Not everyone knows about the important work that the liquidators had in Chernobyl, and this interesting game wants to pay tribute to them
I like it when video games make an effort to deal with historical issues and provide their own message, further reinforcing the idea that they are an important means of communication. Even more so if it is about representing one of the greatest catastrophes in the history of humanity: the explosion of reactor number 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. It occurred in 1986 and released large quantities of radioactive materials into the atmosphere, affecting numerous European countries with long-term effects that are difficult to evaluate.
What is not so well known about this traumatic episode is the role that they played the liquidatorshundreds of thousands of people who were responsible for decontaminating the areas near the accident. Chornobyl Liquidators It is a video game that aims to pay tribute to them, and puts us in the place of firefighters, liquidators and officers during the incident, but also in the days after. There is important documentation work, but beyond that what the game aims to keep alive the memory of those people who sacrificed their lives at a critical moment.
The harsh reality of a nuclear catastrophe
That being said, you may be wondering: how do you play Chornobyl Liquidators? First of all, you are looking at a simulator in first person very guided, divided by chapters and with very linear and delimited scenarios. Don’t expect lots of action, shooting or anything similar. It is closer to a walking simulatorIn fact, the priority is the execution of some tasks such as handling a hose to extinguish fires or using a sprinkler to eliminate radioactive dust. There are some moments of platforming, and a few more surprises, but in general the gameplay is quite simple, with missions that are presented to you successively.
In many ways, it reminds me of the titles that appeared in PC towards the turn of the century, with a rather crude gameplay (the control is like that, like that…) and graphics that, although in the screenshots they seem to dazzle, when you see them with your own eyes their flaws and seams are evident. It is ambitious, however, aiming for AAA values (although falling far short of the mark). And not only that, but it even incorporates aspects such as your character having a radiation meterthat you can suffer less with iodine pills or that even states such as stress are reflected as you play.
The game is not well resolved: it has good ideas but poor execution
None of this is very well resolved, with very good ideas that fall by the wayside. I watch the announcement trailer now and it’s a real exercise in fantasy that sells you a game that seems better than it really is. The setting looks great in the developer’s videos, but the reality is that the models, textures and animations are archaic… like from another era. Also, optimization is terrible and it is totally unjustifiable that the minimum and recommended requirements are so high.
I also have doubts about the verisimilitude of certain sequences in the game, although it is also true that the developers themselves Live Motion Games they make a warning at the beginning, indicating that Not everything has to correspond to real events. However, I personally applaud the effort, because Chornobyl Liquidators helps to highlight the work of liquidators, people like you and me who in an exceptional situation had to risk their own health (and even their own lives).
This is something that is very well staged in the game, when suddenly a death letter appears with the date and reason for the death of the character you are controlling (it varies as you play, a nice detail). That reality existed and is one of the aspects best covered here, so if you like history and want to put yourself in the shoes of these cleaning workers, it is a great opportunity, because there aren’t many games like that. Keep in mind, however, what you are going to find, and that is that although the playable concept is exceptional and of great humanistic interest, the execution is poor and can disappoint.
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