Stalker Anomaly Mod Review

The recent years were awe-inspiring for the fans of the survival shooter series S.T.A.L.K.E.R. The announcement of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and the following stream of news is a fitting reason to revisit the old games. Besides, revising the best modifications for the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a good idea too. Using the engine code leak and a vague modding agreement, fans managed to create some impressive modifications. Lost Alpha, Dead Air, and Ray of Hope are all great expansions and overhauls. But a true unofficial sequel is S.T.A.L.K.E.R.:Anomaly. So what is an anomaly? The modification is free, standalone, and polished like no other mods. Whether you are a seasoned veteran of the series or just started to explore Pripyat, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly is a must-play. 

Most of the fan mods were created for people who already know all the Zone inside and out. The mods may be overcomplicated, too challenging to beat, or obscure for the new players in terms of story. Stalker anomaly looks almost like a commercial project in comparison with them. The mod was around for a while, but the 1.5 version is when the mod really started to shine. It got a polished UI, a decent plot to follow, and a visual overhaul.

STALKER Anomaly: Plot

Anomaly presents itself as a direct sequel to the original GSC Game World’s story. The mode combines and extends the locations of all three games. The Zone, irradiated, mutant-infested wastelands around Chernobyl, is bigger and more detailed than in any Stalker Call of Pripyat mods. The plot revolves around the returning of Strelok, and rumors about him will lead the player through several story arcs, and dozens of side-quests. The premise of the quests is simple enough: get to a place, retrieve an item, or kill somebody. However, the unique atmosphere of the Zone turns each of such quests into an adventure. What is an anomaly from a narrative standpoint? It’s a worthy successor to the Stalker series. 

The Zone and its exploration changed. Now you can freely join one of the nine original factions and discover three new ones along with the story of anomaly stalker. The Loners are the most viable option for novice players, at least for the first playthrough. But if you are looking for a challenge, you can make your playthrough as hardcore as you want. The geography of the Zone changed too: you might be surprised to see how old and familiar locations changed. However, the most impactful change is that the world in the Zone is connected to Discord. As long as your PDA is powered you will receive constant updates concerning the situation of the Zone and NPCs status. 

This little detail contributes greatly to the atmosphere of the place. Unlike in other stalker mods, you realize that the world exists without your direct interruption, that there are living people outside your field of view. You may walk into someone, and have a chit-chat about the job posted in the in-game Discord, and start an adventure. Besides, the PDA now works as a radio tuner as well. It has several channels and lets you listen to authentic post-Soviet pop hits from the late 80s, early 90s. And don’t forget about bandits’ radio, they have a channel too. It is perhaps one of the greatest contributions to the atmosphere among all of the Stalker Call of Pripyat mods. 

Some of the characters comment on the weather, other stalkers report where they have seen monsters or heard gunfire. Sometimes, there will be calls for support, job posting, or reports about people taken hostage. There is a constant feed about stalkers found dead, what got them, and what loot they carried. Unfortunately, you can’t join the posting yourself, but the in-game chat will appreciate your activities. It is always nice to hear compliments about your mutant-hunting skills. 

This active communication is not just a cheap trick. Stalker anomaly shows decent life simulation: fractions interact with each other, packs of mutants patrol different zones, some stalkers get rich and then get killed. The Zone lives on its own without the player. Therefore, pay close attention to what the characters say and what profits you can gain from the non-stop flow of information. Life in the Zone is cheap, and decent gear is expensive. 

Buy and Play

Anomaly Stalker – Make the Game As Hardcore As You Want

The game is a bit tougher than the original trilogy, by default. You start as an independent stalker in the Cordon zone. You have no reputation, no status, and the cheapest gear. You have to sleep and eat to fully restore yourself. Medical items take a few seconds to activate and a bit more time to apply the full effect. You must have a knife to slice a mutant, and you have to care about your weapons. The guns require regular maintenance but do not wear off as quickly as in the original games. Besides, you can get repair discounts doing side quests deliveries. 

However, these are just the default difficulty settings of the mod. Stalker anomaly may be as brutal as you want. There are different options and tweakable parameters in the main menu, including quick travel fine-tuning. The customizable difficulty is another significant plus of Anomaly in comparison with other stalker mods. 

Besides, the mod has a rich and complex crafting system. It allows you to break down the guns and suits for details. The details help you to repair your gear. Maintain your guns with gun oil and repair your costumes with dutch tape. Don’t forget to remove your faction’s patch if you loot someone for a new uniform. The mod has a camouflage system that is truly impressive in comparison with other Stalker Call of Pripyat Mods. So, your allies may confuse you for an enemy if you are careless.

