Published and developed by The Farm 51, Chernobylite was originally released on PC and then on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2021, then on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 in 2022, receiving high praise from critics. Now, in 2024, this survival horror game is making its way to Nintendo Switch.

Players take control of Igor Khymynuk, a physicist from Ukraine. The game is set in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone 30 years after the Chernobyl disaster. Following the disaster, a strange material dubbed “Chernobylite” began to appear in the Zone. Interested in Chernobylite’s potential applications, the military contractor NAR has leased the entire Zone to conduct experiments led by Chernobylite specialist Dr. Semonov.

The presence of Chernobylite also attracts Shadows, extradimensional creatures that are hostile to humans. To secure their investment, the NAR enlists the services of former Soviet General Kozlov and the mysterious and dangerous Black Stalker to remove intruders into the Zone by any means necessary. Meanwhile, Igor arrives in the Zone to search for his missing fiancée Tatyana, who disappeared shortly before the Chernobyl disaster.

Players will need to fight, explore, and survive, as they will encounter varying enemy types with not just other humans, but also monsters. There is more than one way to approach these situations by sneaking past them to avoid being detected, perform stealth kills, or just blast your way through, but whichever action you take, be sure you have the necessary resources. Another big aspect of the game is the important resources, or sometimes lack thereof, to aid you in your quest. It can be easy to find yourself in a tough situation and realise you lack ammo, so always be sure you’re well-equipped.

Various resources can be found throughout this wasteland with many areas to explore, with old broken and abandoned buildings, forests, and buildings with foliage growing in them. Depending on your decisions, the environment will constantly change, which also creates some replay value and encourages you to play again after completing the game and get a different experience each time.

In a world with not much left, survival is key. Players can organise a team or be the lone wolf and do things solo. Scavenging is a major priority for keeping yourself and your team fed, making sure you have plenty of supplies and ammunition while continuing to upgrade your base.

Players have a lot of control with building and customising their base, rather than something pre-made. This further adds to the survival aspect of the game because in real life, there wouldn’t be a base already built for your convenience, you need to do this yourself, but it’s quite enjoyable with a variety of options provided.

As mentioned above, your decisions will have consequences and be good or bad. The world around you will change, friendships and enemies might develop more or change on a whim, and all this may or may not improve things, while positively or negatively affecting others. Choosing to keep your team happy, treat them like dirt, or not have a team at all, it’s interesting to see what happens and how things develop.

The replay value in Chernobylite is one of its best features, being able to make different choices with each playthrough, so you can be an inspiring team leader the first time, then a complete jerk the next, or you can turn on them during the game, the choice is yours.

Chernobylite is a graphically impressive game on PC and other consoles, but with the Nintendo Switch’s hardware limitations, there is a noticeable graphical downgrade, but it’s not that bad. Unlike so many other games ported to Nintendo’s handheld hybrid console, Chernobylite still looks pretty good for a Switch game whether you’re playing in docked or handheld mode.

To get the most out of the graphics, playing the PC, Xbox, or PlayStation versions is recommended, but for those who don’t mind something that looks almost as good with the option to play on the go, then the Nintendo Switch version is an excellent alternative.

With the original releases on PC and other consoles, there were quite a few reports of various bugs and glitches which have since been fixed. Thankfully none of them seem to be present on the Switch, despite it being an outdated console. The game’s soundtrack adds so much to the dark and gloomy post-apocalyptic atmosphere of a world where everything has gone to shit. It has a nice suspenseful feel that will keep players on edge, with random noises to add to your paranoia.

Chernobylite might feel like a small game, but it has much to offer. The story is intriguing with different outcomes and consequences depending on your choices. The replay value encourages you to play through the game more than once because even though a single playthrough already gives you enough, you will still want more for new and unique experiences each time. Even with the graphical downgrade, Chernobylite on the Nintendo Switch still has everything you need to get everything you want and more.

Written by: Sammy Hanson