In Soviet Russia, rats kill you!
The first console launch exclusive was, to me, a welcome surprise. 4A Games’ Metro Exodus is the latest entry in a series that is pretty awesome.
The Metro series is adapted from Dmitry Glukhovsky’s series of novels. They are based in a post-apocalyptic future where the survivors live in a network of underground subway tunnels. The newest entry, which takes place after Metro: Last Light’s Redemption ending, which was the “good” ending. You’re still in the city of Artyom but about to travel east to Moscow, searching for a safe home.
The amount of detail shown in the trailer was impressive. From the subway tunnel to the outside area to the train itself, everything is brimming with detail. The interactions with the mutated beasts of the tunnels and above ground show off Metro’s trademark tension. It’ll be great to explore, but the constant fear of attack keeps you on your toes.
This game will retain the same linear/open section structure as Last Light, but the open areas are reportedly huge. Exploration in these open areas is encouraged, as there are plenty of indoor and underground areas, as well as access to the metro system. 4A games that these large open areas will not affect the game’s pacing; the enemy AI has been modified so they’ll wander around more. That keeps the game’s tension high, as you’ll never know if you’ll stumble into an enemy while exploring.
In Exodus, the nuclear winter is largely over and seasons are experienced. Since the trek to Russia is a yearlong affair, players will get to see the seasonal changes. There is also a day/night cycle, which can have as-yet-unknown effects on the environment. There will also be areas above ground that are less irradiated, but what that means is unknown. You still need your mask and filters on hand.
Another staple of Metro games is settlements. There will be both friendly and hostile settlements in Metro Exodus and you will need to handle them appropriately. 4A Games are still tight-lipped about more details.
Not everything is 100% indicative of the full experience. The gameplay is definitely real, but the trailer was snipped down some. Also, there are UI elements missing. Still, what was shown was very impressive.
Metro Exodus has no release date, but it is expected to debut sometime in 2018.
