This makes upkeep and expansion much easier, and this is important as the stats of the base can affect Igor’s team members in positive or negative ways. Although grinding for resources is a bit overwhelming in the early hours, but later on the player gets can grow some of the most used items such as herbs and mushrooms. Thanks to a convenient handheld radar, searching for resources - such as the herbs that are used to make health packs - is not difficult, but building a good base takes a lot of time and effort since it needs to provide the team with power, protection from radiation and comfort. In fact, almost half the game is dedicated to building a decent base. Despite this difficulty, the constant challenge of balance is a memorable part of the experience, and it’s shored up by strong voice acting and distinct characteristics for each team member.Ĭhernobylite’s survival mechanics are nicely done. Keeping these allies happy is difficult because their views of the world and the advice given are often in contradiction with one another - following one member’s advice will make the other unhappy, and vice versa. If they are not properly fed or if Igor does not listen to their suggestions during story missions, they’ll start losing faith in him and may even leave the team for good. On the other hand, Igor needs to take care of these allies, both physically and mentally. This unique and realistic approach to gaining skills is a welcome addition. They also teach Igor different abilities and act as a skill tree. Allies can be sent off to perform different missions like scavenging for food or resources. ![]() He will eventually find five allies to help him, and of that group, my standouts were the calm and patient Olivier, and the hot-headed Mikhail. It seems going loco isn’t that bad after all!įortunately, Igor is not alone in his fight against NAR. ![]() I deliberately played three missions in a row with no Psyche left at all, and the only downside was a green splash overlay on the sides of the screen. As such, its non-violent ‘avoidance’ approach becomes especially tedious, and as far as I could tell, playing with a fully depleted Psyche bar has no discernible consequences. Though it’s an intelligent and coherent way to make players look for more strategic solutions than just pulling a trigger, the shallow mechanics prevent this idea from bearing fruit.įor example, Chernobylite lacks some of the most basic stealth mechanics such as distracting enemies or the ability to choose between knocking them unconscious or stealth kills. That difficulty is materialized via the “Psyche” bar which depletes when Igor kills humans or takes damage. In an an effort to enrich this aspect, Igor’s status as a physicist - not a trained commando or super soldier - means that it’s really difficult for Igor to fight and kill. The enemy AI is fine enough, but this lack of overall diversity is not acceptable. Igor can only use a total of five customizable weapons, and there are five types of enemies in the game. This first-person adventure starts with no prologue and throws the player right into the action - and honestly, it’s a headache.Ĭhernobylite’s gunplay is super simple. It’s a source of great energy and also has the ability to bend time and space under special circumstances. Complicating the situation is that the site is under the control of a military group called NAR who’s conducting research on a mysterious mineral called Chernobylite that appeared after the incident. ![]() He returns to Pripyat to search for her and must (literally) build a base of operations. The protagonist, Igor, is a nuclear physicist looking for his fiancé, Tatiana, who’s been lost since the Chernobyl incident in 1986. At first glance it seems heavily influenced by other successful post-apocalyptic titles such as Fallout and Metro, but it ultimately succeeds in finding its own unique personality. WTF You have a PhD in nuclear sciences, but can’t throw a rock?Ĭhernobylite is a sci-fi survival game by The Farm 51, set in the ruins of Pripyat. LOW Overly simplified combat and survival mechanics. ![]() HIGH One of the best sci-fi games I’ve played in the last few years.
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