Recent years have seen the inclusion of Eastern European scenery mingling with the post-Soviet era imagery to create something truly unique in the universe of video games. The Farm 51's Chernobylite is another attempt at this same formula, albeit with a few twists of its own. It does have a few issues, but has been fleshed out well and garnered a positive response from players and critics alike. Taking inspiration from the Metro games, it also tries to create a hellish landscape of the post-Chernobyl timeline, to lure out players with intrigue, and put them into a sense of playful unease.
It isn't an easy game by any means though, and will not hold the players' hands for too long. Eventually, players have to make the effort to dive into its immersive world and discover its secrets on their own. These few tips might help players who feel slightly overwhelmed with all that Chernobylite has to offer.
10 Build A Stove
Micro-management of resources is a huge part of Chernobylite, and so is crafting. Players must also cook their food if they wish to survive in the mutated landscape of the game. In all these scenarios, the common element is the stove. The makeshift stove will let the players craft Salts and cook their food to replenish their health.
The player's headquarters cannot get better until and unless there's a Stove to manage minute aspects of the resources that have been gathered. For example, players can use the Stove to craft the Anti-radiation Ointment to protect themselves from the harmful radiation found in certain areas of the game.
9 Understanding The Base
The base of operations in Chernobylite allows the player to prepare before they conduct a Heist, which is quite different for a horror FPS. Players have to manage resources to better their base as they keep progressing through the game. If they don't upgrade certain aspects of the base, progressing further in the game becomes fairly difficult.
Players have to monitor aspects such as quality of air, protection from radiation, the comfort of life, and power levels. If any of these go in the red status, certain aspects of the base will be cut off from use. For instance, the Power going to the red end of the spectrum would mean that players won't be able to use the workbench to craft items.
8 Utilize Free Play
Chernobylite is a punishing game in its own right. Progress is slow, and players need to make a substantial effort to understand the game's steep learning curve. However, there is an option for Free Play in the main menu that can help players get a basic understanding of the game.
They can explore areas, set random events in the game, and change the weather. This will give them a basic idea about how the mechanics of Chernobylite work and how the stereotypical Russian crew of the player character works together to survive the wildlands of a post-Chernobyl incident nightmare.
7 Growing Food
The stats that are shown at the base of operations don't reflect one important aspect of the gameplay: food. Since Chernobylite is a survival horror FPS game and does lean quite strongly on the survival aspect of the gameplay, players have to manage food as a resource. The members of the player's crew have to be fed regularly to be kept both healthy and happy.
Going without food for extended periods of time will lead to disgruntled crew members, and will also make them suffer - leading to lower health and Psyche. Players can grow their food at the base, or they can go out on expeditions and find resources for cooking.
6 Using The Environment Analyzer
There are lots to explore in the world crafted in Chernobylite. The game world is strewn with abandoned outposts, buildings, desolate areas, and pockets of radiation. Since a lot of these areas can and will house unforeseen danger, the player's best tool to navigate the open world of Chernobylite is to use the Environment Analyzer.
This device will show enemies, items for loot, and mission directions to the player, helping the player and their companions avoid danger as much as possible. There's also a Geiger counter built with the device so that it shows heavily irradiated areas to the player, allowing them to bypass environmental dangers.
5 Surviving With Igor
Igor, the player protagonist of the game, has three stats that the player needs to keep at safe levels, at all times. These are Psyche, Health, and Armor. Psyche will decrease if Igor has to kill enemies or deal with mutated creatures. If Psyche is depleted, health will also gradually deplete.
As for the Health bar, it's simple enough - try not to get hit or face environmental damage. Red pips will also be seen if Igor has suffered radiation damage. These can only be cured with Anti-radiation Ointments. The Armor bar will take damage instead of the Health bar if Igor is equipped with armor. Players have to craft the armor at their base through the Armorsmith in the Inventory.
4 Know The Important Recipes
Since Chernobylite has a large open world that requires a fair amount of exploration, players will come across a lot of items that they want to put in their inventory. Unfortunately, the inventory isn't all that large. Players will have to pick and choose the important items. It is recommended that they memorize the recipes and the components required for the important ones.
This can help them craft items on the fly when they are required to do so. This will help the player progress at a steady rate, without facing the need to return to base due to a lack of ointments or salts.
3 Avoid Gunfights
In a post-apocalyptic setting such as that of Chernobylite, wasting bullets when the player can easily take an alternative route to avoid violence, isn't a good idea. Bullets are a scarce commodity in the game. Moreover, most of the enemies in the game are actually much stronger than Igor, the player character. This means that more often than not, the players will have to waste more than one bullet in trying to kill their enemy.
Combat is to be the last resort to any mission - the player should engage in combat only if they see that there isn't a way out of the situation. On that note, try upgrading weapons when possible for increasing their efficiency.
2 Moral(e) Compass
In Chernobylite, food is associated with morale. Igor can build more than one Vegetable Garden to grow food. Players can also go out on missions or runs to gather food for Igor and the rest of the crew. At the end of each day, food has to be divided equally amongst everyone. If food is aplenty, players can give double the food to the crew members to keep their health and morale in check.
However, if the player gives more food to those who have failed a particular mission, then the other crew members will not take this well. They will see incompetence being rewarded, leading to lower morale.
1 Base Decorations
If players want to keep their crew members happy, they also need to ensure that the base has to be more than just the bare minimum. Crew members want to be associated with a place that looks like it is progressing. Therefore, just progressing in missions will not work - players have to decorate their bases to a certain extent.
A base with the bare minimum will not attract companions and could make crew members leave out of unhappiness and low morale. Players can start by ensuring that every crew member has a proper bed to sleep on. This will suffice as a morale boost for a substantial amount of time.