The night sky suddenly lights up with an otherworldly glow
terrifying storms in STALKER: Call Of pripyat
I’ve never played a Stalker game before. I take my first tentative steps into The Zone not knowing anything about it. The game begins in a swampy area called Zaton, where a large, rusting ship has become a camp for the local stalkers.
Night falls and a thunderstorm begins. Lightning flashes on the horizon, lighting the landscape up. All of a sudden, it stops again. I wonder if it’s a bug. Then I hear a siren and a voice crackling over the radio: “Emission incoming! Seek cover immediately!”
There’s a flash of light, and the night sky suddenly lights up with an otherworldly glow. In the distance, I see a strange red storm emerging through the clouds. The ground rumbles. Eerie music plays. I am absolutely terrified. Then the storm gets more intense, and all around me there are flashes of light and clouds of crimson fog.
I’m hypnotized by the light show, but I snap myself out of it and run for shelter in the remains of the old ship. The ground continues to shake violently and I see red light pouring through an open doorway. Then quiet.
“Stalkers,” the voice says, “the emission is finally over. I hope you’re all in one piece!” I am, I think. I step outside.
The ground is still rumbling, but softly. The glow in the clouds dissipates, and it’s dark again. I click on my flashlight and wonder what the hell just happened. All I know is that The Zone is a strange and dangerous place, and that Stalker is a very special game.