A Stalk In The Park: Survarium's Big Map, Plantiest Faction

If various apocalyptic games, books, and movies have taught me anything, it's that you always side with the trees. Humans? Nah, they're old hat. On the way out. This is largely evidenced by the fact that they always find some way to bomb, globally warm, or pandemic themselves to the brink of extinction. That's not exactly the stuff of a winning team. Trees, though, they wither but never waver. Just a few stray seeds and they're back in the game. So naturally, Survarium's Fringe faction worships them, because what else do you do with an unfeeling entity that doesn't care if you live or die? See them in action - along with a new, impressively colossal map called Chemical Plant - below.

That's quite a lot to digest, but here are the basics: Chemical Plant big, Fringe hearts trees and would never carve hearts into trees, and the alpha's still ongoing, with new waves (including an English speaking one soon) incoming with each new feature added.

So basically, the multiplayer STALKER pseudo-successor's chugging right along, and it definitely seems to have some interesting ideas propelling it. Couple larger levels and inventive faction ideas with location-based damage and STALKER holdovers like anomalies, and there's a fair amount to be intrigued by here.

I still desperately want another single-player STALKER, but alas: it's just not meant to be for now. I'm not entirely sure that Survarium can fill the giant-mutant-claw-shaped hole in my heart, but it's looking like a strong prospect on its own merits. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it - at least, until the trees reclaim all the we hold dear and start planting us as roadside decoration.