All these immersive elements exist not only as dry numbers but contribute to the atmosphere and authenticity as well. Stalker anomaly features a mask/visor system, like one we saw in the Metro series. When you wear face-covering pieces of equipment, you will hear the character’s breath and see how it fogs up the plastic and glass. Cracks appear on your helmet when it takes damage. During rain, you will hear the sound of water pounding on your helmet and see raindrops. There is even a button to wipe your visor (T by default). These features may seem excessive, but they make the world of Zone more believable. This feature describes Anomaly in nutshell. It is more complex than the rest of the mods for the sake of enhancing the immersion. 

Squads Goals in Stalker Anomaly

Being a lone wolf in the Zone is a mode by default. However, Anomaly gives you a chance to gather a squad and explore the Zone with your comrades. It is a rare opportunity in stalker mods. One of the first missions in the village of the newbies. Escort, rescue, and help stalkers, and soon enough you will have the reputation of a trustworthy Zone explorer. You may gather up a few stalkers around you, and the game becomes more tactical from this point. You can monitor the status of your squad, give them commands – be stealthy, aggressive, follow you, or hold their position. Of course, it is another layer of gameplay to watch for that is absent in other stalker cop mods. You may complete the story missions solo easily. However, if you want to try the Warzone mode, you should familiarize yourself with the squads. In the Warzone, quests are unavailable, and all factions start a massive war over control points in the Zone. Warzone can be a perfect mode for the most dedicated fans: when you know all secrets of the Zone and want to realize your strategic ambitions. A bit cumbersome but still charming mode of Anomaly.

Modding Stalker Anomaly Mod

The Anomaly would not be a perfect mod without even more customization. The mod supports some outside modifications to clean the last rough edges. You should know that none of the following modes is mandatory. This list serves as an additional recommendation to improve your experience with stalker anomaly mod even more. To use the mods, unpack them to the core directory of the game. 

Ammo and Condition Rebalanced

This mod adds some improvements to the loot system. The weapons of high-rank officers would work better than average thugs’ guns. The ammo drop increased as well. You will have approximately 20 bullets per body. Overall, a good touch to the game among other stalker cop mods.

Bleed Rework

Bleeding in Anomaly is brutal. You can lose all of your health from a single hit. Bleed rework offers more customization to the bleeding severity, including disabling the feature at all. Harsh realism or casual experience – the choice is yours. In this mod, bandages are common and cheap, medkits cure bleeding, and the damage from blood loss is halved. It is still dangerous to bleed but less panic-worthy.

QOL Icons

QOL Icons is a nice quality of life improvement mod. Stalker anomaly mod adds a lot of new items to the original game, and it may be difficult to figure out what is what quickly. QOL Icons add visual references for the item’s purpose and features, its category, and effects.

Death Animations

Another tiny improvement, the mod, as the name suggests, provides new death animations in the game. Usual ragdoll may become stale after a while, but the new death animations can bring back life into your gunfights.

Anomaly stalker is available on Mod DB. It is a standalone project. Download all the project’s files and hotfixes, unpack in the chosen directory, and have one of the greatest adventures in the Zone.

Gameplay and optimization of Stalker Anomaly Mod

Stalker anomaly is indisputably a gorgeous-looking mod. The weather effects, the detailing of armor and weapons, all of these elements greatly contribute to the immersion. Due to the improved architecture of the game engine, the x64 version of the mod hits 100 FPS easily. The previous version, Call of Pripyat, could barely reach 60 FPS at certain locations. However, it can’t be good all over the place. The mod suffers from frequent kicks off the program at random places.

Besides, randomness takes place not only in the game performance but in gameplay in general. One of the most irritating things about this Stalker Anomaly review is finding the necessary tools for weapons upgrades. The chance of dropping a rare instrument for the weapon’s upgrade and calibration is marginally small. You can find the tools only in hideouts, and even if you clear them all, you may fail to find the tool you need. You may try to fix the game with the balance Stalker Anomaly mods, but they may spoil the game’s performance even further. Even a slight balance modification may ruin the Anomaly mod.

In the end, Stalker Anomaly best mods may spoil the overall experience. Nevertheless, Stalker Anomaly is still one of the best upgrades of our favorite game. 

Game System Requirements