STALKER 2 proves that historical science fiction has a place in gaming

by

The roots of the science fiction genre date back to 1818, when Mary Shelley was published Frankenstein. In fact, science fiction has been around for so long that it has spawned a variety of subgenres. One such subgenre is historical science fiction, in which science fiction themes and narratives are set against the backdrop of real historical events or a specific historical period. Back to the Future 3, 11/22/63, preyand superhero films like Captain America And Wonder Woman are all examples of historical science fiction. A key feature of historical science fiction is that it often explores an alternate universe where the real timeline diverges for a reason. STALKERS 2 has such an attitude.




A sequel that's been in the pipeline for over a decade, STALKERS 2 follows directly on the story of its predecessors. As such, STALKERS 2 features essentially the same historical sci-fi setting as the previous entries, showing how beneficial these types of settings can be for a modern sci-fi open world game.

STALKER 2 Fallout Skyrim

Related

STALKER 2 borrows one of Fallout's best features, Skyrim

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl's open world is breathtakingly beautiful, giving a popular Bethesda RPG feature a good bang for the buck.

STALKER 2 shows the advantages of a historical science fiction setting

STALKER 2's historical sci-fi setting explained

As the name suggests, STALKER 2: Heart of ChernobylThe plot revolves around the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, in which one of the nuclear power plant's reactors failed and exploded. This real event is used as a basis STALKERSis the sci-fi world, as in STALKERSIn the Chernobyl chronicle, this malfunction was due to Soviet experiments in the noosphere, an invisible field that surrounds the Earth and contains the feelings and thoughts of all people.


While many of STALKERSThe timeline follows a similar progression to real history, with alternate events scattered throughout. For example, while the collapse of the Soviet Union still occurred in 1991, it did little to prevent Soviet scientists still in the Chernobyl exclusion zone from continuing their experiments, which ultimately led to a second major Chernobyl disaster in 2006.

From there, STALKERSThe alternate universe takes full shape. The second Chernobyl disaster led to a huge expansion of the zone, caused extreme mutations in animals, plants and people still living there, and led to the appearance of local anomalies that contradicted the laws of physics. Some scavengers hear stories of treasure lying in the zone, and anyone who goes looking for it is called a “stalker.”


Why STALKER 2's historical sci-fi setting is a blessing

A setting is one of the most important aspects of a video game, as it is directly responsible for establishing the tone, themes, story, and characters of a game. There have been many excellent original video game settings over the years, particularly in the sci-fi genre, but it can take quite a long time to properly establish an original sci-fi universe in a video game.

Good science fiction games try to immediately immerse the player in the setting, often giving them a brief overview of the history of the universe and the key characters before diving into the game's main story so that they have a clear understanding of it. what the setting is about and rules. But the best science fiction games are the ones that don't have to waste any time at all building up a dense universe full of complex lore using an opening monologue.

STALKERS 2The history-based sci-fi setting allows for just that. Even though the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was almost 40 years ago, many people have a general understanding, and those who don't can piece it together fairly easily from context clues. This historical background immediately sets the tone STALKERSis the sci-fi world and gives players a good overview of what to expect long before they press start on the main menu.


STALKERS 2The historical sci-fi setting also enhances the immersive simulation elements of the survival game, as it adds a strong level of realism to the experience right from the start.

Leave a Comment