Movies based on books are much more common than video games based on books. It's often a chain in which a book inspires a film, and that film inspires a game. The popular S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise followed that path, bringing a 1971 novel and its 1979 film adaptation to the modern day. Perhaps more interestingly, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn't the only game to take the same inspiration.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to premiere near the end of this year. It's the fourth game in the franchise, but there's been a shocking 13-year gap between entries. The game was planned for release in 2012 but was canceled before six years of radio silence. In 2018, the game resurfaced with a new subtitle. Details are still fuzzy, but fans are excited about a potential 2023 release.
What is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Video Game Franchise?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl came out in 2007 after an extremely long development cycle. The game was first announced under a different name in 2000. The game was published by THQ and developed by GSC Game World. The franchise has been consistently plagued with similar issues. The first game's messy development resulted in several bugs and a mixed critical reception. The game's atmosphere, horror elements, and commitment to its unique setting captured the minds of many fans. This led to a prequel in 2007, a sequel in 2009, a comprehensive effort to restore older versions of the original in 2014, and the still upcoming entry.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games are first-person survival horror shooters set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone around the site of the famed power plant disaster. The game's timeline starts in 2006 when a mysterious second disaster fundamentally changed the area again. Experimentation in the area caused the mutation of various flora and fauna. It also caused the sudden appearance of anomalies, most of which take the form of strange meteorological phenomena. Anomalies birth artifacts that convey supernatural abilities and deadly radiation to whoever finds them. Some people choose to brave the dangers of the Zone to collect artifacts. These people are called stalkers, while the acronym of the title stands for "Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, and Robbers." They form factions, struggle with the military, and constantly quest to reach the center of the Zone. Each S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game follows a stalker with a unique motivation and a ton of options.
What Movie Is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Game Franchise Based On?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. was inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 film Stalker. The game primarily takes the setting and name from the film. Stalker follows an unnamed man who guides strangers into a mysterious area called the Zone. He's a Stalker, contracted to help a writer and a professor through the Zone to a Room that's said to grant wishes. The Zone is sealed off by the government and full of bizarre dangers. As they trudge through the Zone, the professor and the writer discuss philosophy, desire, and the horror of getting what they want. The film is a loose adaptation of the Strugatsky brothers' 1971 novel Roadside Picnic. The novel is one of the most influential pieces of literature of the past century. Its impact on TV, movies, and games has been shockingly varied. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. isn't even the only game franchise that borrows from the story.
What is the Other Game Inspired by Stalker?
4A Games' Metro franchise is primarily an adaptation of Dmitry Glukhovsky's novel series of the same name, but it also borrows heavily from Roadside Picnic and Stalker. The Metro games have always been closely tied to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The first game was partially created by former GSC Game Worlds developers who broke from the team to form 4A. There's a brief moment in Metro: 2033 that references Roadside Picnic. A character finds a copy on a discarded bookshelf and describes it as "familiar." The game isn't as heavily inspired by Roadside Picnic as S.T.A.L.K.E.R., but the DNA is clear. The Metro novels feel like spiritual successors to the Strugatsky brothers' work, and the team behind the game came straight from an adaptation of Stalker. It's impossible to keep cross-contamination out of two related projects. There are three Metro games currently available. The franchise is a little better known than its older brother, but it's consistently in the same conversation with S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise joins a rich tradition in Eastern European fiction. The Chernobyl disaster created a tremendous body of supernatural fiction, perhaps still best epitomized by Stalker. Fans of either game franchise will find a lot to love in Stalker and Roadside Picnic. Those who enjoy Metro and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. for their atmosphere, history, and strange storytelling elements will get the most out of the stories. Stalker might not be the horror/action film many fans will be seeking, but it captures the franchise's tone in a much deeper sense.