Chernobylite is a single-player, science fiction survival video game developed by The Farm 51 and published by All In! Games. The game is out now on PC for £23.99 and is coming to PlayStation 4 & Xbox in September 2021 and next-gen consoles are yet to be announced.
AN ALTERNATIVE LOOK AT THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER!
I have always been fascinated by the Chernobyl disaster and horror games. Discovering Chernobylite I was instantly drawn into the way The Farm 51 took this and made it a truly unique storyline and allowing players to visit Chernobyl in the comfort of their own homes. Follow me, as we embark on a grueling story of discovering what happened to Igor’s Fiancée.
Gameplay
Chernobylite takes a lot of inspiration from the classic post-apocalyptic game setting, but they make this their own with the nuclear explosion in Pripyat.
The game features elements of base building, player-actioned narrative, time travel with the use of your crystals, open-world(ish) exploration, and also sanity management.
When you’re reading about the description of the game, a few titles pop up such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R, FallOut, and Metro. Especially with the main way of transporting between missions being done by Chernobylite Crystals.
I enjoyed the storyline, it felt very engaging and well-written. You are following Igor, a physicist once employed at Chernobyl. And now part of a group seeking Chernobylite but in fact, you are searching for your Fiancée, Tatyana, who disappeared in the disaster 30 years ago.
It is highly possible to go from mission to mission without firing a single bullet, I did this quite a number of times and just solely sneaked my way through.
And you come across some creepy scenes of stuttering characters in gas masks that did make me jump a couple of times!
As mentioned before you head back to your HQ after you have completed your mission. The maps are not huge, but there is a fair bit you can get stuck into aside from the main objective whilst you are on the map of your mission.
At your HQ you can improve your base, explore some of the equipment Igor has developed in his room, or you can just do the heist mission.
I was quite surprised The Farm 51 allows you to attempt the heist mission so early on in the game, especially when you won’t have enough equipment or crew.
You will also need to make gathering items in the world your top priority also, especially mushrooms, as these are integral for building walls and handheld nuclear cannons.
Graphics & Audio
The Chernobylite world looks incredible. The Farm 51 went to the extent of visiting the exclusion and 3D scanning its textures, terrain, buildings, and key locations. I had this running on the highest settings and did not experience any frame rate issues, or delay with the world loading.
My only small gripe would be with the view when you are back at the HQ. Overlooking the exclusion zone, it looks pixelated in some areas and could be improved on.
I mentioned before, the dialogue was one of the areas I didn’t quite enjoy, but the sound experience is full and has all the minor details from different walking textures and going through the inventory.
The storyline is very engaging, I would recommend using the Russian audio with subtitles.
Longevity
This is a fun game, believe me, it is. What would make this even more fun is the addition of multiplayer. Taking on Chernobyl and its enemies with a friend would be cool.
Overall, with the vast amount of daily tasks to undertake and heists that are also available, players will have plenty to do to keep themselves entertained and your HQ stocked up and upgraded.
Final Thoughts
In closing, Chernobylite is a fantastic game. If you are on the hunt for a single-player, grinding type of game then this is definitely for you.
The game has a lot of potential and I will be keen to see the next upcoming updates that are released for Chernobylite.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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Please for the love of your favorite deity would people stop saying every game needs multiplayer. They truly don’t. If the dev makes a game and its single player please just let it be.