Ex-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Devs Fear The Wolves To Enter Early Access Next Week

Published: August 21, 2018 9:47 PM /

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fear the wolves

Vostok Games, a team comprised of ex-S.T.A.L.K.E.R. devs, is launching their battle royale title Fear The Wolves in Early Access next week. After being delayed by a month, it will launch in Early Access on Steam August 28. The delay came following a closed beta where feedback indicated that the game had too many technical issues to launch in Early Access. Console versions are also planned for 2019 alongside a full release.

The game promises the standard battle royale affair: 100 players land on an island (Chernobyl, in this case), only one player (or squad) leaves. Fear The Wolves is aiming to replicate the tense action of other battle royale titles, but with the unique twist of hazardous radiation spots and dangerous radioactive weather for players to also survive. The trailer also teases some PvE, to go alongside the PvP.

Vostok Games has said that the "performance and balance" of Fear The Wolves are in a stable place and so the game is ready to enter Early Access. Although only time will tell how true that is since many Early Access titles suffer from unstable performance and unfinished game balance.

The developers promise large, regular updates for the game including new weapons, items, maps, mutants, and more. A timeline for future updates will appear on the game's Steam page, Vostok promises. They are also teasing a new game mode that has yet to be announced, which they say will be "new to the genre". Vostok have already stated that the pricing of the game will increase later in the Early Access cycle.

Fear The Wolves will also have a variety of deadly and dynamically-changing radioactive anomalies and weather effects. These can be voted for by players and spectators watching from streaming platforms. There will also be a day-night cycle, where the weather, mutants, and conditions will shift and alter as the day progresses. Furthermore, there will be radiation hotspots, where you'll need to be properly equipped to explore and grab the powerful loot housed within for yourself. Spots of radiation will move unpredictably and uniquely, following players and making the battlefield sporadically hazardous.

There will also be an extraction helicopter at the end of every game, which only one player (or squad, presumably) can escape in. Every extraction is said to be "unique", but they didn't give details about what that meant.

Check out our interview with Vostok Games from E3 for more information about Fear The Wolves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p334pVfNcL8


Quick Take

This announcement leaves a bit of a sour taste. As a big fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, I had high hopes for Survarium, their last game, which was trying to replicate some of what made those games so great. That game didn't really turn out so well, so I don't have the highest hopes for Fear The Wolves. Also, the foray into the battle royale scene feels opportunistic and cynical. I could be wrong though, here's hoping it's cool. They certainly have some neat ideas to play with.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


tempstaff
| Staff Writer

Dan is a lover of games, music, and movies from the UK. He can usually be found buried in RPGs, shooters, roguelikes, and sometimes World of Warcraft, but… More about Dan

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Fear The Wolves
Game Page Fear The Wolves
Developer
Vostok Games
Platforms
PC
Release Date
August 28, 2018 (Calendar)
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