It may be some 35 years since the events that caused the Chernobyl nuclear reactor to explode and cause a mass evacuation, but that doesn’t mean the number of media releases spun from its events will be slowing down and with S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored, players are once more heading into Ukraine, this time to uncover the events of a secret military-funded experiment that continued even after the evacuation had been completed. Why? Well because it was that hidden it wasn’t on the map of course, and if the money is still rolling, then surely the experiments can too, right?
Unlike many other acronym titled games, S.W.A.N. isn’t a cool and clever title for an awesome and much longer title, instead, it boils down to something very uninspiring, Syndrome Without A Name, and whilst I don’t like to put a downer on things straight away, this game is very much a title that follows that further by presenting as a game without a true purpose.
The story goes that it’s been 9 months since the nuclear incident that saw the region evacuated, and that in those months, scientists have been hard at work at this facility, hidden in the middle of nowhere to push on with neuro-psychological research of which they believe to be at the point of a major breakthrough. Now though a rescue team have been sent to the research facility in an attempt to save any remaining survivors.
To uncover these events players must explore and doing so takes you through a seemingly abandoned facility of dark and winding corridors, there are no people in sight, and the only knowledge you have of what is going on is done through reading various notes and listening to different tapes that have been left laying about in different rooms, whilst you have nothing more than a flashlight to keep things from going bump in the dark. Sadly, whilst the story starts out strong, it doesn’t stay that way, and after derailing from the initial idea about halfway through, we end up with too many things being thrown in unnecessarily over complicating things and leaving the story as little more than a jumbled mess to sift through.
Naturally like many horrors these days, it doesn’t take long before the game introduces you to jump scares, and whilst the first one certainly caught me slightly off guard with my headphones full volume, it has to be said that it doesn’t take long for them to feel a bit expected. This could be mostly down to the fact that the gaming world is oversaturated with eerie indie horror titles, but what doesn’t help is even early on there is a jump scare that quite literally warns you it’s about to happen to ensure there isn’t all that much left to the imagination. That’s not to say they are all like that, but to say they are predictable wouldn’t be far off the mark, especially when the music changes suddenly. In 2022 we’re in desperate need of a shakeup to ensure this sort of thing remains fresh.
As you progress onward through the facility and uncover the horrifying ongoings that have taken place, there are a bunch of different monstrous and hideous creatures that look to cause more fear in you, alongside the overly loud jump scares, but it’s here we have another issue with S.W.A.N., and that is it doesn’t take long to realise that most of these freaky creatures don’t do all that much to you with death essentially coming from the radiation they give off rather than the enemy as a direct threat, and with little to no actual threat from the enemies themselves, it makes you question what the point is once you’ve figured out how to move around them without your rads getting to high.
The other key gameplay focus here comes from puzzles and S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored is very puzzle heavy with each chapter bringing a different puzzle mechanic including things like shooting down spectres and collecting lightning, to writing morse code on the facility walls. Sadly, this hasn’t been integrated with enemy placement well at all, and most of the time you’ll either contend with a jumpscare or a puzzle rather than both at the same time. It’s not a given that you must be scared at all times during a horror game, but there is certainly got to be a better way to mix the puzzle side with the horror side rather than have them as two entirely separate parts of the game, especially when games like Outlast have already mixed puzzles and horror so well.
Away from the gameplay, it’s worth noting that not all is negative with S.W.A.N. and one thing deserving of praise is the atmospheric tension, sure the enemies may not give you all that much to fear but the way the flashlight uncovers just enough of what you’re looking at in each area is a great tone-setter.
Visually there we aren’t looking at a game that is going to put your system through its paces, but it’s not a horrible looking game either. Enemies could be detailed a lot better, but environments do enough to give off that same creepy vibe such as games like Slenderman, although once again this is another creative aspect lacking much in the way of minor details.
As for the sound and there’s not all that much to speak about, jump scares do the job by way of sheer volume when they happen, but there is nothing unexpected or delightful to speak of and equally nothing to be critical of. It just exists.
Conclusion
Overall, S.W.A.N.: Chernobyl Unexplored is a game that starts out really strong, but suddenly fades as if there is a lack of identity that’s taken over. Jump scares are relied upon too heavily throughout the game and whilst the puzzles aren’t bad at all, the enemies are appalling given the only real threat they pose is the radiation they give off which can be easily avoided. The idea of a dark scientific research project hidden within the radiation-contaminated depths of Chernobyl is certainly a money-making idea, but it has to be done right and sadly, this isn’t a game that ticks those boxes.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox One review code, using an Xbox Series S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
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