Chernobylite

Base building and resource management in an interesting way!

Like some other later Metro/Stalker-style games I like, I like Chernobylite... This is one that has been taking up my playing time lately, and has me browsing and hoping for Other ones like it. Lol. It runs well on my lower-end machine with minimum specs, at medium/low settings; but it is this unique graphic style that also attracts me to this and the other ones I named at the beginning of this review. Even with an upgrade I plan soon, I like the base rougher look of these games; they feel more 'out-doors', like a newer old 'FarCry 2'. Lol. Later Metro series and Chernobylite I like better too because they are easier before they get more difficult: As much as I liked the earlier (also Stalker) titles, they are difficult even on 'easy' setting I like to begin with. There's also more story in these and Chernobylite; and though horror's not my thing, a story allows more practice but without a tutorial (I hate tutorials), for crafting and things I am not used to. And it is more about survival in actual play than it is scary so-far, and with plenty of that great 'Zone' atmosphere. Chernobylite's a bit more scripted than usual Open-World survival games; like 'Metro:Exodus' I also play, but without cutscene gameplay interruptions and lengthy dialogue interludes. And there's much room and incentive to explore while also pursuing a mission for the day, is where it is Open-World enough for ME anyway: HIGHLY rated; another GREAT game here! I give four stars only because I have played only through Day Three; I might consider five stars later! Lol. One word about performance, however, is regarding sound. If there are issues, it's caused by OpenAL, or similar older or 'compatibility' codecs you have installed outside the game, that must be removed or reconfigured: Sound, graphics, gameplay, I'M Happy with the LOT; and may YOU also Enjoy It! THANKS again GOG :-)

TL;DR: A brilliant, lovingly crafted, experience that is held back only by the game's poor performance. I would recommend holding off (or buying to support development, but don't expect to play yet) if you're closer to the minimum requirements than the recommended. This game has huge potential, and you can see that the developers realise they have the makings of something incredibly unique on their hands. Sadly, the game's terrible performance is just too much to ignore right now. Early access games are often janky etc., and I was expecting that coming into this, but the poor performance is on another level. My system's specifications aren't exactly top of the line (i5-7300HQ, GTX 1050Ti 4GB, 16GB DDR4, 512GB M.2 SSD) but they exceed the minimum requirements. The game, when it settles down, will run at 55 - 60fps on low settings and 45-50fps on medium @1080p. The problem is, for the first few minutes when entering an area the game stutters drastically. I don't have this problem in other games with similar system requirements. Of course, I realise that this is still fairly early in the development process the devs are going for, but the fact remains that it is still unplayable for systems like mine, despite the system requirements suggesting otherwise. With that out of the way, when the game ran smoothly the experience was very enjoyable. Beautiful environments, immersive voice acting, very promising base building system, tense combat and an intriguing story. I don't regret buying this at all. I'm only saddened by the fact that the periods of stutter make it too aggravating to play. I'm hoping that the devs start optimising the game/ fixing stability so that I can dive in and enjoy what seems to be something that's already great despite not being fully realised yet.

this isnt open world,the backgrounds are just wallpeper mostly,maybe the odd hint here n there but this will never be anything more than a myst etc like experience as everything you are tasked with is on rails. you cant just make up your own strategy as theres doesnt appear to be any capacity for planning alternative routes etc. i personally enjoy fo3/nv/4 to this day,i also have all the stalkers set,on disc ,loved those games as well. this isnt in the same genre at all,this seems to be a confused mess of ideas from someone who has "read" reveiws of the above games but has "never actually played" them. to say im disapointed is an understatement. yes,i know its early access ,this is why this reveiw has an "oh well" vibe to it,all my early access games have ultimately ended as failures imo. most of them were simply abandoned when it became clear to the devs that they needed more than that school diploma in IT to actually be a game developer,as even when using premade assets and other peoples scripts you still need to know a hell of a lot more than the "copy n paste" button.

It's diffrent than S.T.A.L.K.E.R (not quit Open-World, very Story driven), but it's good and i like it alot. Graphics are amazing, the atmosphere is strong, the story is okay. Give it a shot if you liked one of the STALKER games.