Not only “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2”: what other games can be played by Ukrainian developers

Last week, the most anticipated game among both Ukrainian and foreign gamers  was released, the sequel to the legendary S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, created by the Ukrainian studio GSC Game World. UNN decided to tell you what other games created by Ukrainian developers you can play. We will also mention games that feature or mention Ukraine. 

A legal way to destroy the Kremlin 

Persh nij GSC Game World bought their way up to the Chornobylsky zone, the company in 2001 did not change the legendary and popular gru in the genre of strategy "Cossacks: European Wars". 

In 2005, an updated version of the game was released - "Cossacks 2: Battle for Europe" based on the events of the XVIII - XIX centuries. Compared to the previous games in the series, this game has undergone major changes in graphics, gameplay (the system of unit behavior has been radically changed (fatigue, morale (consequences - panic, exaltation, respectively), the difficulty of passing some territories (swamps, forests), the dependence of shooting accuracy on distance and obstacles. 

In 2011, the studio temporarily closed, but after 3 years they resumed their activities, creating in 2016 the game "Cossacks 3", which is still popular among players around the world. Unlike the rest of the Games in the "Cossacks" series, "Cossacks 3" is completely made in three-dimensional graphics, while previous versions had only a three-dimensional landscape. The game engine is able to support up to 32,000 units (workers and fighters) on each map and reproduce dynamic lighting. Supports 4K resolution with interface scaling. With the built-in map editor, you can easily make changes to the game by creating your own modifications. 

It's worth noting that the game's developers trolled the Russians a bit. All nations present in the game have worker units. In each nation, they are called "peasants," but in Russia they are called "serfs." 

"You choose Ukraine, call your friend who plays for Poland. The two of you start slicing up the Russians. Glory to Ukraine!", - the game's reviews read. 

Unfortunately, the developers have somewhat forgotten about the game, as updates are rarely released. 

"olives", "Chiki Briki", "bro klyunulo", jokes 

In 2007, GSC Game World released the legendary game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chоrnobyl", which became a breakthrough for the company. The game captivates with its atmosphere that combines open world exploration. 

Unlike many games, " S.T.A.L.K.E.R."I didn't keep the player with linear goals and the game didn't rush to complete missions, but on the contrary, you could spend a lot of time just walking around abandoned cities, fighting terrible mutants, looking for mysterious artifacts, dying of anomalies and just sitting with other stalkers listening to their jokes. 

Another feature of the game was the dialogues of bandits, which were voiced by the Ukrainian host Grigory German, known to Ukrainians from the programs "morning with Ukraine", "mother-in-law and daughter-in-law", "taxi". 

Quotes of bandits have already become iconic and scattered into memes, which is only worth it: "ay blah, I caught an olive", the legendary "Chiki Briki" and "bro pecked". 

The game has also become a kind of business card for Ukraine, causing a significant cultural impact. Most foreign fans of the game, after completing it, came to Chernobyl to see the atmosphere with their own eyes. 

A year later, the world saw another game from Ukrainian developers - S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky", which became a prequel to the first part and tells about the events that took place before the release of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl.

A year later, the third part was released - " S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat", where events unfold after the events of the original game - that is, after the shooter destroyed the project "awareness". 

Game " S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2", which was released on November 20 this year, received high ratings from gamers, despite technical problems. In less than a day, the Ukrainian game has collected so many reviews in the world that it is difficult to count. Of course, the Russians could not pass by the comments, because they "appropriated" the Ukrainian game for many years.

It's worth noting that there is no Russian voice acting in the game, only subtitles, which makes it incredibly frustrating for Russians, because "the atmosphere of the game is unbelievable.

But, in the end, they still buy the game, even knowing that the proceeds will go to the Armed Forces, albeit through gritted teeth.

Moscow destroyed by a nuclear strike 

What could be more beautiful than Moscow destroyed by a nuclear strike? Probably nothing, especially nowadays. In 2010, an equally legendary game was released by the Ukrainian studio 4A Games Limited, founded by people from the GSC Game World game studio, Metro 2033. The game's plot generally follows the book by Dmitry Glukhovsky, and the events take place in Moscow 20 years after the global nuclear war. The surviving citizens have taken refuge in the Moscow subway. The game's protagonist, Artem, goes on an errand to save his home from mutant attacks.

The game also fascinates with its atmosphere, phrases of bandits voiced by Grigory German, that is, in the game you can again hear about the legendary "olives", "Chiki Briki" and so on, but most players remember the legendary phrase of bourbon: "and most importantly, the main thing, Artem, do not eat yellow snow". 

