The Farm 51 has just released the playable demo for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone. This post-apocalyptic-like, open-world game plunges players into the heart of Chornobyl, throwing them head over heels into a multiversal, ambitious survival RPG. It’s not a far cry from the first game, which was released in 2018, but the demo reveals a few flaws that need ironing out.
I picked up a preview copy of Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone a few days ago and was able to complete the playable demo in around 80 minutes. It’s a great glimpse behind the curtain, and it sets up some solid expectations for the full game, which will be released on March 6.
Check out my preview below to learn about my major gripes with Chernobylite 2.
Looks Great, Doesn’t Play Well
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone looks fantastic on the surface. The character models and animations are scarily good, and the open-world environment of the Exclusion Zone is authentic and feels great to look at. The enemy models are pretty much the same as the last game and look intimidating enough, and there are enough small details scattered around to make the world feel populated.
With all that being said, exploring Chernobylite 2 – even in the limited demo – doesn’t feel too sharp. It’s not the best experience and the new model that requires you to switch between a first- and third-person perspective to explore and fight is pretty jarring. I’d rather have it locked to a first-person perspective, just like the first game.
Update: In the interest of transparency, I’ve since learned that you can lock between either perspective, which addresses one of my biggest gripes.
Combat is a little janky, and the first boss you encounter (a mini one, at least) presents a cumbersome, clunky battle that feels uninspired at best. There are a few classes to choose from, or you can pick a combination of multiple class types and use a mix of ranged, melee, and elemental attacks.
As I played the Chernobylite 2 demo, I found that no fight scenes felt satisfying or entertaining. I was just tapping buttons and awkwardly dropping targets.
Potentially Overcomplicated
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone is a survival RPG of sorts. There are branching skill paths that players must traverse, and at the heart of the game sits the typical tropes that accompany that genre – base-building, crafting, upgrades, and looting. The UI is simple enough, but the density and depth of the menus and the sheer amount on display can feel a little overwhelming.
Within the first hour of the demo, you’re introduced to the game’s major mechanics, but that’s just a scratch on the surface of this game. Before long, I was plunged into a base defence sequence, taught how to manage and maintain a full-fledged doomsday bunker, and instructed how to harness the power of radiation, turning it into fearsome fire and ice attacks.
That all sounds a little scattered, right?
I loved the first Chernobylite game, and admittedly it was just as complex, but it felt like more of a slow burner. It’s my impression that you’re thrown into the deep end in Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone quite quickly.
Flaws Uncovered
Another thing I have an issue with is the voice acting in the game. The main character has the sound of a middle-aged man from Yorkshire, and it doesn’t suit the model one bit. Everyone seems to have an accent that doesn’t suit them, and I’m not sure to what extent these voice actors are real people…
I found various spelling errors and grammatical blips in the game’s UI and text-based segments, and I had a few visual glitches here and there as I explored the demo. One thing I didn’t like was the heavy motion blur and frame rate issues that I experienced. And I’m playing Chernobylite 2 on a very high-end PC, so that shouldn’t happen.
I was less than encouraged to learn that the Chernobylite 2 demo had been pushed live early because the team at The Farm 51 had experienced unresolvable technical issues with Steam. I hope that’s not a case of ‘start as you mean to go on’ and that further issues won’t surface down the line.
I feel it’s worth stressing that The Farm 51 is a small studio that has crowdfunded to finance much of the development of Chernobylite 2. It’s not fair to criticise the game without pointing that out.
Chernobylite 2 could be something special, if only because I’m a massive fan of post-apocalyptic games. I love titles like Fallout and STALKER 2, and Chernobylite (2018) wowed me through and through. I’m willing to settle into the game and give it a solid run to produce a full review shortly, but right now, I’m approaching the full release with guarded expectations and a tentative attitude.
Are you interested in playing Chernobylite 2? Let us know on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Tides of Annihilation was accidentally released on Xbox
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