Metro Exodus
There ’s a moment inMetro Exodus ' absorb 20 minute safari where leave protagonist Artyom and his compatriot are desperately take flight toward their departing train . It ’s pitch contraband , voices are shouting out in holy terror and , oh yeah , dozens of cannibalistic humans are in pursuit , go for to make the mathematical group their next repast . There ’s no over - the - top soundtrack play in the background , no helicopter coming in last second to save them and no quippy one - liner like other first - somebody shooters . Only pure , consummate nail-biting terror . Sure , Artyom and the other soldiers drum out wads of rounds at the crazed attackers , but nothing herefeelslike an action chronological succession . That ’s what it ’s like to playMetro Exodusmost of the time .
take plaza two years after the events ofMetro : Last Light(following the now - canon " respectable " ending of that game),Metro Exoduspicks up with Artyom in a post of promise after make unnecessary the Dark Ones . He believes there are other subsister still out there , even though the rest of the indweller in the metro community below Moscow , Russia are n’t on the dot buying it . They have good ground to doubt Artyom because life in the metro is only get worse . A successiveness of events finally lead Artyom and a small chemical group of soldier ( alongside Artyom ’s now - married woman Anna ) on an adventure across Russia aboard a train name the Aurora .
come to : Metro Exodus Story Trailer Takes Artyom Above Ground
Unlike the premature two games in theMetroseries , most ofMetro Exodustakes billet on the surface . Still , the plot does n’t merchandise in any of the intensity or claustrophobic component that fans of the serial publication have come in to expect from the serial publication . In fact , Metro Exoduscan bedownright brutalmost of the prison term , forcing players to play impertinent instead of simply barging in gun blazing . While this is nothing unexampled for the franchise , it all feels heightened here , especially at higher difficulties . Developer 4A Games understand what their fans have a bun in the oven from these games and they deliver in near every imaginable way .
It ’s not just the survival elements that have been heighten , either , asMetro Exodusoffers a intercrossed open - world / analogue experience . While there are still smaller contain missions pepper in between , most of the level in the biz are large areas of Russia , free for players to research to their heart ’s content . Question marks on the map offer points of interest where ascent for various pieces of equipment or new item can be find . These are not mandatory but it ’s clear that 4A Games really want players to go to these locations to make surviving post - revelatory Russia just that much easier .
chief pursuance have Artyom and his crew of soldier looking for supplies necessary to keep the Aurora running smoothly while they move through Russia looking for habitable environments to settle down in . During these missionary station , players will come up against mutant and human foe alike , from maniac warlord slavers that take to be overthrown to mutated spiders in dark , scary bunkers . The variety of these delegation keeps gameplay from becoming stale as you never really have intercourse what to expect from one area to the next .
One could argue that thetight spacesthat compriseMetro Exodus’more modest - scale deputation are where the game really shines , but the hybridization and movement into more open - world environments is a saucy move for the serial . 4A Games ' taste for creating compelling and well - design maps bleeds over into these big areas , feeling giving but not run down like so many open - world games of today . There ’s no run in a straight line for ten minutes just to perform a five - second base labor before course again for ten minutes . Everything is estimate and fair , even if the game ’s survival of the fittest mechanics are as tough as they add up .
The missions themselves are as well - designed inMetro Exodus , with each one impress the primary storyline ahead in meaningful ways and never coming off as repetitive or fetch - like . 4A Games promise that they would not hug the trend of fetch quests that a quite a little of modern RPGs have seen fit to include in abundance . To be fair to those games , a lot of this more than likely comes from the decisiveness of foregoing a traditional open - worldly concern map in favor of the larger , semi - assailable contained missions . It all comes down to 4A realizing the strengths of their dealership and fans will be glad to make love that they absolutely nailed it here .
Building on this , thanks to the layout of maps , strategy feels more significant than ever inMetro Exoduswhen tackling missions . The fresh introduced day - night hertz means that Artyom can choose when to assail . If you want to go in throttle blaze , despite the measured deficiency of resource and ammunition , then daytime is probably for you as it have it easy to see enemies and mutation are n’t as enunciate . For the more stealing - orient player however , dark is where you ’ll expend a passel of time . There ’s probably no greater tingle than pussyfoot through an enemy bandit camp , knocking out or viciously killing ( your option , most of the time ) enemies without them realize it . It ’s the shut the secret plan beat to making Artyom feel like an unstoppable hero as opposed to someone merely try out to survive in a nuclear barren .
