I’m still disappointed that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was cancelled, but I’m intrigued by the next project from its developers: Survivarium, a free-to-play, massively multiplayer first-person shooter that’s all about (drumroll) survival in a post-apocalyptic environment.
Over the weekend, Vostok Games released a handful of pretty screenshots as well as a developer diary video that sheds light on the game’s story, setting, and various gameplay modes. You’ll find the images in our gallery below, and the nearly eight-minute video right here:
The video is sadly largely bereft of in-game footage, but it’s choc-full of details. Apparently, players will have to complete missions for different factions in order to earn money and status, much like in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.. They’ll also be able to band together for co-op missions, form teams for player-versus-player action, or take part in a "free play mode," in which they’ll have the freedom to interact with human counterparts as they please. There will be RPG elements, too, like leveling up and skill specialization.
I’m a little less clear on the storyline portion of the video. From what I can gather, pollution and climate change somehow cause mutant trees to kill everybody. Or something. The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games never had terribly compelling plots, but they were fun and engrossing regardless. Survivarium may be headed down the same path.