

The world itself is a lifeless one – there’s no wildlife to be seen – but it feels dangerous and unknown. There’s desperation in finding a cooking station to craft a healing salve when you’re on your last legs, or trading the last of your precious medicine with an NPC stalker for a few rounds of pistol ammo to finish a vital mission.

There’s enough suspense to be had picking through abandoned buildings as mercenary soldiers patrol outside. Whispered voices, flashes of unidentified monsters, fleeting ghosts – all these things have been done to death in horror games, and Chernobylite is at its best when this stuff is absent.ĬHECK IT OUT: How Salt & Sacrifice is bringing the 2D Soulslike up to date It very much wants to be, but the “horror” element is so clichéd that it’s hard to take it seriously. Chernobylite is a game built on its atmosphere, in more ways than one.

The English VO just isn’t as good, and actually takes away some of the authenticity of the dialogue. I said in my original review that the dialogue is better if you leave it in Russian and use English subtitles and it’s true. It also helps that they’re a well-written bunch. You level up by spending skill points with your group members, and if one leaves or dies, you’ll lose access to their knowledge. One direct side effect is the loss of certain skills. Later in the game you’ll unlock the ability to reset some, though not all, of your decisions, but it’s often impossible to know what issues could arise from certain choices. Sparing or killing the wrong NPCs, choosing the wrong answers in dialogue, or sending the wrong team members on certain missions can result in loss of sanity, health, morale, or even life. Failing these missions has a detrimental affect on morale, as does running low on food and ammo.īut your decision also have weight.

But you’ll also be looking for Chernobylite and clues as to Tatyana’s location and the identity of the mysterious black-garbed stalker who hunts you. Foraging supplies such as food, medicine and ammunition are the priority. Each possesses a particular set of skills to help in the heist, from a Sniper to a Hacker, but how you treat them and act in front of them will determine whether they stick around until the climactic heist.Įach morning you’ll send your NPCs out on missions and you’ll head off yourself, too. From crafting stations to sleeping quarters, alchemical labs, workbenches and botanical gardens to grow supplies, you’ll have to craft everything you need to survive.ĬHECK IT OUT: Ghostwire Tokyo Jizo Statue Locations | Guideįour more NPCs will eventually join your group (although you can miss them), forming a ragtag group of survivors. Set up in an old abandoned factory, you will need to gather materials to build up your base. Initially entering Chernobyl with two soldiers, Igor soon finds himself stranded with one of them and attempting to execute a heist to steal a sizeable amount of vital Chernobylite. This is pure sci-fi though, as Igor uses a teleport gun to hop in and out of missions and fends off extrasensory projections in the undergrowth.Ĭhernobylite console review: A quality port It feels somewhat unnerving to be playing a game set predominantly in Ukrainian ruins while the country itself is ravaged by a very real war. But it’s an undeniably welcome element of fantasy. This is a Chernobyl story that once again romanticises the hazardous zone in modern-day Ukraine, inventing mutated monsters and otherworldly apparatus to add to the sci-fi atmosphere. The title refers to the solidified crystals of radiation Igor uses to power his bizarre inventions. A protagonist haunted by a dead or missing spouse rarely feels original, but as the central mystery of Chernobylite it works well enough. As motivations go, it’s compelling enough if a little rote. You play Igor, a former technician returning to the site of the legendary meltdown to look for his missing wife, Tatyana. It’s a game built on atmosphere and intrigue, with a great balance of stealth and survival.
CHERNOBYLITE MONSTERS FULL
Having reviewed the full release on PC last year, I was quite happy to jump into it again in console. Chernobylite is a first person survival horror from Get Even devs The Farm 51, that first hit early access in 2019.
