Are you ready to face your fears? The zone opens up for stalkers in Chernobylite on September 7th. Bring your best gear – humans aren’t the only threat lurking here in the dark …
Chernobylite is a science fiction survival horror role-playing game developed by The Farm 51. Explore a non-linear plot in the hyper-realistic, 3D-scanned wasteland of the Chernobyl exclusion zone as you search for the truth of your tortured past.
Igor Khymynyuk, a former physicist at the Chernobyl power plant, has returned to today’s exclusion zone to find his fiancée, who disappeared on the fateful day of the nuclear disaster 30 years ago. She haunts him in his dreams and as long as there is even the slightest hope that she is still alive, Igor has to face the horrors of the zone himself. Those that Tatiana may have already consumed. Will you discover the dark secrets of Chernobyl? Will you be able to face the truth that you will find there?
Tatyana Amelieva, Igor’s missing fiancée, called Igor in his dreams to Chernobyl. She seems to be both a leader and a nemesis. Your intentions? Unknown. In the zone, it’s hard to tell if it’s really there or just an echo of a memory.
Chernobylite is an exciting story about conspiracy, love and obsession. As events progress, you will find out whether you cannot face your fears, but whether you can survive them.
The survival aspect of the game consists of several levels. You will need to build your base and embark on dangerous missions to find resources in the exclusion zone like food, weapons, medicines and junk. Your mission is not something that you can accomplish on your own, so you need to find companions and send them out too. Your companions are critical to the success of your mission, so you need to manage your resources well to ensure that you all survive. But nothing in the zone is easy. Remember: everyone has a hidden agenda.
Exploring the zone will take your toll. Excessive radiation exposure is harmful to your health. Encountering enemy soldiers and creatures from another dimension affects your psyche. Your ammo can run out and you sometimes can’t go back to your base to catch your breath, so you’ll need to master the art of survival in the field. In a difficult situation, you can either make simple tools from the materials available or work with abandoned ones that you find. You have to do whatever you can to stay alive.
The survival elements in Chernobylite were all designed to fit the setting of the game, the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the game, for example, you can collect scrap metal and chemical tanks that developers The Farm 51 saw on their trips to Chernobyl.
These down-to-earth elements of survival mix with the paranormal aspect of the game. Dangerous and mysterious creatures enter the zone from another dimension. To make exploring a little easier, you have a dedicated tool that can open portals for faster travel or go back in time and change the choices you make. But the more you use this power, the more creatures appear, so there’s always a price to pay.
The developers of The Farm 51 traveled to Chernobyl quite often to collect data for the creation of its in-game version. “We tried to recreate the most interesting places in the exclusion zone around the Chernobyl power plant using photogrammetry in order to get the most accurate results,” said Michał Mierzejewski from The Farm 51. “The fact that we managed to scan it , in a way, is going to save the zone. “
By the time the team reached the higher steps of Reactor 5, they could see virtually the entire exclusion zone. “We said, ‘Imagine how cool it would be if a player could see this view in-game every day and from that vantage point choose where to go next and even see their impact on the game world.’ “said Artur Fojcik, The Game Director.
Characteristic places like Cafe Pripyat, the Chernobyl power plant and the now destroyed emerald summer camp have always been anchored in the game.
The real Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, while having its own secrets, is actually safe. Recovery of the zone in Chernobylite however, will take you on an exciting adventure but force you to face your fears. Will you enter the zone anyway if you know this? See you there on September 7th. We hope you survive.
