernobyl Power Plant kicks out deadly blasts of radiation at regular
intervals, killing off NPCs and littering the landscape with new corpses for
looting. You’ll encounter several traders throughout the area, and see
ramshackle huts where the population seeks solace and brief respite from the
horrors of The Zone. The game’s combat is divided into large intervals, with
firefights occurring several minutes apart from each other, requiring you to
spend a lot of playtime simply navigating the huge environment.
Call of Pripyat is a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
game through and through, and doesn’t really shift up the formula from its
predecessors too much. However, the additions here will definitely delight fans
of the series and offer up some improvements to make for a truly engaging
experience. The AI has gotten a big boost, as NPCs will react more
realistically, and enemies will often give you signs that they mean business and
will rain down on you. Additionally, side jobs are a lot more interesting this
time around, giving you plenty of options and diversity aside from simply going
from one place to another. The game also features several new enemy types,
including the chimera, which is a terrifying night creature that strikes quickly
and ferociously, and the burers, which are dwarf-like mutants that can even use
telekinesis to pull your weapons away from you. As intense as these sequences
can be, the real key to Call of Pripyat’s gameplay is patience and approaching
these combat situations with a lot of thought.
Unfortunately, what could serve to
be Call of Pripyat’s best feature can be seen as its primary weaknesses. The
game unfolds at a very slow pace, in terms of both the story and the gameplay
itself. The empty and bleak environments paint a picture of a desolate wasteland
nearly devoid of life, but are perhaps a little too sparse for FPS gamers weaned
on more action-oriented content. The game’s story takes quite a while to pick
up, and many itchy shooter fans may not be able to stick through the game’s
slower early moments to get to the real meat of the game.
At times the game also feels a bit
too scripted and predictable, with enemies popping out at preplanned moments,
taking away from the otherwise open feel of the game’s exploration-based
elements. Additionally, the multiplayer side of things doesn’t work as well as
many would hope, with the series’ token gameplay mechanics and combat system not
really lending itself well to online play.
Whereas previous S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
games have had some issues with bugginess and polish, Call of Pripyat is a vast
improvement. The game runs smoothly and feels much cleaner than its
predecessors. The game really delivers on
an atmospheric level, and offers an impressive experience in a huge environment,
filled with agoraphobic vistas that will help you feel the sense of isolation
that the developers wanted to illicit.
The world of The Zone as presented
in Call of Pripyat is all at once a sparse, barren, and yet somehow a living
one, and the game provides a great sense of atmosphere in this regard. The new
gameplay elements are solidly implemented, and aside from a couple of minor
issues, this is one wasteland that fans will want to trek through.
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Gameplay: 8.5
While not a big departure from other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. titles, Call of
Pripyat’s gameplay manages to nail the sense of isolation and sparseness of its
landscape very well, with firefights occurring not really as often as they would
in other shooter titles. The game moves along very slowly and takes a while to
truly pick up and feels pretty scripted at times, but is an otherwise solid
experience.
Graphics: 8.0
The game’s engine is certainly showing its age and likely won’t dazzle you,
but the huge environments and open landscape looks very good, and even takes
advantage of DirectX 11 effects on capable systems.
Sound: 8.5
The game’s sound is very well done, with a sparse soundtrack that fits with
the game’s level of ambience, and some pretty good environmental noises which
can add some great tense moments.
Difficulty: Hard
Concept: 8.0
The story isn’t one of the game’s strong suits, moving along very slowly and
taking a while to get interesting. However, the game’s design and sense of
atmosphere is very well done.
Multiplayer: 7.5
Pretty standard fare as seen in other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and the combat
doesn’t lend itself well to online gameplay.
Overall: 8.5
Minor quibbles aside, this is an atmospheric and desolate experience that fans
of the series will want to jump into.
