Deep Silver recently released its newest game in the Metro series, and man oh man it delivers as promised. Previous Metro games have been more level-based compared to the new sibling in the franchise, Exodus. The game is absolutely stunning graphically, from the little stuff like weapons to the vast open Russian expanses. With all of the effort put into the Graphics, one might think some corners were cut in some places, such as gameplay mechanics or story. Nope! The story is very easy to get lost in as are the memorable characters. This game is amazing in almost every aspect, but I did run into several bugs when I played.
Now I’ll attempt to not spoil too much of the story, but I will say that if you want the best experience, just jump in without hearing anything beforehand story-wise if you think this is a game you’ll enjoy. The story sets off in the Russian metro system like the previous games. Devastated by nuclear war. You play as Artyom, a spartan ranger that grew up in the metro system and serves as a sort of protector of the people. Artyom is set on leaving the metro and finding both more survivors of the war and a safe place to settle. The story is set around this goal. The squad of rangers that Artyom is a part of set off on the locomotive Aurora. Along for the ride are Artyom’s family, his father in law, the leader of the squad, and his wife, a
Exodus contains a wide variety of environments in its open world levels that allow the player to feel completely immersed. The wide open expanses feature a dynamic day and night cycle. During the day, bandits and humans from other factions are alert and roam around their bases, homes, or the general area that they have been tasked with guarding. Monsters, for the most part, will stay in the shadows, underground or inside. The general rule is that during the day you are a whole lot safer from monsters but more likely to exchange fire with rival humans roaming the wastes. When the sun goes down the world becomes a hellish nightmare. The monsters that reside in the vast Russian expanses come to life and bring many teeth with them. Walking cautiously through the pitch black night with only a lighter or flashlight for company is absolutely terrifying. It’s not just you as a player that realizes that the night is one of the worst things to be stuck in’ the other humans remaining do too. They will head to sleep until the morning, making it a great time to assault enemy outposts.
As you travel chronologically through the game, the season will change along with you, spanning an entire year from the beginning to the end of the story. Each season has a dangerous weather phenomenon attributed to it. The cold-but beautiful winter can be hit by dreadful and deadly blizzards that cut visibility to zero at a seconds notice. Likewise, the summer is a sandy wave of death that blackens and fills the whole sky. As deadly as these events are, they are quite beautiful. From the still water in a puddle to a light drizzle to a
The world itself is beautiful, but how do the main mechanics of the game interact with the world around them? Gunplay, crafting, stealth, and decision making all play a vital role in how the game plays and feels. The guns and other weapons in the game feel like they are realistic and that they pack a punch, not like so many other games where it feels like you’re shooting foam nerf darts at people. Ammo being a rare commodity makes it so that accuracy counts. Even not taking shots when you don’t have to becomes a viable strategy. Going through the game stealthily is doable.
Crafting is a simple system and based on two different components: materials, represented by a gear icon, and chemicals. Crafting can be done from the inventory esk backpack that is on Artyom at all times. Your bag stores materials, ammo, and whatever weapons that are equipped at that moment as well as their attachments. Every item in the game can be crafted, but only med kits, gas mask filters, and ammo for Tikar air rifle and the crossbow can be made through the backpack. Bullets for the rest of the guns in the game can be crafted only using workbenches that are scattered throughout the world as well as one handily located on the Aurora. Weapons can be found off enemies or hidden in the world, and once you find a weapon you can equip it back at the Aurora at any time. Attachments can also be switched around at any time from any location. The simplicity of the system makes it a valuable addition to the game.
Metro Exodus does an amazing job of mixing a beautiful environment and a heart-wrenching story into a memorable and fun experience. Mixing aspects of horror, open world survival, and an immersive post-apocalyptic feel, I’d recommend this game to anyone who’s looking for the thrill of a truly scary game and an attachment to character’s deep and lovable personalities.