A fan-favorite Clear Sky character returns in STALKER 2, new trailer reveals

For a game that’s been vaguely on the horizon for as long as STALKER 2, it sure is surprising to see it taking up such a wonderfully nostalgic shape. As if that wasn’t enticing enough, we now have confirmation that one of the prior games’ protagonists is coming back: Scar!

That’s right: STALKER: Clear Sky‘s playable character, Scar, appears not to have been zombified at the end of the original STALKER‘s standalone expansion pack and narrative prequel. Instead, he’s quite lively in STALKER 2, as depicted in the latest trailer released by GSC Game World. Although this particular trailer won’t be quite as fascinating to franchise newcomers as some of the other ones might’ve been, it is just the sort of thing veterans will be on the lookout for. Check it out:

Clear Sky protagonist Scar is a supporting character in STALKER 2, it seems

Pushback after pushback, STALKER 2 is still going strong as we approach its supposed November release date, and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m genuinely surprised with how comprehensive and engaging GSC Game World’s recent media blitz has been. When the last release day postponement was announced, the studio promised oodles of game information over the coming weeks, and that much has certainly been delivered via gameplay videos, in-depth developer talks, and trailers such as the one featured above.

For those who are not in the know, Scar is a bit of a legend in STALKER lore because he was one of the mercenaries tasked with hunting down and killing Strelok, from the original STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl title. The curious bit is that the final sequence of Clear Sky, where Scar chases after Strelok all over Chernobyl NPP with a Gauss Rifle, leads to Strelok’s amnesia and, in turn, sets the stage for everything else that happens afterwards.

Further, Scar was also the tip of the spear for the Clear Sky faction, and the main working theory as to what happened to him (after the faction wars and the events of Clear Sky) was that he was lobotomized by the Brain Scorcher and turned into a Monolith leader. That’s really why this trailer is such a big deal: it redefines a pretty bit chunk of STALKER lore and reintroduces Scar as a key character in the new game.

It’s exciting stuff, honestly, and that’s coming from someone who’s gotten fairly jaded about this franchise over the years. I’m not saying that GSC Game World has turned me back into a STALKER believer just yet, mind. It’s just that, after the studio’s recent efforts, the vision of what STALKER 2 is and is not is getting clearer and clearer. And, honestly? I’m here for it.