After nearly five months of deliberation on whether to leave a positive or negative review, I’ve finally decided to give S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 a positive vote. My main reason? The game has rekindled the joy of returning to one of our most cherished worlds, even if its current state is a mixed bag.

There’s a unique thrill in stepping back into the zone after such a long hiatus. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 offers not only a sprawling world filled with both nostalgic and new landmarks but also revisits the classic gameplay mechanics that have long defined the series. For veterans like myself, exploring both familiar routes and undiscovered corners of Chornobyl creates a compelling blend of nostalgia and excitement. The essence of survival horror, atmospheric storytelling, and the relentless tension of the zone feels true to the series’ roots. It’s a reminder of why we fell in love with this franchise in the first place.

The game world is vast and varied, providing hundreds of hours of content. Even in its current state, the potential for growth is immense, especially with the promise of official mod support in the future. There’s a foundation here that, despite its imperfections, hints at even greater experiences in the long run.

However, no review would be complete without addressing the downsides. The game suffers from a number of technical issues. Many bugs have plagued the initial experience—some have already been resolved, but the sheer number and severity, including crashes and extreme lag (with some players reporting frame rates barely reaching 5 FPS), cannot be ignored (it took weeks to solve even the most simple bug causing those issues.. just because they decided to release enormous big patches with more that 1.000 fixes. Unacceptable to wait that much while there are people who couldn't play the game, just because it's cool to say "we fixed hundreds of bugs....). Additionally, still now, the graphical fidelity is noticeably below the quality displayed in the trailers, and key features such as A-Life 2.0 are still incomplete and bugged. These problems make it feel as though a full-priced Early Access version was released prematurely, leaving many players frustrated in the early months of its launch.

The Zone is like a radioactive miracle: it's fascinating, unique, alive... but every breath it takes can be lethal. And there you are, caught in the middle, wondering whether you're witnessing a new beginning or the antechamber of extinction.

Despite the setbacks, my overall vote is positive—not as a blanket endorsement of a fully polished product, but as a heartfelt encouragement to the developers. With the majority of bugs now addressed, the game is definitely moving in the right direction. I look forward to a definitive release soon—one with improved graphics, better optimization, a perfected A-Life system, and the minimum number of bugs possible. The passion behind the project and the commitment to continuous improvement have made all the difference. They have given us the opportunity to return to our favourite zone, a place of enduring memories and immense potential, and that in itself is reason enough to remain optimistic.

Ultimately, while S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 may not yet be flawless, its promise and dedication to refining the experience make it worthy of support and anticipation.