Part 2: Wandering the Wastelands
These next two share a tenuous link in general setting, i.e. the titular ‘wasteland’ but that is only a very broad overarching connection. In tone and gameplay they are almost mirror opposites. Yet each approaches from an angle that capitalizes on their respective strengths to cement immersive experiences–one tending toward tense and the other a calming zen-tinged voyage.
Let’s start with the former in the form of Chernobylite. A PC release from earlier in the year and ported to consoles a few months later. It was Kickstarted a few years back in 2019 by The Farm 51, the devs of Get Even (which in my opinion was a fine try but rather unremarkable in the end.) As might be implied from the title, Chernobylite is very much unabashedly in the vein of Russian/Eastern European post-apocalyptic titles like STALKER and the Metro series, channeling the ever popular Radiation Zone vibe. Even so, it brings its own spin on that well-tread ground with an interesting story and originality in its supporting lore. It avoids some clichés but also leans into and embraces others respectably to provide a solid entry in the genre.
Your role here is one Prof. Igor Khymynyuk, former physicist, and now turned (for lack of better term) Stalker, venturing out in search of his missing wife and the mystery surrounding her disappearance combined with the strange happenings in the Zone. The framework is sturdy, a firm foundation fleshed out along the way via its two core mechanics and supported by good atmosphere/attention to detail. A fittingly haunting soundtrack adds a nice layer and goes a long way to maintaining Chernobylite’s sense of uneasy tension.
The main loop is split between active FPS sections separated by downtimes of hub base construction/upkeep and team management. Each in-game day starts with choosing a mission/task attached to a list of locales. These entail a moderate range of mid-size levels with slight variations on goals and opportunities depending on story progress. You can also send any companions on more minor off-screen missions, with various odds of success based on their equipment and abilities. Taking care to assign each of them to those with the best chance of succeeding, which will in turn provide further supplies and other bonuses.
There will generally be two or three possible leads to pursue specific to certain maps, meaning you’ll have to choose and optimize which ones to tackle and when. Once you drop into a level, you’ll alternate between resource scavenging and/or recruiting more NPCs and/or key info gathering. There are soldiers and mutants/monsters to fight or stealth around, accompanied by the obligatory Geiger meter mechanic. As you comb through and revisit locations, accumulating more breadcrumbs (and sometimes just bread) you’ll begin to unravel more of Igor’s life and backstory, with the long term goal of gearing up enough to have a decent chance at tackling the overhanging heist/rescue mission.
The base building portion is comparable and even handles similar to something like Fallout 4, but nowhere near as unwieldy nor finicky. Individual tolerance and patience for such systems varies, but I would argue it isn’t too annoying or time-consuming here, and contains just enough to keep you chasing the next upgrade and perhaps sparing a little on the side for extra lockpicks/ammo/health kits etc.
Both the action oriented FPS maps and the hub construction are soundly designed and fully functional, propped up by touches and tidbits along the way to make the characters and their situation sympathetic. For example, training with the NPCs you’ve managed to convince to join grants not only stat improvements but also adds some moments of interaction that play out quite well and establish deeper character connection and development. These parts serve as an effective connective tissue and a way to bolster investment. There are multiple endings and smaller permutations possible dependent on previous choices. All are nicely woven in too, especially as played out during the extended final encounter, making for a strong finish and a memorable conclusion.
I won’t deny there are bumps and rough edges in Chernobylite’s trek through the Zone, mainly in the technical area. But given its more modest roots and clear ambition, it has the potential to become a sleeper hit/cult classic/hidden gem. It’s easily better and noticeably improved over Farm 51’s prior releases. Chernobylite slips comfortably and confidently into the sub-genre/canon of ‘Zone’ games and is worth your time if that’s an area you’re into. I’m quite interested in what the studio does next, and hopefully it gets a boost in some key areas (like production quality) to increase exposure and garner a wider fan base.
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After surviving the radiated dangers of Chernobylite, let us shift to the soothing and stress-relieving landscape of Sable. Announced back at E3 2018 and shown off sporadically before finally releasing in Sept. 2021, it was a title that immediately grabbed my attention. A debut title by developer Shedworks (named so by the indie duo who worked on and made it literally in a shed. Right on!) inspired by, in their own words, “Star Wars and Breath of the Wild.”
What is probably most immediately noticeable about Sable is it strikingly slick comic style, highly influenced by Mobius. Utilizing a soothing subdued color palette that impressively and dynamically changes with the day/night cycle, it is some of the best looking and distinctive art design in recent memory. The entire world emits a welcoming and warm vibe, complimented by an equally serene soundtrack by Japanese Breakfast. It beckons the player to step into the splendor of the setting.
The story is basically a coming of age tale, framed through a futuristic but ruined planet littered with the remnants of wrecked spacecraft and gigantic rusting terraforming machines. Here you are the titular Sable herself, a young woman on the cusp of embarking on a ritualistic walkabout (or more accurately rideabout) of discovery and introspection. After bidding your tribal home farewell, you set out to meet and greet various inhabitants spread out far and wide before settling on a vocation, marked by collecting sets of masks representative of each respective possible career.
As per above, the visual storytelling is top notch here. So much of the world can be extensively explored, and searching through its windswept landscapes and crumbling monoliths will tease out narrative morsels that gradually add up to expand the lore. To its credit, nothing is ever rotely exposited, instead doled out in manageable and well-written snippets. At its best, Sable’s aesthetics combine with the player’s imagination, bridging them together to create a wondrous sense of discovering this place’s unique lost history/culture and possible future.
Sable plays essentially as a laid back exploration/puzzler, with no combat whatsoever. It does have what could be described as light quests, with a deft touch approach to hand-holding and sign posting the player. The world is populated by a reasonable number of NPCs, who largely dispense simple fetch/discovery quests, all serving to nudge you towards various locales throughout the expansive feeling (but in practice mid-size) world.
If I had to compare it to some others, Sable would be something like an intersection of Eastshade, Journey, and Haven (all excellent unto themselves.) The sheer sense of freedom of movement is definitely one of if not the biggest highlights alongside the artwork. Gliding across the beautiful ruins on your custom hover-bike under the shades of the rising moon while distant towering formations and imposingly shattered landmarks dot the horizon, knowing you can go explore them at your leisure, is a truly freeing and delightfully relaxing experience.
Thematically Sable pulls off a tale of positivity, something that many games could surely use more of in these uncertain times! It’s one of initial doubt overcome by eventual empowerment; of self-realization and acceptance after having gained both internal and external wisdom. It’s also a somewhat brief journey, clocking in at around 8 hours, with perhaps an extra one or two if you stop and smell every single desert rose. Like the transience of youth itself, it revels in its time before settling down with a satisfied sense of adventures had and rest earned. If you’re looking for something to unwind with, and gorgeous to look at, Sable will impeccably hit that spot.
More: Part 3
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