"Dead Moscow. What could be better? Destroyed Moscow-what could be more beautiful. This game has everything you need: destroyed Moscow; the Moscow Metro, which was captured by the Ukrainians.

I definitely recommend it. Big rocket, fall on Moscow, Moscow boom - everyone rejoice," gamers write reviews for the game. 

Three years later, the sequel to the game is released - "Metro: Last Light", which takes place a few months after the final of "Metro 2033", when Artyom destroyed the lair of the Black mutants. 

After the inhabitants of the post-apocalyptic subway have no common enemy, a civil war is brewing between them. Artem gets a chance to enlist the help of the surviving Black and thwart the Red Line's conquest plans.

"Judging by the way Moscow looks, the special operation is going according to plan. The game is okay, the voice acting is good, the story is good, they dropped a nuke on Moscow, I recommend it. The developers made the Moscow subway speak Ukrainian 10/10," reads a review of the game. 

In 2019, the sequel to Metro Exoduswas released, which completely changes the nature of the game. In the previous two installments, the protagonist Artem rarely made it to the surface, and all the events took place in the underground and in Moscow. Artem and a group of surviving rangers of the Sparta Order discover that there are also survivors of the war outside Moscow. They leave the capital on the Aurora steam train and travel far to the east to find a new place. 

The plot of the game takes place not in the subway, but in the destroyed cities of Russia. Here you can see the Yamantau mountains, Novosibirsk, Magnitogorsk, etc.destroyed by a nuclear strike.  the game has the achievement "decommunization", which is issued for the destruction of the monument to Vladimir Lenin. 

As in the case of "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2", the Russians were somewhat burned from the game, and on the Federal TV channel" Russia 24 " they even accused the game of Russophobia.

The host of Rossiya 24 said that the developers got carried away with their own "Maidan realities" and mocked Muscovites. 

"They say they don't know that people also live outside the capital in the midst of devastation and hordes of mutants. As the saying goes, a big "cranberry" plus "terry Russophobia," Russia said at the time. 

Dmitry Glukhovsky then stated that he was flattered by the attention of the Rossiya 24 TV channel and was glad that he managed to "poke a little stick into their hive.

"The metro world is jamming all external signals. In this light, the episode with the unfortunate Lenin.well, just think. He's basically an inhuman ogre. Why not break his monument in the end?",- said then Glukhovsky. 

another legal way to burn down Moscow

In 2011, the game "Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword", the first official expansion to the single-player role-playing video game Mount & Blade, developed jointly by Kyiv-based SiCh Studio and Snowberry Connection. 

The main difference between the "Mount & Blade" add-on. Fire and sword" from the original game consists in the setting and plot component. The game takes place not in a fictional world, but on the territory of five historical States of Eastern and Northern Europe in the middle of the XVII century, in particular on the territory of Modern Ukraine. There are five faction States in the game:

• Rzeczpospolita;
• Moscow Kingdom;
• Zaporozhye Army;
• Crimean Khanate;
• Kingdom Of Sweden.

The plot of the game is divided into three main lines — Polish, Ukrainian (Zaporozhye) and Moscow (Russian). The storyline in the game for Ukraine is dedicated to the ancient family secret of the owners of the lands of Little Russia Lithuanian Princes Olgovich, which will try to reveal and Lithuanian magnate Radziwill, and the Swedish king, and the Moscow tsar, because the one who solves the mystery of the Olgovich, is destined to become the greatest ruler of Europe.

"In this review, you don't even need a lot of text, just the only thing you need to know is that here you can live in Moscow and live in Lviv, and you don't need more. If you can hack Muscovites in the game, then it deserves your attention. You can lay siege to Moscow and seize Crimea, what else do you need more? At a minimum, you can buy the game because there you can live in Moscow and live in the sich under Bohdan Khmelnitsky," the reviews for the game say. 

detective lovers 

Another popular game among gamers is developed by the Ukrainian studio Frogwares and the French Focus Home Interactive - "Sherlock Holmes". The plots of all games in the series are based on the works of the same name by the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle, but they are independent stories, with the participation of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson. For 2020, eight main games of the series and four casual ones were released. In 2021, the ninth game was released about a Young Sherlock Holmes investigating the murder of his mother. 

By the way, the company has created its first open – world detective game - "The Sinking City". It has received good reviews from gamers thanks to a well-thought-out plot, an open investigation system and an intuitive interface. Given the warm welcome, the developer announced a sequel.

