There’s an awful lot behind this door, lemme tell ya. Hours of adventure, of tension, of action, of sci-fi strangeness. It’ll be great. Unfortunately the door itself is bugged out so you’ll need to reload a quicksave or something to get it open.

It’s S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl!

James: This is a game that probably shouldn’t exist. Over a decade of false dawns and scrapped builds. A modern FPS landscape that’s firmly multiplayer-first. Hacking attacks. Literal war. It’s a wonder that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 got made at all, and a minor miracle that it’s turned out as one of the most gripping shooters this year.

In all the ways that matter, it’s pure, classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R., a grimly atmospheric free-roamer where almost everything – sometimes including the ground you walk on – wants you dead. Much has been said about the A-Life AI spawner not working as intended, but it’s still no rare occurrence to get caught up in an unscripted men vs. mutants battle, or be rattled by the sound of distant shots as you creep through the dark clutching a nearly-empty rifle. And when the time to fight comes, the shooting is sublime: a compelling push-and-pull between the fear of falling to a few unlucky hits and the thrill of popping out from corners to land helmet-cracking headshots. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 might be constantly trying to kill you, but it’s really good at making you feel alive.

Even away from the action, there’s much to enjoy about simply wandering through the Zone, exploring ruins and prying artifacts from within its physics-breaking anomalies. There’s something oddly beautiful about this horrid old place, especially once its various regions become more isolating and its anomalies more dramatic. I blasted through the main questline in about 40 hours, and have since spent another 30 just poking around the Zone’s more well-hidden secrets.

It does have performance problems and a bugginess that matches that of the Eurojank-codifying original trilogy, but given the circumstances (see: war) I’m inclined to forgive anything that isn’t outright game-breaking. Also given the choice between another safe, clean corridor shooter or a big, bold epic that creaks and splinters under the weight of its own ambition… well, I know which one I find more interesting.

Edwin: These devs have absolutely been through the wringer. I’m happy they managed to reach the finishing line. I’m also delighted to return to the Zone. One of my fondest FPS memories, if that’s the right word, is of inching down the side of the power station in the original game. The sequel has the same corner-to-corner vibe and thankfully, hasn’t gone full survival game in the modern-day “build a wasteland condo” sense.

Head back to the advent calendar to open another door!