Introduction/Information about game
The game S.W.A.N: Chernobyl Unexplored, by developer Volframe and publisher Art Games Studio, was released on the PlayStation today, August 31st, 2022. This game is a single player science fiction first person shooter horror puzzle game that takes place a few months after the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant disaster back in 1986. Horror games are not usually my favorite genre of games to play, but I still find a way to enjoy them when I do. Unfortunately, when I played this game, it was not very enjoyable for me to play.
Gameplay
The gameplay for S.W.A.N: Chernobyl Unexplored was not very fun to experience. When players start the game, they will be given a nice history lesson about the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant disaster that happened in 1986. As I said before, this game is based off of that very event, so it only makes sense that the game shares the history behind what happened. After the game’s history lesson (which was a nice touch), the player starts out in the S.W.A.N. Institute months after the disaster happened. The controls of the game are simple. The player just learns how to move, sprint, jump, and turn their light on and off. Looking around, the player will get a book to keep notes in and a bag to hold the different items that they find. After that, the player is free to start figuring out where to go and what they need to do.
As the player tries to make progress, they are met with puzzles they need to complete. One puzzle they made that I liked was trying to find the password for a computer login. While for me, although it seemed pretty simple, it was still a nice puzzle to solve. When I played through the puzzles, they were not too hard for me to solve. They were actually really easy, which for me, is a bit upsetting. Another problem the player will encounter throughout the game is the different horrors they will face. I say different horrors, however, when I played, it seemed like the main horror was simply just how dark the rooms got. That was it. There are different creatures that try to scare the player, but they are not all that scary. Finally, once the player reaches a certain point in the game, they will get something to defend themselves with, which brings in the first person shooter aspect to it. When I used the weapon, it was very weird and not too fun to mess around with. In the end, most of this game is just ok.
Final thoughts
Overall, the game S.W.A.N: Chernobyl Unexplored is not a very fun horror puzzle game for me. Everything about this game (the horror, the puzzles, the first-person shooting mechanics), for the most part, were all just ok. I believe that, while this game has an interesting idea, it just was not executed too well. However, if players still want to try out the game, they can buy it on the PlayStation store and on Steam.
You can watch the S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored release date trailer HERE
For more information, visit HERE
Related: Reviews by Nick Dooley
I have played many games since childhood. I love games so much that I wish to pursue a career in game development, as well as any field that involves video games. I love analyzing the games I play, as well as state my opinions about the game. I wish to provide authentic, fair, and detailed reviews on my opinions on the games I play, as well as try to provide little bias toward the games I review.
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