KickStarter Chernobylite - survival horror action RPG set in Chernobyl

[Skdursh]

Anyone still playing this?

How do you deal with missions disappearing/never appearing in the timeline?

I had Sashko, he had a mission to collect some explosives (Real hardware for real men) waiting in my queue. Got his dumb ass kidnapped on a routine food collecting mission, I go free him and he's back but that mission disappeared.

I've completed the story missions (apart from the heist) and whenever I go to the timeline, the area where that mission is supposed to be is just blank (these events are not yet known Igor bla bla bla). I even "erased" the mission where I found him, re-did it and still the explosives mission is nowhere to be found.

I played this game for 3 hours, then uninstalled it and went back to Anomaly.

 

[Lord_Potato]

Seriously I don't know why this game doesn't have at least 30 pages of discussion.

It's a fun RPG-survival horror-immersive sim hybrid with excellent atmosphere. I'm halfway through the game right now but the story so far managed to grab me and the time manipulation mechanics brings something new and fresh to the table.

Plus, for an indie title it's quite a looker.

 

[Zombra]

I don't know why this game doesn't have at least 30 pages of discussion.

For me it's "another game I should really check out the demo someday".

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

When my rad suit comes in the mail then I will play it.

 

[Lord_Potato]

I had Sashko, he had a mission to collect some explosives (Real hardware for real men) waiting in my queue. Got his dumb ass kidnapped on a routine food collecting mission, I go free him and he's back but that mission disappeared.

Don't know why it happened, most likely a bug. I usually take plot-critical missions straight away and so far none dissapeared.

This mission is pretty challenging though, with lots of heavy armored veteran soldiers guarding the stash.

You may try to provoke combat between NAR troops and the monsters roaming nearby, but it will only dispose of a few guys. You cannot silently take down armored soldiers due to their large helmets.

I used up all ammo and most medikits to clear out 2/3 of the map but still there was a strong detachment I had to draw into a minefield which I personally prepared for them.

And then the chernobylite storm broke out, Black Stalker appeared and I had to flee through enemy positions with this monstrocity breathing down my neck.

So far the most challenging mission. Fun times!

 

[Nikanuur]

Is there some mod or something that does away with this 'function' of loot visible through walls, staying on the screen for a very long time?

 

[Lord_Potato]

Is there some mod or something that does away with this 'function' of loot visible through walls, staying on the screen for a very long time?

I think its only visible through walls if you use the scanner, no?

 

[Yosharian]

This game is great until suddenly it isn't

The missions start to get really boring eventually

 

[Nikanuur]

Is there some mod or something that does away with this 'function' of loot visible through walls, staying on the screen for a very long time?

I think its only visible through walls if you use the scanner, no?

I liked the game's atmosphere, perfect brooding environs, and some fresh ideas.

However, I had the experience of everything going alit and staying visible through walls from afar for a very long time (tens of seconds or so?) as soon as I turned the scanner on. The play view cluttered by bright loot O.O Even if I chose only the special type of materials, sort of everything became alit. I communicated this to the devs and on the forums with no answers, so I refunded the game. I couldn't bear such immersion-breaking nonsense.

That being said, and to my knowledge, nobody ever referred to the same, I am kind of baffled.

 

[Lord_Potato]

I liked the game's atmosphere, perfect brooding environs, and some fresh ideas.

However, I had the experience of everything going alit and staying visible through walls from afar for a very long time (tens of seconds or so?) as soon as I turned the scanner on. The play view cluttered by bright loot O.O Even if I chose only the special type of materials, sort of everything became alit. I communicated this to the devs and on the forums with no answers, so I refunded the game. I couldn't bear such immersion-breaking nonsense.

That being said, and to my knowledge, nobody ever referred to the same, I am kind of baffled.

Yes they become lit for several seconds after you turn on the scanner. That's kind of the point. If you want to search everything by yourself, simply don't use the device. I'm sure the game is possible to beat this way, you will simply find fewer resources.

 

[Nikanuur]

I liked the game's atmosphere, perfect brooding environs, and some fresh ideas.

However, I had the experience of everything going alit and staying visible through walls from afar for a very long time (tens of seconds or so?) as soon as I turned the scanner on. The play view cluttered by bright loot O.O Even if I chose only the special type of materials, sort of everything became alit. I communicated this to the devs and on the forums with no answers, so I refunded the game. I couldn't bear such immersion-breaking nonsense.

That being said, and to my knowledge, nobody ever referred to the same, I am kind of baffled.

Yes they become lit for several seconds after you turn on the scanner. That's kind of the point. If you want to search everything by yourself, simply don't use the device. I'm sure the game is possible to beat this way, you will simply find fewer resources.

