Disturbing Survival Horror 'Chernobylite' Is Finally Leaving Early Access

Chernobylite, the science fiction survival horror game set thirty years after the disaster has faded from memory, has gotten a release date and there's not long to wait.

The protagonist is Igor, a physicist and ex-employee of the Chernobyl Power Plant who is haunted by the event that shocked the entire world in 1986. One of the victims of the nuclear disaster was Tatyana, Igor's fiancée, as she disappeared in the chaos and was never seen again since that fateful day. Three decades pass, and Igor finds himself returning to the Exclusion Zone to drag out the truth of what happened to Tatyana and the odd phenomena that occurs in the wasteland. However, he won't be alone. The secretive military presence in the Exclusion Zone is a risk he hadn't calculated for, but there are settlements of allies who are willing to share what they know for a price. The player must navigate these relationships to uncover more and more clues and survive another day in the most hostile environment on the planet.

Developer The Farm 51 has been keen to stress that players have a huge number of opportunities to explore this non-linear narrative and the dark depths of the Exclusion Zone. Check out the announcement trailer for the release date here.

If the title is sounding somewhat familiar to you, it's likely due to the fact that the game has been in early access for PC for three years. In its Kickstarter campaign, it received more than double its goal in funds from 3,350 backers, and at long last, those who have been with The Farm 51 from the start will get their mitts on the radioactive RPG.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of Chernobylite is the fact that its environments have been produced through painstakingly thorough photography. Thousands and thousands of photos were taken of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone in Ukraine, allowing a level of accuracy and immersion unlike anything else. "How was it? Challenging for sure," explained marketing manager Barbara Szymańska. "Not only because the access to the Zone has been way more difficult before, especially when you have to stay in one place for hours and go to areas not available for tourists, but also because the place itself is dangerous. Radiation is not that much of a problem since most places are not radioactive anymore, but due to the condition of the abandoned buildings. You really have to watch where you're going or else you may fall into a hole in the floor or get injured in other ways."

You've got to give it to them - that's commitment. Chernobylite is coming to PC on July 28th and news will follow on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S release.