Metro Exodus: Sam's Story Review (Button Eyes)
Sam's Story is a DLC for Metro Exodus, which takes place after the events of the main game. You play as Sam Taylor, the American member of Miller's crew as he leaves his friends and tries to find a way back to his homeland. He travels to the port town of Vladivostok, where he meets some people in hopes of crossing the ocean. Unlike the Two Colonels DLC, the map is a bit more open (although still follows a linear path) and is considerably longer, around the length of an open-world level in the main game.
Gameplay and settings are more similar to the main game, taking place mostly outdoors, in a somewhat open area with enemies both mutants and people, as well as stealth and vehicle sections. You will have access to 2 new guns, an assault rifle and pistol not available in the main game. However, one thing you must know is that in this DLC you cannot craft items and ammo on the go, only at workbenches. So make sure to loot everyone and everything, and stock up on ammo and filters to make things easier.
I should mention that sadly there is still a game-breaking bug in this DLC, almost 3 years since its release. About 2-3 hours into the game you will have to deal with a sniper, and after dealing with him there should be a cutscene where Sam pulls up his radio and calls his ally, but it doesn't trigger. You can still move around, but cannot attack or interact with anything, leaving you trapped. The only way is to restart the chapter and hope for the best. It's frustrating, but luckily not too far into the chapter. The final part of the DLC is also basically almost impossible to stealth, despite Sam saying he will sneak. But not sure its a bug or the devs just chose to make it a high-adrenaline firefight.
Other than the sniper bug, I think Sam's Story is a really great DLC, with great level design and some fun sections. I can say its on the same quality, or maybe even better than some of the main game's chapters. Definitely a must-buy if you enjoyed the game, and bonus point if you like Steve Blum, Sam's voice actor, who instead of a silent protagonist actually talks quite a lot and has a personality. Just pray you don't catch the sniper bug, or any others like it if it exists.