“EPISODES: Shadow of Chornobyl” – a review of the documentary about the development of the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

“S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl was released in 2007, but it remains one of the treasures of the Ukrainian gaming industry. And the global one as well, because even today the game gives a pleasant experience, even taking into account all its technical shortcomings. Part of this legacy is due to the fact that the developers at GSC Game World did not follow the trends of the time or use any trendy business models. They wanted to create the game of their dreams and show the whole world what developers from Ukraine were capable of. So, not only money and jobs were at stake, but also national and personal pride.

Of course, the gaming industry treats such dreamers rather harshly. That’s why the story of the first part of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is no less interesting than the game itself. The documentary film EPISODES: Shadow of Chornobyl” is dedicated to it. It conveys the atmosphere of the franchise’s formation, which partly resembled a real adventure.

The “EPISODES” project by KNIFE! Films has dedicated the project to the achievements of modern Ukraine, and the authors decided to approach them from the entertainment side. The first part, “EPISODES: Ukraine at the World Cup” tells about the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the third part, “EPISODES: Don’t Switch” is about the classic Ukrainian TV show “Karaoke on the Maidan”, but we are still waiting for the premiere of this movie. However, you can already watch “EPISODES: Shadow of Chernobyl”, but keep in mind that the film is shown exclusively in the Planeta Kino cinema chain, although it should appear later on Ukrainian streaming services

Any good documentary should not just tell interesting facts. In the ideal case, representatives of this genre additionally build their own narrative, which is often more interesting than fantasy. But here it is important to maintain a clear line between the artistic component and the accuracy of the depiction of facts, not to go overboard with the author’s opinions, but to use the available elements in a competent sequence.

This is a very difficult task, and not everyone succeeds. For example, the documentary “The First Code” about the formation of the Ukrainian IT segment resembles a more naive and straightforward glorification of Ukrainian developers, which somewhat ignores their direct achievements. That’s why the movie leaves an unpleasant aftertaste, as if the authors wanted to impose something on the audience rather than share a real story and inspire admiration for people.

The main achievement of “EPISODES: Shadow of Chornobyl” is that the viewers can feel sincere admiration for the people who worked at GSC Game World at the beginning of the studio’s existence without any unnecessary manipulations. After all, the story of the first part of Stalker is built on great ambitions, a bright passion for their own business and a desire to use all opportunities to realize their dreams.

This is what the audience’s attention is focused on while watching the program. Various speakers speak frankly, almost warmly, about their attitude to game development, its atmosphere, various elements, role in the development of the Ukrainian entertainment industry and the global gaming industry as a whole. The film’s presentation does not feel overly pompous, and it does not repel the business side of the industry or other problematic nuances of game development. Even the only local “antagonist”, Dean Sharp, who was sent from America to Kyiv by the management of THQ to help GSC Game World finally bring the game to release, still only complements the image of the team that put everything on the success of the grand project called S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chornobyl.

The movie actually contains a lot of interesting facts about game development. Moreover, the authors find an interesting balance between the technical nuances of video game development and accessibility for a general audience. Therefore, the speakers in the film explain the technical limitations of game development at that time, the creation of game animations and the simulation of the behavior of living beings, but do not overload the audience with numbers, parameters and terms. Perhaps it is the deeper dive into the world of game development that will be missing for some, but it is clear that the film was not created only for enthusiasts and hardcore players.

At the same time, you may also have questions about the speakers. The legendary Sergiy Grygorovych is not in the movie, and many people consider him to be the face of the brand. However, “EPISODES: The Shadow of Chornobyl” perfectly demonstrates that the development was not based on just one person. Literally every person from the original team made a significant contribution to the creation of the cult game. Moreover, familiar and influential faces still appear in the movie.

On the other hand, the current GSC Game World is not directly related to the creation of the documentary. Therefore, you won’t see any new facts about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl or a look at the first part from the perspective of the updated team. This can also be attributed to the focus of the movie’s narrative, which is perfectly fine here. However, it is the tracking of the game’s impact up to the present that is noticeably lacking. But keep in mind that the PR of the new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: The Heart of Chornobyl is carefully controlled by Microsoft and the modern GSC Game World simply did not have the opportunity to join the creation of this movie.

Additionally, we can complain about the editing in terms of transitions, effects, and the overall visual component. It’s too simple, even banal. Something on the level of a YouTube video, and not the most advanced one at that. This is striking against the backdrop of the fact that the film regularly uses static images with low resolution (what can you do, this is sometimes the maximum resolution that existed at that time – ed.) That’s why a significant part of the running time is small photos on a black background, which were not creatively adapted in any way.

However, even this can be attributed to the surroundings. The main thing is that the editing has no effect on the overall emotions during and after watching the show. “EPISODES: The Shadow of Chernobyl” makes you believe in our game developers and dreamers. After watching the movie, I want to learn even more about the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe and the Ukrainian game dev scene of those times. And this can be considered one of the biggest achievements of the movie.