Chernobylite
Common Sense Media Review
By David Chapman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Survival horror set in a real-life radioactive wasteland.
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Chernobylite
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
What’s It About?
CHERNOBYLITE is a sci-fi survival game that drops players into one of the most dangerous and contaminated areas on the planet: the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Using detailed 3D scans of the real-world exclusion zone, the game recreates an eerie environment made even more so by the strange events taking place there. On top of that, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions have received 4K resolution graphics and smoother full HD visuals at 60 frames per second. In Chernobylite, players take on the role of a physicist that was present on the day the Chernobyl plant went into meltdown. That same day, you lost your fiancée in the chaos of the disaster. Now, thirty years later, you've returned to the site, haunted by the memory of your lost love and determined to unlock the secrets still held by this radioactive no man's land. To survive, you'll need to scavenge the land for resources, crafting supplies from your makeshift base of operations, and find others that have been drawn to or trapped within the exclusion zone. With all of reality tearing apart at the seams, will you find a way to fend off another catastrophic event at Chernobyl? Or will a new cataclysm result in an exclusion zone encompassing the globe?
Is It Any Good?
On April 26, 1986, an accident at the Chernobyl power plant caused a catastrophic meltdown, leading to the worst nuclear disaster in history. It also created an irradiated No Man's Land in the surrounding area for decades, so to recreate this area for Chernobylite's environment, the developers used 3D scans of the infamous exclusion zone. While it's difficult to determine just how accurate this is without visiting the real-world location, one thing that can't be denied is that the game looks amazing. Exploring the areas surrounding the Chernobyl installation and the nearby abandoned city of Pripyat is both fascinating and eerie. It's the perfect setting for a creepy horror story, which would be great if the rest of the game went in that direction. There's a certain level of disconnect right from the start of the game when the characters begin to speak. Although the game's supposed to take place deep in Russia, the voice acting is anything but. None the various newspapers, signs, etc., are in Russian either. If not for the occasional line of dialogue or visual cue (such as the massive duga radar array), the game could be taking place anywhere.
Another problem facing Chernobylite is that it seems to struggle to find its identity. One minute it feels like a supernatural survival horror game, the next it's a science fiction thriller, then it jumps to a stealth shooter, and just like that it's a post-apocalyptic base building/crew management sim. That's not to say each element isn't well done and fun to play. In fact, taken separately, each of these is a blast. Skulking around in the shadows and slipping past guards leads to some high-tension moments, and seeing a random phantom disintegrate or hearing a ghostly voice can make you question your state of mind. And of course, there's a sense of accomplishment of crafting an efficient base of operations with a crew willing to fight by your side. The problem is simply that all these pieces are connected by the thinnest and flimsiest of threads, making the transitions feel all the more jarring.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about choice and consequence. What are some ways that quick decisions you make today might greatly affect events in the future? How do games like Chernobylite help to give players the opportunity to see the effects of choices and to experiment with different options?
How can working with others help to overcome obstacles and achieve one's goals? If you fail to help others in their moments of need, is it fair to expect them to be there for you in yours?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PlayStation 5 , PlayStation 4 , Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: The Farm 51
- Release date: April 27, 2022
- Genre: Survival Horror
- Topics: Adventures , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires , Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: M for Blood, Violence
- Last updated: May 13, 2022
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