In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, a brand new (and very hungry) enemy lurks in wait for you: The developers unveil the monster Bayun to coincide with World Cat Day.
The 8th of August is probably marked in bright red on the calendar of cat fans – because on this date, World Cat Day is celebrated every year! And after the platformer Stray has just brought the fluffy fur balls to new video game fame, the developers of Stalker 2 don”t miss the chance to present their very own version of a kitty cat.
Of course, it”s a terrifying beast that wants to rip your face off – did anyone expect anything else? But Bayun, as the new enemy type is called, not only looks cool, but also sounds very interesting from a gameplay point of view.
The mutant cat from Stalker 2
First, take another look at this friendly mutant face that will be staring at you from the darkness in the zone:
What is a Bayun? This feline monster is not an invention of developer GSC Game World, but comes from the Slavic world of legends. And because its deadly claws and fangs wouldn”t be frightening enough, these mutants also have a particularly nasty ability: Thanks to the flaps of skin on their throats, they can imitate all kinds of sounds, including human speech.
So be on your guard when you creep through the infested zone and suddenly hear cries for help. Maybe there really is someone in need – but maybe a hungry Bayun is luring you into a trap!
This is the first appearance of living mutant cats in the Stalker universe, previously only stuffed specimens were to be found. Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, Bayun and other monsters should look wonderfully horrible – previous trailers have already raised high hopes for the graphics:
However, the development of Stalker 2 is going anything but smoothly. GSC Game World is a Ukrainian development studio that has had to partially relocate to Prague due to the Russian invasion, with some staff currently actively on the war front.
There is no fixed release date yet, the target is the second quarter of 2023. We will of course keep you up to date as soon as there is news about it!