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If sneak really is n’t something you ’re interested in , the shooting mechanics are solid enough to offer some fun . There ’s no built - in cover system , but obtain objects to crouch behind is never commonly a problem inMetro Exodus . Customization is a braggy part of the secret plan , making up for there not being a large numeral of Modern weapons . From append different scopes and barrel to vary a handgun into a handheld scattergun , there ’s plenty of craft variety as possible . Just keep in mind that while you could build on the go thanks to an nonrational haversack crafting system ( using resources found in the barren ) , ammo must be constructed at work terrace found throughout the plot as well as aboard the Aurora . On in high spirits difficulties , resource for making ammunition can be scarce so it still might be in your good sake to make all - out war a last resort . Like the other games , this is not a typical gung - ho first - individual shooter .
Of course , none of this would really mean a thing ifMetro Exoduswasn’t populated with howling characters with deep backstories and excellent vocalization play . The game is capable to take what the previous two entries offered in character development and expand on it in whole new room . The delight ofMetro Exodusis no incertitude in survival and the terrifying or exhilarating second fighting other survivors or dangerous mutant ( or sometimes even the post - apocalyptic world of Russia itself ) but there ’s pathos in the quiet consequence spent on geartrain chatting it up with Artyom ’s comrades or listening to their hopes , dreams , and dreadful life experience .
It helps that the graphics inMetro Exodusare breathtaking . When these characters bare their souls at Artyom , the facial capture technology really helps to enkindle the emotion . Everything feels soreal , even when you ’re fight giant mutants that could n’t possibly subsist in reality . The fact that the game makes you believe is part of the charm and part of terror . This is also lawful of the textures that comprise the various maps inMetro Exodus . Each map offers something completely unlike but evenly beautiful . The open arena feel decidedly post - apocalyptic , with barren and worn out reckon exteriors and bizarre atmospheric condition patterns .
Thematically speaking , Metro Exodusgoes beyond the other two games , feeling more like theMetrobooks by Dmitry Glukhovsky even if it bears little resemblance to the real tale in this novel outside of the character and setting . melodic theme of hopelessness vs. hope , turn a loss humanity and love are nothing young , particularly in the post - apocalyptic music genre , butMetro Exodustackles each in compelling fashion . There ’s also a recurring element of human beings worshiping nature as god and tyrant exploit it to arrive at power that could have easily come off as hamfisted and needless but in the careful bridge player of 4A Games and its writers it brings tale weight unit to nearly every section of the game .
It ’s not a utter game by any agency and sometimesMetro Exoduscan warp just somewhat under the pressure of its ambition . Movement can be a little clunky , the big mathematical function can feel just a petty empty sometimes and its complete involuntariness to give - cargo area players can lead to some frustrating moments . Plus , those reckon for a multiplayer experience may finish up feeling disappointed as this game does n’t pop the question it . None of this is enough to take away from everything thatMetro Exodusdoes exceptionally well , and luckily that ’s somewhat much everything else in the game . It ’s better to render fresh things and have some of those elements not quite measure up than to have no ambition at all .
While other post - apocalyptic deed like theFalloutfranchise seem to be moving more toward action and adventure that just happens to take place in a waste setting , 4A Games takes its franchise andMetro Exodusdeeper into terrifying repulsion and suspense that sharpen on survival with action at law and adventure serving as a modest byproduct to sometimes declare oneself a relief from all the affright . Metro Exodusis the crowning achievement of the enfranchisement , offering a leading post - apocalyptic world fill with equally beautiful and terrifying moments . If it ends up being the last game in theMetroseries ( either due to narrative cause or abstruse Silver’scontroversial decision to skip Steamon PC in favor of exclusive Epic Games Store acquittance ) then it could n’t have belong out on a eminent line .
More:Metro Exodus' Biggest Strength Is Its Tight Spaces - Not The Open World
Metro Exoduswill release on February 15 on Xbox One , PlayStation 4 and PC for $ 59.99 ( Epic Games Store will release it for $ 49.99 ) . Screen Rant was provided an Xbox One copy for the purposes of this review .
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