S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 features soundtracks inspired by Vasyl Stus’ poetry

The soundtrack of the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl includes four songs inspired by the poetry of renowned Ukrainian poet and dissident Vasyl Stus. One of these is a song by the band DakhTrio, based on Stus’ poem “There Grows the Wall Between the World and Soul.” 

There grows the wall between the world and soul 

play hide and seek so they don’t recognize you 

through layers of the deadly memories 

numb thoughts and ice floes of your senses 

the spurs went into such a frozen soul 

unwillingness just shortens the desire 

for seeking wells, in which endure forever

the world to recognize you and to kill you 

with all of its resistless deadly weight 

there is the wind that blows souls out of bodies 

breaks trees, bends grass along the way and even 

creates a multifaceted emptiness 

that is exhausted by its own improvement 

such sadness everywhere! how many 

fates are lost! how many carried on

down to the final breath, the final moan 

to death. such sadness everywhere! 

where grows the wall between the world and soul 

(translation by Oleksandr Fraze-Frazenko) 

The game also features the soundtrack from the documentary “Yours, Vasyl”. This includes the song “Didn’t Even Live to See the Harvest” by rap artist Palindrome, based on Stus’ poem of the same name. 

Another track, “What love! A whole eternity has passed”, is performed by the metalcore band The Nietzsche. 

The game includes a track inspired by Stus’ legacy: the song “Stus” by the blues-punk band Khliborob. 

In total, the game’s playlist includes 440 Ukrainian songs, which players can hear in locations where they find radios. 

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the sequel to the iconic video game series set in Chornobyl. The game combines elements of a first-person shooter, a simulator, and horror. 

GSC Game World is the Ukrainian video game developer founded in 1995, known for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Cossacks series. GSC Game World first announced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl in 2010, but the project was later canceled, with much of the team moving to another studio. Development resumed in May 2018, and the game’s release was announced for September 5, 2024. However, the release date has been postponed multiple times, partly due to the Russia-Ukraine war. 

In early October, Xbox and GSC Game World released a documentary about the developers working on the game under wartime conditions. The film is dedicated to Volodymyr Yezhov, one of the developers of the original S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Oleksiy Khilsky, a voice actor, both of whom died defending Ukraine. The game includes a dedication to the current and fallen defenders of Ukraine.

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn