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Metro 2033 Redux is a remaster of sorts of the original game based on the novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky of the same name. The main differences are graphical, though gameplay balances are also present.
Premise: In Metro 2033 you'll take control of Artyom, seeking aid to help his home station. For the uninitiated, Metro 2033 takes place in the metro system underneath Moscow, Russia. The surface and the world at large have been made effectively uninhabitable due to radiation, mutants and an additional, more paranormal presence known as the Dark Ones. Taking place some 20 years after the events that caused this, resources are scarce and Factions have formed.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2790522459
”Even the apocalypse can't keep us from killing each other over ideology.”
Now, the idea of the post-apocalypse is certainly not anything new with your STALKERS, Wastelands and Fallouts. But I would say that Metro's take on that premise is somewhat unique. I believe it to be one of the few games that can be described as immersive without being a total farce. I don't see many horror games using the 'survival' aspects that “Survival Horror” typically implies. Granted, there are multiple difficulty options in this game to alter just how rare bullets and gas mask filters are, but I think the default here is quite approachable, yet taxing in terms of keeping situations tense. One major complaint I often hear regarding Metro is that the guns feel weak. At times, the enemies do feel a little... spongy. However, I believe this weakening of normal bullets to be intentional to force the player to occasionally use their military grade bullets — which are used as currency in the game.
buT maH iMmUrSHun — anecdotes
This game is very atmospheric. It's also one of the first games I ever played on a PC after switching from console (not this version but the original) and I was blown away after realizing that putting on your gas mask, talking out your flashlight, wiping your gas mask off, bringing out the recharge device for your flashlight, flicking your lighter on and off, using the lighter to see the compass in the dark not only had different buttons but had different contexts as well. I was also surprised you could do those things at all. What's more is the way moisture will build up in the mask, or blood will spatter onto it, or becomes cracked and need to be replaced. Mild spoiler that speaks to immersion: There is a section of the game where a child rides piggyback on Artyom. This causes his aim and movement to become labored as he pushes the weight of the child around — it's one of my favorite sequences.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2790522494
Even the weapons become more than they first appear. There's your normal,expected weapons like rifles, shotguns and pistols. But the pneumatic weapons are what come as something much more interesting. Similar to the charging device used for the flashlight, you can charge pneumatic weapons as well. In fact, you have to in order for them to work properly — but you can also overcharge them, allowing you to fire the (usually steel balls) at much higher speed causing massive damage. Effectively turning what seems like a pea shooter into a formidable sniper rifle.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2790522473
Anecdotally, this game reminds me of FEAR 2 a lot. Specifically FEAR 2, not the entire series. This is largely my disconnected brain making similar images and themes feel related. Though, outside of both games being horror themed first person shooters with vague paranormal — maybe psychosomatic aspects, they don't really have anything to do with each other. I've already played 2033 and Last Light a few times but at the time of writing this I've not yet gotten to Exodus. So my playtime does not speak of the campaign length — it's much closer to around 10 hours for one playthrough.
The light betrays us.
The thing that may not be super obvious in this game, especially as it is mostly quite linear with some small areas to explore if have you the gusto (or need for resources), is that there is a hidden morality system in the game. Some of the choices are very upfront and clear — but most of them are background calculations you're not privy to. These subtleties will effect the outcome at the end. However, you cannot import your save into Metro: Last Light, so it doesn't actually matter. And only one ending is canon, while the other is not.
Stealth is a big part of this game, or rather, choosing to be stealthy rather than overtly aggressive plays a significant role in the minute-to-minute of how the game plays out. You can take out lights, use throwing knives, use bolts or silenced/pneumatic weapons to take out enemies quietly or you can go in guns blazing and light everything on fire. And just as enemies using lights makes them more visible in the dark, so to does light for Artyom.
The Gist:
Story-driven horror (mostly sci-fi) FPS games are one of my favorite genres. It's taken me some time to actually write anything about these games, and truth be told I think it's because I find these games to be more obtuse than your average FPS. Maybe even middle of the line, quality wise, in what might have been an over-saturated genre back in 2010. STALKER was already out, Singularity had released the same year. The original game was quite honestly a bit clunky — this redux version is only slightly improved. Not to mention, the world building itself is not the greatest without the context of the books. However, it is a strong narrative and I believe in what could only have been said after the fact, a classic.
4A Games, the devs, are Ukrainian.
If you've found this review helpful, consider following my curation — Station Argus
My Singularity review here.