New Survarium alpha screenshots show off rust, decay, fog

New screenshots of Survarium , the online spiritual successor to Stalker, have surfaced from the game's alpha development phase.

Stalker, the fantasticfirst-person shooter with a legion of devoted fans, set expectations high for Stalker 2, which was then unexpectedly and unceremoniously cancelled. Since the sequel officially died, Stalker 2's former developers have set up shop as Vostok Gamesto pursue an MMOFPS version of the game that never happened.

Survarium will pit players against the mutants and vicious human enemies familiar to fans of post-apocalyptic fiction in a free-to-play multiplayer setting. It's completely different from their single-player, story-based bonafides, but the developers seem confident that the ideas they began to flesh out in Stalker 2 will be just as engaging when players meet them in Survarium.

The screenshots look and feel like Stalker, which is an accomplishment in itself. Rusted out tanks and broken electrical stations show off the landscape, and I can already tell that I don't want to get caught in this world alone at night .

We spoke with Survarium's developers earlier this year, and since then development has continuing with growing popularity. The game is currently in alpha testing and will release later this year.