Everyone and their cat is currently banging on about what a game-changing, important, super brilliant piece of television HBO’s Chernobyl is, so developer The Farm 51 couldn’t have picked a better time to unveil Chernobylite.
Chernobylite is, as the name suggests, is a game that will see players take on the role of a physicist who was at the heart of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. You’ll explore, fight, and attempt to survive in a radioactive wasteland as you uncover the unsettling truth behind the disappearance of your girlfriend.
Check out the trailer below:
The game’s official website promises a mixture of various mechanics, including free exploration of a “disturbing” open world full of supernatural threats and fellow “stalkers” that you can either work alongside or against. We can also apparently expect “challenging combat”, crafting systems, and “non-linear storytelling.”
The Farm 51 writes:
Craft your gear and weapons to protect yourself from the supernatural threats lurking in the zone. Decide what happens in the world around you. Ally or compete with other stalkers of the Chernobyl zone to survive. Each day brings new challenges. Plan your strategy carefully if you want to survive. Maintain your resolve and keep your wits about you – the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is not what it once was. No one can foresee the horrors that may have befallen your beloved.
Last month, The Farm 51 revealed that Chernobylite managed to make double its Kickstarter goal. The studio wrote in a blog post that thanks to Kickstarter support, the game will feature a much larger open world than was previously planned, and will now also feature realistic audio that’s actually been recorded on-location in the real Chernobyl and Pripyat.
The Farm 51 have actually visited the haunting location numerous times, and have “taken thousands of pictures by scanning the area with drones.” This has all been in aid of creating the most accurate and immersive version of the Zone ever.
The Polish studio previously did some work alongside CD Projekt RED on the first Witcher game, but its most recent effort was a realistic FPS for PC called World War 3, which actually pulled in some pretty decent reviews.
It’s certainly an ambitious-sounding project for an indie studio to take on, but I’m intrigued to see if they pull it off. It certainly looks promising so far. Chernobylite is currently scheduled for an Autumn release on Steam.
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Ewan Moore is a journalist at UNILAD Gaming who still quite hasn’t gotten out of his mid 00’s emo phase. After graduating from the University of Portsmouth in 2015 with a BA in Journalism & Media Studies (thanks for asking), he went on to do some freelance words for various places, including Kotaku, Den of Geek, and TheSixthAxis, before landing a full time gig at UNILAD in 2016.