Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl (stylized as S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2) is set to release on November 20, and as a sequel well over a decade in the making, fan expectations are high. One thing the game won’t feature is co-op, and this will be for the better.
Developer GSC Game World has been clear with the community that multiplayer won’t feature in the game at launch. Though its premise does admittedly make it quite well suited to the idea of co-op gameplay, including it would undermine the game’s unique selling point.
The Stalker series to date has been defined by its atmosphere. The oppressive misery of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is what sets the series apart from other games in the genre, a place where every bullet and morsel of food is an immense blessing.
This time around, the threats are set to be considerably more visceral. Events in the zone have furthered its dangers considerably and the monsters that call it home are faster, stronger and more terrifying than they have ever been.
Having the contingency of another person there to assist in unwinnable fights or to feed you at your lowest ebb removes much of the jeopardy that Stalker works so hard to create. Assuming Stalker 2 operates in a similar way to its predecessors, it’s only right that we conquer it alone, at least at the first time of asking.
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That isn’t to say that co-op couldn’t or shouldn’t be added further down the road. It would undoubtedly give the game much greater longevity and it would open the door for difficulty modifiers and gameplay sliders that should make the experience more appropriate for two.
Whether the developer will approach multiplayer with a bespoke experience in mind is unclear, but it certainly would be rewarding if the campaign rewarded coordination. That said, changing missions to reflect an extra party member may well be impractical at this stage.
With plenty of chatter about future multiplayer modes, it certainly is a game that would feel at home as a co-op experience, even if that shouldn’t be anyone’s priority for their first playthrough.
