Chernobylite is one of the most anticipated games ever since its reveal a couple of years ago. The survival horror game that takes you into the heart of Chernobyl and the ghost town of Pripyat had a lot of expectations ever since it has been teased back in 2019. And boy, does it deliver! Whether you are a fan of horror games, or more focused on survival/combat, Chernobylite has everything on top of a gripping story that will have you hooked instantly. I was lucky enough to get a review copy of the game on PC, thanks to The Farm 51 and All In! Games SA. But before you decide to buy the full game, read this review of Chernobylite to better understand what you are stepping into and what to expect.
Chernobylite is a sci-fi survival horror RPG that is set in the real-world Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. It will have you making meaningful decisions that will affect the story of the game. From crafting and base building to companion management, you will have plenty of things to do when you are not rushing to reach the end. Everyone knows about Chernobyl nuclear disaster that occurred in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, blowing up back in 1986 and since becoming an unforgettable event in recent history. Chernobylite the game is based in this exclusion zone, where the developers have 3D scanned this wasteland and brought it into the game in the most accurate and beautiful manner.
In Chernobylite, you take the role of Igor, a former employee of the power plant in search of his missing fiancé, Tatyana. Right from the get-go, you are placed in a vivid dream where you can see Tatyana conversing with you, calling you into this eerie adventure. As you wake up and get back into reality, you find yourself with two hired comrades helping you get into the power plant that has been taken over by the NRA soldiers. This mysterious corporation is out experimenting the valuable mineral called Chernobylite, which allows humans to travel through space and time. Igor’s first task is to get his hands on some Chernobylite himself, which will allow him to travel through time, and most importantly, uncover secrets about Tatyana.
You are never completely alone in the game, as your starting companion, Olivier, helps you out in the home base and helps you familiarize with your base, crafting, companion management, and missions. While Igor’s desperation to locate his fiancé will be ever so apparent, you will quickly understand that you cannot do this alone, without the help of companions, who come with set roles. These include a sniper, a spy, and an imposter NRA soldier that will help you get into enemy territory, making it easier to complete a heist.
And this is where the game’s design truly comes out, which apart from your main quest will task you in taking things one day at a time completing tasks, bonding with companions, and making your base stronger and better. Every day that you get up, you will have multiple missions to complete apart from your main story mission. These missions vary from collecting food rations, medicines, and supplies that you can do yourself, or assign to your companions. At the end of the day when you travel back to your base, the rewards are all collected, your companions are then managed by sharing rations and other survival items. During your time in the base, you can do all kinds of activities from building shelter facilities, to upgrade benches to help everyone in the base
As for the open-world of Chernobylite, there are six open-world zones that can be explored individually. These zones contain various side missions and main quest missions, along with many other secrets waiting for you to uncover. As you progress in the story and visit each zone, these areas will change and get progressively tougher as they get inhabited by soldiers and mutant monsters. The open-world zones also contain tons of materials and loot that are important for all sorts of building and crafting back at your base. These materials also help you craft healing items and ammo, which, fortunately, can also be crafted out in the world with the quick crafting of a campfire or workbench.
Moving on to combat and stealth, both of which are very satisfying and a major plus point about Chernobylite. Although you won’t start with the best of weapons at first, the starting pistol will give you a good taste of how the combat system works, and more importantly, how stealth matters in your approach. Instead of going in guns blazing, you can crouch and hide in bushes to stay out of enemy sight. Approaching each target quietly and going for the melee takedown not only helps you save precious ammo but grants you full control over the enemy. Having said that, stealth won’t always work and you will eventually get caught out in a gunfight. The AI is not that difficult to handle, even if you play it on the hardest of difficulty, where you can still take cover and blast a few headshots from sneaky angles.
Speaking of difficulty, a feature that I have never seen was the multi difficulty setting. Right from the beginning, the game wastes no time in asking where you want the game to work for you and what kind of challenges you like. There are three different areas that you can control and adjust difficulty. These are companion management, combat, and scavenging. You can adjust the easiest setting for companion management if that is not your thing but can go for hard combat difficulty if your focus and enjoyment is around fighting. Chernobylite can let players customize their own gameplay experience, giving them freedom in choosing what they want in the gameplay.
Companions in the game are an integral part of both the gameplay and the story. Each companion will have a lasting effect on the player as you increase your bonds with them. Each companion has their own personality and behavior, where at times you will be questioning if you really need them in your base. Companions also help you learn new skills, which is a very unique way to unlock skills, unlike games where you can just head to the pause menu. As you gain XP and level up, you will get a skill point. Heading back to the base and talking to a companion will allow you to train with them to learn a specific skill with a short tutorial. This I thought was very unique and engaging as it physically allowed you to practice the skill in action.
Final Verdict:
Chernobylite is an excellent survival horror game that I would highly recommend to anyone. The Farm 51 has done an exceptional job in producing and bringing the true Chernobyl experience, which in my opinion, was never before seen thanks to its 3D scanned photogrammetry. Paired with an intriguing, mysterious story and engaging combat/management system, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was coming from an indie developer. The game shows how the dev team truly cared about the experience from the small details of capturing abandoned Soviet-era buildings, to the haunting radiation zones near the disaster site. Chernobylite is currently available for PC via Steam and is currently offering a discount for the base game and the core bundle.
Final Score: 9.5/10