I am not exaggerating; in my case, it was horribly long—tens of seconds. Several seconds with only the specific targeted loot being lit would be okay, of course.
I vaguely recall that there was some other issue, something like the loot staying alit forever even after loading a save game or something.
On top of that, at one point the game required me to gather some rarer materials to further the story, and it was a pain in the ass to look for those without the scanner at that time (grinding, repetition, going 'blind', etc.).

Alright then, if what you say is true, I might give it a shot again and change my sarcastic review XD
Thanks!

 

[Nifft Batuff]

I will try it when they will implement the possibility to save the game in the base management sessions.

 

[Lord_Potato]

I will try it when they will implement the possibility to save the game in the base management sessions.

There is. You can save game anytime you want (although sometimes it will save a state from like a minute or 30 seconds earlier, like it has a specific save locations). Game also autosaves regurarly for you.

I never lost lots of playthrough after death (not to mention dying in Chernobylite is a separate gameplay mechanics).

 

[Nifft Batuff]

I will try it when they will implement the possibility to save the game in the base management sessions.

There is. You can save game anytime you want (although sometimes it will save a state from like a minute or 30 seconds earlier). Game also autosaves regurarly for you.

I never lost lots of playthrough after death (not to mention its a separate gameplay mechanics).

Actually it won't save. You will lose any changes or any activity you have done at your base. The only way to preserve the changes to your base is to start a new mission. But this is not a good thing if you need to stop playing and it push you to select and start any mission just to save your progress. Chosing the wrong mission is also relevant because you will consume time and resources.

Also the save system during missions is completely fucked in my opinion. You never know where and at which point your mission has been saved, even if you manual save. When you restart from a save point you appear in a random point/moment of the game, there is no indication of the time. In this parallel timeline there is no way to know what part of the map you have already explored, what resources you have already collected, etc.

Since resources are very important you are forced to re-explore every point just to be sure to not leave anything unchecked, even if there is a possibility that the resources are no more present (because you are in the timeline where you already got them). But this could bring not only a stupid waste of time, but also of other resources (e.g. ammunition, if you need traverse hostile regions that you already have explored, etc.).

 

[Lord_Potato]

Actually it won't save. You will lose any changes or any activity you have done at your base. The only way to preserve the changes to your base is to start a new mission.

I am almost sure I built some installations in the base, saved and left. After reloading the installations were still there.

But this is not a good thing if you need to stop playing and it push you to select and start any mission just to save your progress. Chosing the wrong mission is also relevant because you will consume time and resources.

I usually just take the plot-critical mission and give others to my crew according to their percentage of chance for success. Can't go wrong this way.

Also the save system during missions is completely fucked in my opinion. You never know where and at which point your mission has been saved, even if you manual save. When you restart from a save point you appear in a random point/moment of the game, there is no indication of the time. In this parallel timeline there is no way to know what part of the map you have already explored, what resources you have already collected, etc.

Well, the part explored remains explored (question marks do not reappear, neither do resources). At least that's my experience.

Since resources are very important you are forced to re-explore every point just to be sure to not leave anything unchecked, even if there is a possibility that the resources are no more present (because you are in the timeline where you already got them). But this could bring not only a stupid waste of time, but also of other resources (e.g. ammunition, if you need traverse hostile regions that you already have explored, etc.).

I've played the game approx 12h so far and never have I witnessed enemies respawn upon loading.

When did you play the game? Perhaps it was patched.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

When did you play the game? Perhaps it was patched.

More than a year ago. The possibility they have changed something is the reason I was asking.

 

[Lord_Potato]

So, I completed Chernobylite. Took me 21.5 hours and around 30 in-game days (which means as many missions into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone).

During this time I got to visit all the iconic places of the not-so-desolate area, made a few new friends and lots of enemies, most of whom tragically died in the course of events. But it's all good, after all, everything I did was for a noble cause.

We play as Professor Igor Chiminiuk, a nuclear physicist who 30 years prior to the events of the game lived in Prypet with his fiance Tatiana and worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant. One day the woman disappeared without a trace and the next day disaster struck, forcing general evacuation. It seems Professor managed to leave these events behind - disgusted by the way Soviet authorities tackled the crisis and treated those hurt by its consequences, he managed to leave the Homeland of the Proletariat and have a rewarding scientific career abroad. However, everything changes when he receives a package from an unknown sender. Inside there is a fragment of chernobylite - a mysterious crystalline substance created after the disaster and a photo of Tatiana. He starts having dreams about his old love, calling him to return to the place where they were once happy - and search for her. The problem is the Exclusion Zone is under tight quarantine instituted by the secretive NAR Corporation, which promised to the government of Ukraine to recultivate the area in exchange for full control. So, Professor hires two mercenaries to smuggle him into the Zone and help infiltrate the powerplant itself - where he hopes to find the truth about the events of 1986. Here the gameplay begins.

