Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter videogame developed by 4A Games. It is the third in line in the Metro franchise and is based on the bestselling novel – Metro 2033. Released in 2019, during the big wave of apocalyptic games, Metro Exodus stood its ground firmly and became a major success. So far, the game has sold over 6 million copies. But, what’s so special about it?
Metro Exodus and other Metros
Metro is a franchise that has made a name for itself in the gaming industry. With Metro Exodus, they went a step further. For the majority of the time, the characters in Exodus venture out on the surface which makes it quite different from the other games in the franchise. You’d expect them to be in the metro if the game is called that, right? With this installment, 4A Games made it sort of an open-world game. Naturally, a lot of fans were worried about this change but it turned out there was no need for fear. Metro Exodus kept the original feel of the games and the suspense with the added element of open-world gameplay.
Story of Metro Exodus
Once again, you play as Artyom. Artyom is a hopeful soldier that believes the world wasn’t entirely destroyed during the nuclear war and that people are still out there. During his expedition with his girlfriend Anna, they find a working train on the surface. However, shortly after, they are captured by Hansa soldiers that shoot Artyom and leave him to die. But, Artyom doesn’t die! He returns to the base and talks with the major about their new discovery. The major explains why they kept this secret from the Metro people and they embark on a journey to find other communities.
What all Metro games manage to nail just right is the environmental storytelling. From snowy plains and nuclear wastelands, as you travel with the Aurora train, to cramped small places riddled with big monstrous mutants, the environment invokes different feelings throughout the gameplay. Even though there are big shootouts that you expect in a first-person shooter, there are also quiet moments with cute interactions between the characters. All in all, the story in Metro, as always, is incredibly well done.
The gameplay
This game, out of all the Metro parts, reminded me the most of Stalker. The open-world parts in Metro Exodus aren’t compulsory but they add a bit of charm. Usually, what happens is that you get some sort of intel where you might find random stuff and you just explore the place. The gameplay is very much still linear but exploring can be really useful to it.
Artyom now has a backpack that you can craft things on whenever and wherever you are. Along with that, during your exploration, you can find many craft items and upgrades that will improve your gameplay severely.
Small problems
The Metro franchise doesn’t have the highest budget so it’s natural for it to have some problems regarding bugs. However, none of them are game-breaking, and it’s unlikely you’ll be that annoyed by them. On the other hand, what may annoy you the most is the zombie-like creatures that roam around the world. They aren’t hard to kill and become unbearably boring after just a few hours.
Why does Russia want to arrest the author of the novel?
The famous Russian author and journalist, Dmitry Glukhovsky, is most famous for his apocalyptic novel – Metro 2033. He also assisted in the process of the game development for all Metro games. Recently, it’s been made clear that the Russian government isn’t too fond of him because of his views on the Russian – Ukrainian conflict.
When the war broke out, Dmitry took it to social media to condemn the Russian invasion calling it “unfair, unjust, predatory,” However, later on, he also said that he is federally wanted for sharing ‘’false’’ information about the Russian army actions. Thankfully, he is currently not residing in Russia and other authors have joined his stance including Sorokin and Ulitskaya.
It is important to note that the game development company behind Metro Exodus is based in Ukraine. Dmitry worked closely with 4A Games for years. It was first established in Kyiv but, because of the recent events, they have continued their work outside of Ukraine. Since then, they have publicly condemned Russia together with other companies such as Bungie and CD Projekt Red.
Closing thoughts
Metro Exodus is definitely worth playing. It brings to the player a unique experience riddled with action that we are used to from the franchise. Along with that, it also looks and sounds wonderful and who doesn’t like that?