American Western fans 

In October 2021, the Ukrainian studio Game Labs releases a game in the stealth action genre "this Land is my Land". It may not be Red Dead Redemption 2, but the Wild West image from some other angle is still refreshing. You play as one of the indigenous people of the United States: your goal is to protect your land from an external enemy. A lot of attention is paid to the stealth system and silent kills, as you only have a bow, as well as some edged weapons.

The game provides a significant degree of freedom so that you can explore the vast, vibrant world of the game. Just like in real life, other local tribes get in your way from time to time, and so despite all this freedom, you have to be careful with what surrounds you.

references to Ukraine in Games 

Probably, when it is necessary to mention Ukraine in video games, the "Call of Duty" series of games immediately comes to mind, where Ukraine is probably mentioned most often. For the first time, Ukraine appears in "Call of Duty United Offensive", where players were sent to Kharkiv during World War II and ordered to liberate the city. 

In "Call of Duty Modern Warfare", two misii are fired at the Prip'ati. In "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 ", the self-interest of those who blew up the knee of the woman was TEA, and in "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 " Ukraine is shown through the prism of a single character. But "Black Ops" is "Black Ops Cold War".

Also worth mentioning is" Call of Duty Warzone", because the fictional Berdyansk is almost completely written off from Donetsk, and the game also shows the"Donbass Arena". 

In the game "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" you can see the An-225 "dream" plane, which even hit one of the characters. 

The French studio Asobo Studio has gone even further and added the Mriya to Microsoft Flight Simulator, a flight simulation game. The AN-225 Mriya appears in Microsoft Flight Simulator after purchasing the Mryia add-on. All proceeds from its sale by Asobo will be used by Antonov to restore the aircraft, which was destroyed on February 27, 2022, during the storming of the airport in Gostomel by Russian occupiers.

In the game Grand Theft Auto IV, although Ukraine is not mentioned, developers from Rockstar Games have added the radio station Vladivostok FM. By the name, it is clear that it broadcasts Russian artists, but there is also a Ukrainian singer Ruslana on this list with her song "Wild Dances".

In the legendary game "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" there was a cache map, where the action takes place in Pripyat. In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2, this map is no longer available. 

Ukrainian games that are being prepared for release

A young team of CYBERNATION enthusiasts.After a full-scale invasion, the TEAM announced the development of the game "THREEDAYZ: ORC HUNTERS". The developers themselves claim that this is a future cooperative shooter that will plunge players into the maelstrom of the struggle for freedom of Ukraine in a full-scale war that unfolded on the territory of our homeland after February 24, 2022. 

"We will tell the stories of people who protect our lives day after day on the water, in the sky and on land, during the game players will meet the maximum concentration of references to real events, but with small artistic digressions," the developers assure. 

A special feature of the game will be that players will be able to fight not with fictional characters, but with real Ukrainian fighters. In particular, the game will feature a Ukrainian serviceman, paramedic, commander of the volunteer medical evacuation unit "Angels of Taira" Yulia Paevskaya with the call sign "Taira". In addition, the commander of the Decepticon platoon of the 3rd separate assault brigade Vlad Datsky, call sign "Datsik", commander of the international battalion "Titan" Igor Yankov, call sign "Yankee" and even the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov. 

The game will feature missions to liberate the island of Zmeiny, the first days of fighting in Kharkiv, battles for Bakhmut, and so on. 

Another game that is scheduled for release and describes the events after February 24, 2022, "Glory to the Heroes" is a genre of military tactical first-person shooter about the Russian-Ukrainian war, developed by the independent Ukrainian studio Spacedev Games. 

The video game offers the player a military campaign and large-scale multi-person battles involving various military units and equipment. According to the developers, the project is based on war stories.Among the planned maps are Mariupol, Irpen, Bucha, and Gostomel airport. Players can choose their own class and division. Each faction has its own equipment and equipment, allowing players to choose from a variety of game experiences as a shooter, Gunner, anti-tank grenade launcher, medic, sniper or other soldier with unique equipment.

Of course, where without the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It is planned to release the game "echo of Pripyat" - a walking simulator that deepens the player into the atmosphere of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, conveying all the horrors and fears of people left on this forgotten land. The game is designed so that the player can feel the atmosphere of this mysterious place.

The Ukrainian gaming industry has made a significant step forward and can already compete with Western developers. Although in some projects everything that happens is Gods, for example," flying " stalkers, Ukrainian games amaze with their unique atmosphere and, most importantly, the presence of Ukrainian voice acting, which was previously rare. And finally: remember, you should not eat yellow snow.