Chernobylite is a mixture of several genres - it is part roleplaying game with a character development system and important choices that shape the story, part a managerial sim in which you are in charge of a base that you develop with limited resources and a crew you have to keep alive, and part survival horror, in which you face the numerous dangers of the Zone. The game is divided into days. Operating from a hideout in an abandoned warehouse, each day you pick missions to complete for both your PC and his growing cast of companions, develop the base to get access to more advanced weapons and equipment, and train your character so that he slowly transforms from a peaceful scientist into a commando able to deal with everything that stands between him and Tatiana.

Exploration of the world happens in the first-person perspective. The game does not offer an open world - instead, the Zone is divided into several vast areas and each mission takes you to one of them. From time to time you revisit the same locations, but then the situation often changes - the world is dynamic, and as the radiation and chernobylite storms in the Zone increase, it becomes more dangerous. When you start damaging different operations of NAR, they begin to deploy more numerous squads of mercenaries against you. Some of these effects are visible on the map of the Exclusion Zone - helicopters fly over certain locations and an ominous green glow appears in others. These visual cues at least partly prepare you for what you're about to meet there.

Upon arriving in the area, you don't only fulfill your main mission objective but also collect resources, avoid or fight enemies, and explore in search of clues. And sometimes also experience visions. You see, Igor's connection with reality starts to weaken the moment he enters the Zone. Now he has to deal not only with dreams but also with visions while awake. When walking through a cafe, kindergarten or apartment building, he hears voices of people who once stayed there and sometimes even sees Tatiana among the rubble in her red dress and playing her violin. The memories and tragedies of those who lived, died, or were forced to flee the Zone still linger in the abandoned buildings.

Of course, that's not the only thing that lingers there. Chiminiuk will often be forced to deal with more or less friendly residents of the Zone. With some he can trade, some can offer advice - but some can only be reasoned with a gun. Or a landmine. While the selection of guns is not very rich, each of them feels different and can be modified in various ways to better suit your playstyle. I mostly took out enemies from afar with sniper scopes, but there are also close-quarter options available. If enemies are too tough, you can get rid of them in a less direct manner - for example drawing soldiers into a prepared minefield or provoking fights between NAR operators and nearby monsters.

Once the Professor accumulates enough experience through fighting, collecting resources, and solving quests, he receives skill points. Advancing his abilities is quite immersive. In the evening (after the mission, before going to sleep) you can talk to companions in your base. Each of them has a different set of skills and might be willing to teach them. When you pick the skill (and have enough points to purchase it) Igor and his companion leave the hideout and move to the training course. Sometimes it's a shooting range, sometimes a parkour track. You need to follow the instructions of your trainer before being rewarded with a new perk. And these can seriously change the gameplay by making the PC more combat-ready or giving him new exploration options.

The story is quite interesting and manages to stay that way until the very end - the great heist on the Chernobyl power plant for which you prepare your PC and his crew. It often forces you to make important choices, that will influence the plot and relations with companions. However, thanks to the nature of the chernobylite - a substance that allows traveling through space and time - some of these choices can later be changed, however not without consequences. The final reveals are both surprising and satisfying. The game also offers several main endings with numerous variants of the ending slides.

For an indie game (recipient of Players Choice Indie of the Year 2021 award), it has really terrific production values. The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, painstakingly recreated thanks to thousands of photos, looks beautiful and eerie at the same time, the sound design and music add to the heavy and depressive atmosphere. I think it's the atmosphere that's the most striking feature of the game - more than the storyline, exploration or gunplay. It is simply masterfully crafted.

I enjoyed my time with Chernobylite. Despite limited resources, the team at Farm 51 managed to create an excellent, immersive adventure that respects player time and does not waste it with pointless grind. I can recommend it to fans of Stalker, Fallout and Deus Ex. You'll have a blast!

 

[Gerrard]

So you play as a 60 year old dude who is just as physically capable as a 20 year old?

 

[Lord_Potato]

So you play as a 60 year old dude who is just as physically capable as a 20 year old?

I don't want to spoil the plot, but there is a valid reason why Chiminiuk is as capable as someone 30 years younger. Your companions comment on that several times. But you learn why it is so quite late in the game.

 

[H. P. Lovecraft's Cat]

An excellent walking simulator with base building, party management and crafting elements

That sounds terrible

It's not a walking sim. That dude was smoking meth.