S.T.A.L.K.E.R. remains one of the series of games that enjoy constant popularity in Russia and the CIS countries. There is nothing surprising in this: familiar landscapes are pleasing to the eye, and interesting gameplay complements the picture and makes many come back again and again. Nevertheless, there are only three games in the franchise (not counting modifications), but you still want something similar. In this case, Cybersport.ru decided to collect ten games with a post-Soviet entourage in different genres – what if you want to do more than just shoot?
->
->
Metro Series
“‘>
Look
In the not too distant future, the city of Tarkov, once a bridge between Europe and Russia, has turned into a theater of military operations: the illegal activities of the transnational corporation TerraGroup led to a political conflict, and now the territory is isolated by the Russian armed forces and UN peacekeepers. There is panic in Tarkov: civilians are trying to escape from the city against the backdrop of incessant fighting, and mercenaries from two private military companies, USEC and BEAR, are fighting incessant battles on its territory. You have to play as a former mercenary, who himself is looking for a way out of the besieged Tarkov.
Formally, there is no post-apocalypse here, but the devastation in the post-Soviet entourage has not gone anywhere. The creators of the game take pride in working out all aspects of combat: even blood pressure and dehydration affect the character, not to mention blood loss and fractures, and the weapon fires with a realistic ballistic system. Unlike the rest of the games in the collection, Escape from Tarkov is multiplayer, but the story missions can be completed alone.
You are empty
“‘>
Look
In November 2008, NATO was forced to send a detachment to investigate the destroyed Soviet (and now Polish) classified city of Gorky-17, which was destroyed by Russian troops without warning. Instead of the expected emptiness on the streets, the military are greeted with strange deformed creatures, not much like people or animals. Information about this leaks into the media, and the city has to be isolated – along with the remaining NATO members, who will have to not only investigate the mysterious creatures, but also somehow survive in order to tell about what they saw.
“Gorky-17” was released in 1999 and presented to the world an interesting hybrid of adventure, RPG and tactical turn-based combat, generously seasoned with horror. In the Russian edition, however, the NATO fighters were changed to the Ministry of Emergency Situations (and in the “goblin” translation it was changed to GRU fighters). On release, the mix worked with a bang, and the game received a lot of positive feedback. For its time, it looks more than worthy.
“Symbiont”
“‘>
Look
A detachment of special forces “Alpha” was sent to the industrial complex “Udarnik”: the enterprise was attacked by terrorists, so the operatives will have to deal with the threat and ensure the safety of civilians. The player takes on the role of Major Kalashnikov, who, as part of the squad, must clear the object. But the matter does not end with just one terrorist attack: in pursuit of the remaining terrorists, the major is ambushed and falls into the mothballed base KROT-1, where strange experiments were once carried out. Kalashnikov will have to face the inhabitants of the laboratory, who for a long time do not look like people and are not particularly friendly.
Paranoia was originally created as a modification to the original Half-Life, but later became a standalone game. In many aspects it is very close to S.T.A.L.K.E.R .: the same abandoned Soviet complexes, strange mutations and an oppressive atmosphere of total hopelessness. Except that Paranoia remains a linear shooter created by enthusiasts, rather than a high-budget sandbox. The Half-Life engine for the game has been thoroughly shoveled to produce a much nicer picture, and the gameplay contains interesting findings such as the ability to wear a helmet to protect the head or the need to wear a gas mask so as not to suffocate in infected locations.
DayZ
“‘>
Look
The Russia of the future is not the most pleasant place for life: pro-American forces came to power, which made it possible to bring in US peacekeepers to “restore order and finally proclaim democracy.” In fact, everything turned into control over natural resources, and they simply stopped paying attention to the local population. The player will have to manage Akhmet – a marauder who is forced to survive in the Ural town mired in anarchy. A loner will have to find comrades and be able to survive in the ongoing war “all against all.”
The creators of such games as “Operation Silent Storm”, “Brigade E5” and “7.62” continued their tactical lineup “Marauder”, based on the book of the same name by Berkem al Atomi. Unlike more “hardcore” simulators, “Marauder” offers the atmosphere of the destroyed Soviet outback and guerrilla warfare in the format of turn-based tactics. In addition, Akhmet differs from the usual heroes and cares much more about his own skin than about some kind of global well-being, and therefore, without a twinge of conscience, he is ready to kill civilians for profit. Experience the difference with This War of Mine. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The “Marauder” is brought together not only by the post-Soviet devastation and the atmosphere of lawlessness, but also by an interesting barter system, which most often, as expected, does not work in favor of the player.
Atom RPG
“‘>
Look
In the 1980s, most of the world was “captured” by a mysterious forest: it continues to expand, occupying more and more of the Earth’s territory. Those who are unlucky enough to get stuck in its wilds are not destined to return the same: something in the forest becomes the cause of terrible mutations that turn people into twisted creatures. The government initially tried to fight the scourge, but was defeated. In this world, the Stranger survives, forced to explore the changing forest during the day, and at night to hope that no one will break into his shelter.
Darkwood uses a familiar post-Soviet aesthetic, but works with it in the most unfamiliar way: it’s a classic survival horror with an emphasis on atmosphere. No playthrough will be like the previous one: the map is created anew every time, and the Stranger has to make other decisions that affect the global plot. The main thing is that the game is capable of scaring without resorting to cheap screamers, and the tension and feeling of the approaching end are much more powerful than in the same S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
