I've been making sure to mix up the order in which I cross items off my game backlog so I don't get sick of playing similar genres in succession. That means it's time for a shooter. BACKGROUND:
I've heard this game mentioned before, but I didn't really know much about it other than it looked like a super gloomy FPS. Apparently this game is based on a novel of the same name. I should read that so I can compare and contrast. Since the Russian setting of the game is bound to raise some eyebrows, I must address this before I begin: the author of the book this is based on, though is Russian, has openly opposed the regime (condemning the treatment of notable opposition leader Alexei Navalny). Additionally, the developers of this game? They're Ukrainian. PLOT: Metro 2033 is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth that was ravaged by nuclear war. Survivors in Russia have been forced to retreat to the extensive Metro railway systems that sprawl across the underground of Moscow and extend to neighboring areas (this is a real thing that exists, by the way). As these tunnels are the only refuge against the irradiated surface and the hordes of mutated beasts that now inhabit the earth, people have gone on to build a very different kind of life underground, and it's the furthest thing from easy or comfortable. The cataclysm hasn't stopped humans from fighting each other, either, as factions such as hardcore Communists and Nazis are at constant war with one another, and opportunistic bandits are aplenty. You follow the journey of Artyom, a young man who was only a child when the nukes hit and has thus only known the Metro. He is sent on an important mission when the train station he calls home are attacked by creatures called the Dark Ones, which requires him to go to Polis (a much larger community within the Metro) in hopes of getting some much-needed support. Artyom makes his way through several stations within the Metro, encountering multiple communities, getting caught in the crossfire of warring factions, and occasionally running into mutant outbreaks. He also must brave the inhospitable ruins of Moscow on his mission, and you get to see how absolutely fucked the surface world is. Artyom only speaks during the intros for each chapter of the story, and you need to collect his journal entries in the game to get a good sense of his character and life within the Metro. Completing the journal was worthwhile, in my opinion, as his observations throughout his journey are quite insightful and do a lot in terms of world-building, as well as hammering home the urgency of his mission. He also gets to mull over the tragedy of his whole situation, like when he first reaches the surface and laments at how it's nothing like he used to imagine. As I always say, however, storytelling that you have to work for is understandably not a popular approach with everybody. You run into a few other characters throughout Artyom's journey, though you don't really get to spend as much time with them as you do with the protagonist. Still, many of them have something going for them, like a distinct personality, hints of a backstory, or just a decent sense of their struggles within the Metro (and the resilience they must have had to still keep going). The Dark Ones don't directly oppose you in the story (most of your conflicts will be with mindless mutants or asshole humans), but it becomes clear early on that they are one of many elements within this post-apocalypse that have almost supernatural properties. It seems quite fascinating, but the game doesn't really dive into it, which is a shame. There are two endings, though only one of them is canon. The alternate ending is interesting in the sense that it turns Artyom's whole mission on its head, but the way you unlock this ending is not communicated to you by the game at all. Thus, it's possible to play the game and not realize there was even another ending. Moreover, the story doesn't quite build up the moral quandary that informs the choice Artyom makes to kick off the alternate ending, and I felt like it would have been more effective if the two sides of the equation were given equal time to breathe. PRESENTATION: I'm playing the Redux version of Metro 2033, which is a remaster of the original release. I haven't seen the original at all, so I can't compare, but on its own, Metro 2033 Redux looks solid in terms of visual fidelity. It's not quite on par with current-gen titles with its level of detail given how long ago it came out, so don't expect too much of its realistic art style. Don't be surprised by the gloominess of the visuals; after all, you're playing within a post-apocalypse. The tunnels that comprise the Metro look absolutely run down, and the surface of Moscow looks truly bleak, with a perpetually gray sky, an eternal blanket of snow, and completely wrecked buildings. All these come together to deliver quite the hopeless, inhospitable atmosphere, though it understandably would look drab, boring, and gray to many players. To add to the immersion, the UI appears sparingly as you play through. There's little music to speak of, so the audio is mostly ambient sounds and the occasional voice acting. I'd say these other elements do their job adequately, especially on Artyom's end; the sounds he makes during gameplay (largely his panting, grunting, and gasping for air) do well to convey the effort he exerts and how immediately dangerous it is to breathe the air in this post-apocalypse. GAMEPLAY: Metro 2033 is a first-person shooter, and what's interesting about the Redux version is that you can play the game in two ways. There's Survival Mode, which is meant to be the experience of the original, and there's Spartan Mode, which is more action-oriented. I played the game in Survival Mode, so my thoughts will be based on what I encountered there. Survival Mode goes for a more Resident Evil route when it comes to the gameplay: resources are scarce, and you want to only use your guns only if absolutely necessary. You'll have to scavenge your surroundings for extra ammo and other useful resources to keep your supplies up, but there are rare occasions where you stop by safe stations where you can spend currency to restock or acquire new weapons. Weapons are mostly standard fare, with a small assortment of rifles (including an AK-47), a revolver, shotguns, and an SMG that overheats. There are also a few more inventive weapons, like a flamethrower, a bunch of pneumatic weapons (with the most notable one being a crossbow with reusable bolts), and even a powerful cannon that fires off ball bearings. You can carry three weapons at one time, and you're occasionally able to swap out what you have with weapons you can scavenge from dead