S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

ShooterRole-playing (RPG)

Time to beat: about 17.4 hours

Overview

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (titled S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chornobyl on consoles) is a first-person shooter video game developed by GSC Game World and published by THQ in 2007 following a long development. It is the first game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, set in an alternate reality where a second disaster of mysterious origin occurred at the Chernobyl exclusion zone, which further contaminated the surrounding area with radiation, and caused strange otherworldly changes in local fauna, flora, and the laws of physics. The background and some of the terminology of the game are borrowed from the 1971 novella Roadside Picnic and its 1979 film adaptation Stalker.

The game features a non-linear storyline with 7 different endings and includes role-playing gameplay elements such as trading and two-way communication with non-player characters. In the game, the player assumes the identity of the Marked One, an amnesiac man trying to find and kill the mysterious Strelok within the exclusion zone, a forbidden territory surrounding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The game was met with praise for the atmosphere, style and depth, as well as the level design, but was criticized for numerous bugs. It was also a commercial success, selling over 2 million copies by September of 2008. A prequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, was released in 2008. A sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, followed in 2009. A second sequel, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, was released in 2024. There are also multiple fan remakes trying to restore the cut content from the original version of the game.