Fans exploring Kandinsky’s neural network recently experimented with generating landscape scenes inspired by the Chernobyl exclusion zone. While these images aren’t direct recreations of the STALKER universe, they echo familiar locations from the cult game series, offering a lens into how AI reimagines familiar places. The exercise illustrates how machine vision can map real-world industrial ruins into evocative, story-rich visuals that resonate with STALKER enthusiasts and casual observers alike.
The initial image depicts six units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, including a couple of structures that were never completed, lingering as silent reminders of a halted project. The second image captures Zaton, a locale linked to the prequel era of the series, known for its stark, weather-beaten docklands and the river port of an abandoned city that still whispers to explorers through rust and fog.
The third and fourth visuals present Forestry near Zaton, a land that evokes the Swamps region from the STALKER world, with a surreal, slightly distorted take that challenges the viewer’s sense of scale. A peculiar, almost dreamlike version of Pripyat accompanies these scenes, offering a fresh interpretation of the game’s iconic setting rather than a direct replica.
Pripyat appears again in the latest renders, with attention to the Energetik Palace of Culture, a hotel, and the eastern sector of the city. The sequence also hints at the entrance to the Chernobyl power plant, where stray dogs roam, adding a touch of realism and melancholy to the imagined landscape.
In relation to the STALKER franchise itself, developers recently released three screenshots from the opening sequence of the second installment. Pre-orders for the game have vanished from the Xbox digital store, though no official reason has been shared. Earlier, a trailer titled Road to Vostok offered fans a shooter-based glimpse of what might come, while a note of optimism circulated about The Last of Us: Part 1 arriving on PC soon after its PS5 debut.
Source: VG Times