3.5/5 ★ – KrispyBeagle's review of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.

Game time : 25h Console : PS5 Good thing : + Sound design : One of the game's strong points is its sound management. Although there are occasional minor problems, overall it's very well managed. There's a constant sense of paranoia, as you hear noises from all directions without knowing where they're coming from. Coupled with the PDA, which indicates the other stalkers in the area, this creates a truly frightening atmosphere that greatly enhances the immersion of the game. + Music : Not much to say except that the music by MoozE and FireLake is simply excellent. It fits perfectly with the game and its universe, and is a real pleasure. + Graphics: I wasn't sure where to put these. Let's be clear, the graphics are far from magnificent. However, it's important to put things into context : we're talking about a 2007 game here, and when I played it, the graphics didn't bother me AT ALL. When I started playing a 2007 game I was prepared to take it on the chin, but in the end it's really quite good if you accept the context. + Universe : Yes, coming from a book that has already developed the universe is a great facilitator. However, it needs to be adapted and I find the universe captivating. Whether it's the Zone itself, the mutants, the different factions, the anomalies, the radiation etc... Everything is really coherent and maintains the suspension of disbelief perfectly. The universe is really very, very good, enhancing immersion and making you want to get on with the game to see the next zone, the next factions etc... What's more, once you've cleared a camp it will be taken back, so the world lives on without you, and that's really enjoyable. + Gameplay : The gameplay is pretty good. There are several gameplay elements that enhance immersion. I'm thinking of the PDA, which works really well. There's also the inventory, which is limited to 50kg but forces you to constantly make choices between weapons, healthcare, ammunition etc... There are also the artefacts, which are very interesting because they bring bonuses and penalties. So you have to choose which ones to use and how to combine them to get the best bonuses without too many crippling penalties. + Lighting : Lighting also plays a big part in immersion. I'm thinking in particular of the night-time atmosphere. Walking around with your headlamp on, seeing only the glowing eyes of mutants or the headlamps of other enemies... It's really powerful and reinforces that constant feeling of unease and paranoia. + AI : It's rather surprising, but I found the AI to be decent. Not exceptional, obviously, but decent. Enemies take cover, don't hesitate to move around you, can shift first standing up and then crouching down to break your line of fire. Bad things : - Gunfight : Earlier I mentioned some good gameplay elements, but unfortunately the most important one is a bit of a dud. Gunfights are bad. There's very little feeling with the weapons, and the enemies almost never react when you touch them (which is to say that if the enemies don't seem to react to your damage, that's really bad...). Especially as you have to be careful with your ammo overall, given the inventory, so to be honest, the last few levels FILLED with gunfights clearly got on my nerves a bit. - Writing : Probably the most disappointing aspect. I rather praised the game's universe, but unfortunately the writing didn't follow suit. There are no outstanding characters or quests (apart from the main quest), the factions are barely developed and there's no real dialogue... It's a real shame because giving a little bit of information can be interesting for what's to come but there's really not enough here, we're left wanting more. - Gameplay : I've also praised some of the gameplay elements for being pretty good. However, there are also some bad ones. Weapons that jam is understandable if, as in Metro Exodus, it's explained (Dirty Weapon) but in Stalker it happens for no reason, just after you've fired them sometimes, which is frustrating, especially given the number of gunfights towards the end. The same goes for the Stalker ranking system, which serves NO PURPOSE (except for an alternative ending.) The characters in the ranking are not important, it doesn't hunt you down if you're first or anything else, and there's no explanation of how you can move up the ranking... In short, it could have been interesting in many ways, but as it stands it's useless. - Crash : This really surprised me, but yes, playing on PS5 the game crashed a good fifteen times. And each time in the Prypiat Zone, at one point I had to go back 3 saves, I really thought I was going to give up at that point. - Environment : While the universe is good and varied, there's a real problem with the interiors: there's almost never any furniture, and that's really shocking. The flats in Prypiat, for example, are empty, completely empty, and that's a shame. Conclusion : In short, I think I've already covered a lot of ground. Despite all the faults I really loved the game, I had a great time. In terms of immersion, it's really, really strong, even more so when you remember that it's a game from 2007. However, the game does have its flaws that you just can't get past, but I think it's well worth it. It's one of the best post-apocalyptic universes I've ever played in, a real nugget in that respect, and for that reason alone I highly recommend it, especially if you want to discover the universe before STALKER 2 !