enemies. Most weapons can also be upgraded at shops, and you can add attachments like sights, silencers, extended magazines, and even stuff like extra barrels for the shotgun. I liked the variety overall, though I didn't find much difficulty sticking to one loadout for most of the game (silenced revolver for picking enemies off, AK for firefights, shotgun when overwhelmed/in close quarters). You also have access to a few secondary weapons. These are mostly just variations of grenades (one regular, one sticky, one incendiary), but there are also throwing knives that are excellent for stealth kills. The throwing knife was easily one of my favorite weapons in Wolfenstein: The New Order, and having them here (and serving the exact same function) made me quite happy. Speaking of stealth, that is one of many ways to tackle certain sections of the game where you find yourself fighting other humans. The AI, though not perfect, is impressive, since they respond to little things like lights going off in the distance, and go on alert when they find a corpse. I loved that I could play this game stealthily (and conserve resources as a consequence), and it's great that they made the AI not stupid. Of course, you can go in guns blazing, though it's generally a bad idea. Fighting off mutants is a little tougher, since you can't loot them for ammo, and there's not as many opportunities to sneak past them. Encounters with them are either fending off droves of them (pretty easy to get overwhelmed or run out of ammo if you're not careful), or something more survival horror-style where you carefully navigate a claustrophobic area and these fuckers show up occasionally (not really in a jump scare kind of way, but they're around). I liked the latter more than the former since that felt more in-line with the survival aspect of the game, but I don't really have complaints with the more action-packed firefights apart from how you really feel the deliberately slow reload speed in the heat of battle. A few sections have you interact with stuff to unlock the path forward or deal with the rare quick-time event, though there's not much in the way of complex puzzles or engaging minigames to really mix things up. Some of these variations in gameplay are a little out of left field, as you're occasionally sent to a surreal plane to do some running around. The game takes you on a linear path throughout most of the game, but there's ample room for hidden nooks and crannies in many sections. You'll mostly be rewarded with extra resources for your troubles (which is absolutely worthwhile), but you can also find the game's collectible (Artyom's journal entries) by exploring a bit. And in the occasion that you get turned around or the way forward isn't clear, you have a handy compass that points you in the right direction. It's nice that this mechanic is a thing, but you can still get lost since it doesn't take elevation into account, and some interactables and pathways are not noticeable at first glance. The most notable game mechanic they focus on involves the gas mask. On the surface (and certain sections of the Metro), the air is irradiated and not breathable, so you have to put your mask on to survive. If you don't, you suffocate and die in a few seconds. What makes things extra tricky is the mask's gas filters only last so long (the duration of which you can track with Artyom's wristwatch), and you have to scavenge for extras while you're on the field. The game is nice enough to give you barely enough to survive, but you absolutely cannot dilly-dally, because the more time you waste, the more filters you burn through, adding a bit of urgency to your exploration. I thought this was a cool mechanic, but it wasn't without frustrations, because in moments where it wasn't clear where the way forward was, I just kept dying over and over until I found the out-of-the-way filter refill that bought me more time. The game's currency is military-grade ammo, and while you can use it to exchange for supplies, weapons, and upgrades in shops, you can also use them as actual ammunition. Certain weapons are compatible with military-grade ammo, and while every shot is quite literally burning money, they also do a ton of damage. I thought this was a cool last resort kind of mechanic, and a novel use of what would otherwise just be currency. Connected to the ending is the hidden morality mechanic, which awards you with positive points for taking certain actions (e.g. helping NPCs, choosing not to kill or loot dead bodies), and demerits you for other things (choosing violence in specific moments or generally being selfish). If you end the game with a net positive, you get the alternate ending. The game does not indicate at all that this is going on in the background, which I can see as frustrating for some since you end up losing out on story that you never would have realized was there. Since the ending wasn't canon anyway and the story doesn't play up the moral conflict too much, I personally didn't mind that this mechanic wasn't revealed. In addition to switching between game modes, you can also choose between different difficulties that alter stuff like damage dealt (between both you and the enemies) and resource scarcity. Most notable is Ranger Mode, which not only ramps up the difficulty, but completely eliminates the game's HUD for extra immersion. For reference, I played on Normal, which I thought struck a decent balance between giving you the feeling of scarcity of ammo and having just enough stuff to get through most of the game. VERDICT: I thought Metro 2033 was a solid shooter with some neat mechanics combined with usual FPS fare that helped deliver a novel survival experience that feels like a horror game at times. It's a little different from the typical action-focused affairs I come to expect from the genre, which I appreciated. I liked the bleak post-apocalyptic setting both in terms of atmosphere/mood and the little bit of world-building, despite the overwhelming grays of the visuals and them not fully committing to the moral conflict they try to go for with the endings. The game has enough going for it that kept me engaged throughout my time playing, and apart from some issues I have, I had a good time. I recommend this game if you like FPS games and want something a little different with the experience (survival over shootouts) or think the post-apocalyptic setting is appealing. Otherwise, if shooters that lean towards militaristic settings or have realistic art styles aren't your jam, you may not find this one to your liking. Metro 2033 Redux is available on the following platforms for PC: - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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