The Zone: Stalker Stories
Tactical card battles and narrative RPG exploration in a world of monsters and anomalies. As one of the last remnants of humanity, trapped in the Zone, it's your turn to become a Stalker and walk where others fear to tread.
All Reviews:
Mostly Positive (14) - 71% of the 14 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Jun 15, 2023
Developer:
Publisher:

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Early Access Game

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Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“We're veteran indie creators, and we know how to release quality games even on no budget at all. But this time we want to do things a little differently. With Zone, we want to take our time, put player experience first, and involve the community in its development. We want your help and feedback in making something you want to play.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We're expecting approx. 1 year of further development after our initial EA launch to reach our vision for the game.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We've got a lot of exciting ideas for great new features, as well as expanding the ones we already have. Some of our potential goals include:
  • Many more items, cards, and abilities
  • Character creation, custom avatars
  • More survival elements
  • Potentially, paper-doll sprites that reflect your outfit

However, our focus will always be on the core gameplay -- keeping it fun, and our scope realistic. Finishing the game is more important than nice extra bits.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The core gameplay loop and first chapter of the story are done. Finished features include:
  • Full navigation of the environment with all its dangers
  • 3 biomes to explore
  • Hours of gripping story and exciting side-quests
  • Encounters with 25+ fully-animated enemies and bosses
  • Card battles with various different cards and animated abilities
  • Full inventory and loot management
  • Dozens of different items with which to build your deck
  • Branching dialogue with multiple important NPCs

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We plan to gradually raise the price as we ship new content and features, reflecting the state and progress of the game.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“The players are the most important part of a game. More than just bug reports, we want to actively involve everyone, listen to your ideas and recommendations, and even incorporate community-made content.

We plan to maintain active Steam forums and a Discord server to communicate with players. Expect things like polls to decide which features we should focus on next, contests for people to submit ideas for new items and anomalies, and our designers working closely with the community to balance the gameplay for maximum fun.”
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About This Game


Tactical card battles and narrative RPG exploration in a world of monsters and anomalies. This is the Zone.

Cut your way through rabid mutants and supernatural creatures. Collect and use artifacts of mysterious power. Develop your latent abilities and crush your enemies with the force of your mind.




The last remnants of humanity are locked in a desperate battle for survival. Helplessly trapped inside the Zone -- fighting not only against the twisted, hostile environment, but the supernatural fear and confusion that constantly attacks their minds.

You are one of the lucky ones. A 'mutant', cursed with strange telekinetic powers, as well as higher resistance to the Confusion. The kind of person who could thrive out there... If you can stay alive.




Create your perfect deck by mixing and matching hundreds of pieces of equipment. Carefully manage your expedition to maximise your exploration time. Take on side jobs with unique stories and unique rewards. Make friends. Make enemies.

Inspired by games such as Slay the Spire, S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Darkest Dungeon, the Zone blends a new take on deckbuilding with rich narrative -- a full story crafted by industry veterans (Mount&Blade, The Next World).



  • Gorgeous hand-drawn art
  • Gripping story, colourful characters
  • A beautiful, dangerous world to explore
  • Deep inventory management - Assemble your deck and abilities however you want
  • Research powerful upgrades for combat and exploration
  • Complete side jobs to gain unique rewards
  • Many different items and abilities to mix and match your perfect playstyle


NOTE: The Zone contains some AI-assisted art. All such pieces were cleaned up or extensively modified by human artists.

Mature Content Description

The developers describe the content like this:

The game's story tackles mature topics and may contain references to or descriptions of things like depression, drugs, sex, extreme mental stress, self-harm, etc.

System Requirements

Windows
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 7
    • Processor: 2Ghz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: DirectX or OpenGL compatible card
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.
    Minimum:
    • Processor: 2Ghz
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Storage: 1 GB available space

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