I found 2021’s Chernobylite one of those awkward hybrids that somehow managed to be much better than the sum of its parts, though I’ll admit to being deeply sceptical at first given the generic-looking survival-crafting focus of the Early Access build. Based on the opening hours of Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone – that’ll lead into the more fully featured Early Access release on 6th March – some of my concerns have been dispelled, but I’m again sceptical of the potential impact of the shift to an open-world structure.
For better or worse – depending on your feelings about the first game – Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone looks to follow to a similar template. The tutorial- and exposition-heavy demo was linear by design, but it culminates with a hint of what’s to come: a daily cycle of story missions or resource runs; gathering a motley crew of allies from several factions to your cause; using accumulated resources to expand your base and craft better quality equipment; and finally tackling a high-stakes mission to prevent yet another inter-dimensional disaster. I’m most relieved the strong story focus and horror elements seem intact.
I’d argue the best part of Chernobylite was tweaking your timeline to get the best final mission outcome, but the sequel sidesteps any ending variations with a multi-dimensional premise. The new protagonist is Cole Grey (suspiciously close to Cole Black), a gruff former military man from an alternate present, in which humanity has harnessed Chernobylite for energy and advanced technologies. A technological utopia at first glance, but also a world in which unemployment is rife, leaving Cole has few options to support his family. As that world’s Chornobyl exclusion zone could never provide enough material, he joins the NAR’s “Planewalker” program that uses a massive vessel, known as the Harvester, to travel between dimensions spawned by the first disaster to find new Chernobylite deposits.
It’s an excellent setup that puts Cole on track to encounter familiar characters with very different personalities and eventually, as you might expect, the inhabitants from the dimension the first game took place in. In theory, planewalkers negotiate with developed worlds or plunder destroyed worlds – with the dangerous and mutant-infested latter increasingly prevalent. In practice, their technological advances allow them to act as an interdimensional colonial power, stripping other worlds of their Chernobylite deposits to sustain their own needs. I doubt it was intended, but that premise might explain why Cole and every other character from his dimension speak and sound like a bunch of smarmy pricks.
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone kicks off in earnest when a dimensional jump to a world rich in Chernobylite – you can guess which one – goes horribly wrong. The Harvester crashes, Cole’s escape pod places him in suspension for 9 months to recover from serious injuries, and he emerges into a Chernobylite-infested hellscape. The demo concludes once Cole meets Igor, the real Igor, and discovers getting back to his family means destroying a lethal barrier slowly descending on the exclusion zone. The storytelling once again relies on a mix of cutscenes, extracting exposition from NPCs, an AI-powered scanner that can reconstruct past events, and confusing flashbacks in twisting Chernobylite-infested dreamscapes. It’ll not be to everyone’s tastes, but Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone continues to use the convoluted but compelling narrative structure The Farm 51 mastered back in 2019’s Get Even.
As a demo of the upcoming Early Access build, the gameplay and presentation were always likely to be the roughest elements, and what little was shown was a mixed bag. Whereas the first game encouraged a mix of stealth and competent but unremarkable RPG-shooter gunplay, think Fallout 4 or Terminator: Resistance, Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone goes full RPG. There are melee, ranged, and Chernobylite-powered “mage”-like builds, along with hybrid variants. There are core attributes that determine environmental interactions or dialog choices, with experience gained traded to boost attributes and their associated character stats. There are also extensive perk trees I couldn’t access, but they appear linked to faction reputation system that was only briefly touched upon in tutorial prompts.
The gunplay in Chernobylite was never a highlight, but in comparison, all the combat styles on offer in Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone currently feel clunky and lack impact. The shift to a default third-person perspective makes a lot of sense when you play as a melee class – especially given the rough animations for parries and executions in the experimental first-person mode – but the over-the-shoulder shooting for ranged classes feels appropriate given the more action-based combat. Mobility and reflexes are important regardless of your chosen class, with melee builds blocking and parrying, ranged builds rolling around to avoid damage, and Chernobylite-mages needing to recharge their “mana” pool by absorbing radiation from hotspots. You can still stealth past enemies using the scanner’s mini-map or attack from stealth for bonus damage but combat never felt satisfying given the lack of feedback. Movement is floaty, melee attacks clip through character models, enemies barely stagger, gore is limited, sound effects are weak, and the only real satisfaction comes from chipping away at the health or shield bar above an enemy’s head.
The demo also provided a very brief look at the expanded tiered gear system and base building – both of which encourage you to explore, scan the environment to update your mini-map, loot chests and corpses, and scavenge materials. You’ll find plenty of colour-coded gear that feels like ubiquitous RPG fare, but Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone goes a step further with classic attribute checks: you can use any weapon and armour you find or upgrade, but their stats are reduced if your attributes are too low. More interesting was the streamlined base-building which now provides a plan view. You can expand out from a central hub with dedicated room types and corridors, but once again need materials and sufficient power. You still populate them with high tech equipment miraculously crafted from chernobylite, material scraps, and mushrooms, but only specific items can be built in the associated room type. It’s an improvement over the first game and works much better with a gamepad.
It’s not worth commenting too much on the visuals and performance of the first Early Access build released, but I will say Unreal Engine 5 games require a lot of artistry to avoid looking similar – no matter how impressive the rendering or lighting features may be. The most damning thing I can say is that Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone looks fine but currently lacks that hauntingly beautiful atmosphere the first game has in spades. Some early voice work, rough animations, and Unreal Engine texture pop-in I can accept, but it also currently lacks any creepy random encounters, atmospheric effects, unsettling ambient audio, and the memorable soundtrack of the original. More worryingly, none of the areas you traverse have that detailed hand-crafted feel with hints of environmental storytelling.
Which brings me to my final point – the potential impact of an open-world setting. I’ll concede I’m spending a lot of time ruminating on a limited demo, but Chernobylite’s segmented world structure worked well when adapting to timeline changes and a mechanic that allowed you to craft devices to reduce the presence of anomalies, radiation pockets, and Chernobylite creatures. When I consider the expanded loot system and combat mechanics, I worry the world will feel more generic, gated by high-level enemy roadblocks, and the consequences of your choices will be limited to missing settlements or NPCs while the rest of the world remains static. That said, it’s still early days and the Early Access phase will give us a better indication of the Farm 51’s trajectory.
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone was previewed on PC using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It will be available in Early Access on PC (06-03-2025) and also release on Xbox Series S|X and PS5.
