The most captivating open-world games are brimming with a diverse range of intriguing characters, and STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is no exception. This game introduces players to a rich tapestry of heroes and villains, all striving to survive in a perilous world.
The story unfolds in the haunting Zone of Alienation surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, a landscape teeming with mutants and hidden dangers. While you’d expect the characters in such a grim setting to be stern and somber, STALKER 2 surprises with a host of lively and charismatic figures. Among them is Strelok, a standout character from the franchise that fans are sure to remember.
Strelok’s journey begins a few years after the imagined second Chornobyl Disaster in 2006, where a group of scavengers entered the Zone in search of precious artifacts to sell. These adventurers, known as “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.s,” included Strelok, who unearthed plans for an underground route leading directly to the power plant’s core.
Ordinarily, humans couldn’t approach the center of the Zone due to the Monolith faction’s Brain Scorcher device, which brainwashed anyone who ventured too near. Armed with the new plans, Strelok assembled a team to outsmart the Brain Scorcher. Teaming up with fellow stalkers Fang and Ghost, Strelok reached the Chornobyl Power Plant, but their quest was thwarted by a locked door requiring a passcode. Their retreat was further complicated by the Common Consciousness, a group of scientists controlling Monolith, who unleashed a deadly Emission against them.
Strelok suffered severe injuries from the Emission, and while his allies managed to get him out, they were eventually captured by Monolith forces. Strelok found himself in a Death Truck, a vehicle used to transport the mind-controlled back into the Zone.
During the events of STALKER: Clear Sky, Strelok became a key antagonist, setting the stage for future games. His story takes a twist in Shadow of Chornobyl when Strelok survives a crash, courtesy of a passing Stalker. He awakens without memory, only knowing he must “Kill Strelok,” as stated on his PDA. Now known as the “Marked One” because of his S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tattoo, he delves into the Zone to uncover his past.
Strelok reunites with Doc, a former comrade, who helps him recall his identity and informs him about a decoder capable of unlocking the plant’s door. With this knowledge, Strelok embarks on another perilous journey, fighting through waves of Monolith soldiers to confront the C-Consciousness in the Chornobyl Reactor 4 Sarcophagus. Rejecting their offer to join them, he engages in a fierce battle, ultimately finding the facility where the seven scientists of C-Consciousness are in stasis. Strelok destroys the stasis pods, presumably ending the C-Consciousness.
In STALKER: Call of Pripyat, Strelok doesn’t take center stage but plays a crucial role in assisting the military. He provides critical information for helicopter operations and helps evacuate Pripyat, eventually becoming an advisor to Zone researchers as the game concludes.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl presents an immersive narrative in a seamlessly connected open world. Taking on the role of a lone stalker, players navigate a 64-square-kilometer radioactive landscape with challenging environments. They will make decisions that shape their destiny, engage in strategic combat across varied terrains, and form alliances or rivalries with different factions.
With a diverse arsenal of over 30 weapon types and endless customization options, players can craft unique and lethal combinations. Available on Xbox Series X and Series S, as well as Microsoft Windows, and built with Unreal Engine 5, STALKER 2 continues to captivate with its blend of historical sci-fi and interactive storytelling.
