Shadows of Kurgansk is a 2016 First-Person Wide Open Survival Sandbox mobile game by Yadon Studio and published by Gaijin InCubator which was ported to PC and later to Xbox, Playstation, and the Nintendo Switch.
Clearly taking a big inspiration from the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, the game takes place in an unspecified exclusion zone which dangerous Anomalies have made uninhabitable. Players take the role of an unnamed hiker who has been teleported into the zone by an Anomaly and must now find a way to escape it.
A VR port of the game, Return to Kurgansk, was released in February 22, 2022.
Shadows of Kurgansk provides examples of:
- Can't Move While Being Watched: One of the later-game enemies are Weeping Angel-style statues that can only move when you're not watching them. They're fairly easy to deal with by themselves, but can sneak up on you if you get distracted by an attacking zombie, or even if you're just not paying attention while walking through the zone.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Most of the game's enemies are simply variations of the basic zombie wearing different colored coats to indicate their behavior; i.e. zombies with certain color coats will throw rocks instead of just charging you.
- Cosmic Deadline: The game's second scenario's final maps are a simple run through a couple of long canyons which end with you escaping the valley, only to be met with a message stating that more content will be added in a later update (the developers never bothered to finish the game or even replace this message with a more conclusive one). The first scenario at least tells a complete story, even if it does end on a Downer Ending.
- Downer Ending: The first scenario ends with the player obtaining a suitcase with a vaccine for the zombie virus in it, which the military will trade for safe passage out of the zone via helicopter. However, your Crazy Survivalist ally reveals that the case actually contains a sample of the zombie virus, and the military isn't coming to save you, but rather to kill you and retrieve the case. You're given the choice of either opening the case, infecting yourself with the virus and dying right away but preventing the military from getting their hands on it, or doing nothing and waiting for the soldiers to show up and execute you. Made worse by the fact the second scenario has No Ending due to Cosmic Deadline.
- King Mook: Most of the game's tougher enemies, such as the zombie scientist who is the target of one side quest, are just variants of the basic zombie with a lot more health and some moderately new attacks such as the zombie scientist's ability to throw acid beakers at you.
- Nice Day, Deadly Night: While daytime isn't a stroll in the park given the zombies and anomalies, things get much worse at night. In the first scenario bear-sized Hellhounds come out at night, they're a lot faster and tougher than the zombies and often it's a better idea to just sleep through the night at your cabin rather than fight them. In the second scenario invincible shadow-like enemies appear at night who can only be warded off by seeking shelter at a campfire.
- Shotguns Are Just Better: The shotgun is the strongest weapon in the game, but it and the ammo for it are the most resource-expensive to craft and the parts you need to assemble one won't be available to you for a while anyway.
- Simple, yet Awesome: The basic bow and arrow will be the first ranged weapon you craft, but it can easily carry you through most of the game. Ammo for it is easy to craft, most enemies are limited to melee attacks and can be killed with just a few arrows, and you can use it to shoot down birds for a steady supply of meat to stay satiated. The game's auto-aim system also means you'll never miss with it provided you wait for the auto-aim crosshair to appear over an enemy before firing.
- Where the Hell Is Springfield?: The game is vague as to what country it actually takes place in, and it could easily be anywhere in North America or Eastern Europe. The game was developed by a Russian studio, based on a game by a Ukrainian studio set in Ukraine, based on a Russian novel and film.
