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The Zone: Stalker Stories

The Zone: Stalker Stories Game Cover
56%Game Brain Score
atmosphere, music
gameplay, story
83% User Score Based on 18 reviews

Platforms

LinuxPCWindows
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The Zone: Stalker Stories Game Cover

About

The Zone: Stalker Stories is a single player role playing game. It was developed by Illuminated Games and was released on June 15, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

"The Zone: Stalker Stories" is a narrative RPG with tactical card battles set in a world of mutants and anomalies. As a "mutant" with telekinetic powers, survival in the Zone requires careful deck-building, exploration, and completing side jobs. Experience unique stories, collect artifacts, and manage your expedition to maximize your chances of making it out alive.

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The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
The Zone: Stalker Stories screenshot
+3
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews
atmosphere3 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and interesting setting with excellent writing and art design, drawing inspiration from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe.
  • The combination of visual novel elements, RPG mechanics, and card combat creates an engaging gameplay experience that keeps players invested.
  • The developers are responsive to feedback and provide regular updates, showing commitment to improving the game during its early access phase.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and crashes, significantly impacting the overall experience and making it frustrating to play.
  • The tutorial and explanations for gameplay mechanics are incomplete, leaving players confused about certain aspects of the game.
  • Some elements, such as enemy visibility during exploration and the overall polish of the game, feel underdeveloped and could benefit from further refinement.
  • gameplay
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by a blend of exploration and turn-based card battles, reminiscent of titles like "SteamWorld Quest." While the mechanics are engaging and the narrative focus is appreciated, players have noted significant bugs and an incomplete tutorial that leaves some gameplay elements unclear. Overall, the experience is described as satisfying yet modest, prioritizing narrative over extensive replayability.

    • “I played through the first quest (roughly an hour or so of gameplay) of a copy I, ahem, 'found' somewhere and was compelled to purchase the game to support the developer and a product that I am genuinely impressed by.”
    • “Its gameplay is similar to SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech in that you move an avatar around a map and engage in exploration events and card battles.”
    • “+ The main gameplay loop of moving your character around a map in real-time, investigating points of interest that you find with your psionic ability, avoiding anomalies, and engaging in turn-based card battles to acquire loot that can be traded for better items and personal upgrades is very satisfying.”
    • “I really like the concept and mechanics of this game, but it is so ridiculously buggy.”
    • “- The biggest issue I had was that the tutorial is not complete, so some gameplay aspects are left a bit vague at the beginning, like how some cards use the standard energy points that renew each round (like in Slay the Spire, etc.) and others use another, non-renewing resource based on physical exhaustion.”
    • “The experience it offers is more modest, less random, and focuses much more on narrative than mechanics.”
  • story
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game features a compelling narrative that blends elements from various inspirations, including the 1979 film "Stalker" and the short story "Roadside Picnic." Initially heavy on story, it transitions into exploration and combat, maintaining a persistent world that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate the integration of storytelling with card battler mechanics, reminiscent of titles like "Slay the Spire."

    • “I played through the first quest (roughly an hour or so of gameplay) of a copy I, ahem, 'found' somewhere and was compelled to purchase the game to support the developer and a product that I am genuinely impressed by.”
    • “This game is heavy on the story early on, but as you get past the gate, it opens up a bit with exploration and combat.”
    • “The game is heavy on the story early on, but as you get past the gate, it opens up a bit with exploration and combat.”
    • “And a story presented through a visual novel.”
    • “The combat is very similar to Slay the Spire, but there seems to be a persistent world and story in addition to the card battler combat.”
  • graphics
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the clashing art styles and simpler exploration graphics compared to the more detailed city environments. While the overall aesthetics, animations, and effects are appreciated, many feel there is significant room for improvement, especially given that the game is in early access.

    • “I love the stalker aesthetic.”
    • “The artworks and design, animations, and effects are good, but they can definitely be better. I give some leeway since it's early access.”
    • “I like a lot of parts about it, like the aesthetics, the story, the free roam, and the battles.”
    • “Where to start with why this is an utter waste of time, probably with the clashing art styles.”
    • “It was so jarring to come through all these really mashed together game types, art styles, and basically, non-game.”
    • “The exploration graphics are quite a bit simpler than the beautiful location art in the city, and the exploration itself can feel a bit clunky when you're not sure what is background art or how to get to a detected point of interest.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its artistic quality, creating an immersive experience that encourages players to slow down and appreciate the environment, despite some frustration with the slow pacing.

    • “I love the art and the atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is awesome.”
    • “I wanted to just skip, skip, skip, but the game makes you move at a snail's pace, allowing you to take in the mundane atmosphere.”
    • “I wanted to just skip, skip, skip, but the game makes you move at a snail's pace, taking in the mundane atmosphere.”
  • music
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is highly praised for its fantastic composition, effectively drawing players in and enhancing the overall experience, making them eager to continue playing.

    • “Fantastic writing and music pull you in from the start, and you want to keep going.”
    • “The soundtrack perfectly complements the gameplay, enhancing every moment.”
    • “Each track is beautifully composed, creating an immersive atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players note that grinding is available as an option in the game, but it is not essential for progression, allowing for a more flexible gameplay experience.

    • “Grinding feels more like a chore than a rewarding experience.”
    • “The amount of time required for grinding is excessive and detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
    • “I find the grinding mechanics to be repetitive and uninspired, making it hard to stay engaged.”
  • replayability
    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Users express a desire for ongoing engagement with the game through updates, indicating that while they appreciate the narrative focus, they prioritize story over traditional replayability mechanics. This suggests that the game's replay value may hinge more on future content rather than varied gameplay experiences.

    • “I prefer a focus on narrative over replayability and mechanics.”
  • stability
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has an engaging concept and mechanics, but players report significant stability issues due to numerous bugs.

    • “I really like the concept and mechanics of this game, but it is so ridiculously buggy.”
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2251h Median play time
1502h Average play time
4-3000h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

The Zone: Stalker Stories is a role playing game.

The Zone: Stalker Stories is available on PC, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 1502 hours playing The Zone: Stalker Stories.

The Zone: Stalker Stories was released on June 15, 2023.

The Zone: Stalker Stories was developed by Illuminated Games.

The Zone: Stalker Stories has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its atmosphere but disliked it for its gameplay.

The Zone: Stalker Stories is a single player game.

Similar games include Tainted Grail: Conquest, Trials of Fire, Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms, Archaelund, Chrono Ark and others.