METRO EXODUS (XONE)
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Publisher: Deep Silver.
Developer: 4A Games. Released: February 2019. Genre: FPS. Other versions: PS4; PC. Posted 16th September 2020. By Shane Battams © 2020 |
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After two successful seventh generation instalments, 4A Games would make the leap to new hardware with Metro Exodus, opting to utilise the extra power of the Xbox One not only to bump up the presentation, but also to experiment with sandbox-esque missions. Metro has always faced trouble from outside forces, with Last Light subject to controversy surrounding locking Ranger Mode behind pre-orders and Exodus too facing criticism over exclusivity deals. The games continued to benefit from tight storytelling and unique mechanics, but would often be undercut by a lack of polish. Exodus is no exception, but fans of this series should find solace in another strong outing.
After the good ending of Last Light, series protagonist Artyom shows signs of disillusionment and contempt for the fighting and corruption within Metro, causing him to explore the surface and find other survivors, much to the chagrin of his stepfather Miller. But when Artyom and his wife, Anna, discover a train running on the irradiated surface, it prompts them to investigate. A series of events leads to Miller and his Spartan Order being roped into an expansive journey, taking the makeshift family across Russia, with the many perils this entails. While the more expansive scope of the story perhaps loses some of the atmosphere of previous games, and the exploration of post-apocalyptic archetypes is less engaging, the development of Artyom and his crew is the glue that holds the narrative together, especially if you engage in optional dialogues between missions.
Metro Exodus looks stunning, taking full advantage of the hardware generation leap
Metro Exodus inherits a number of traits from previous games. As you guide Artyom, you’ll be tasked with exploring, shooting both thugs and mutated nasties and solving some light puzzles, with flexibility for stealth and pacifist actions often available too. How you complete chapters will often change the fate of certain characters, resulting in two different endings, prompting a couple of playthroughs. Though you spend less time underground, radiation and hazards still prove an issue, prompting you to wear a gas mask which, in a cool twist, can be damaged in combat and repaired with tape. Other elements, such as crafting ammo and medpacks, assembling weapons with different accessories and cleaning guns to improve their efficiency gel with the solid shooting engine and make for a good FPS in the long haul.
Exodus sometimes strays from the previous two games, offering a couple of levels with a far bigger scale than before. These put you in large environments, containing side missions, hostile locations and upgrades to find for both Artyom’s suit and his guns. They do impress from a technical standpoint, requiring little loading and offering a break from traditional corridor crawls. But it can feel like something is lost during these levels, such as the claustrophobic atmosphere previous games suffocated players with. Travel feels tedious, even with the addition of a vehicle in a later mission, and having to contend with resource management, hostile creatures and buggy stealth states leaves the levels looking closer to Fallout than a smart expansion on Metro.
Exodus sometimes strays from the previous two games, offering a couple of levels with a far bigger scale than before. These put you in large environments, containing side missions, hostile locations and upgrades to find for both Artyom’s suit and his guns. They do impress from a technical standpoint, requiring little loading and offering a break from traditional corridor crawls. But it can feel like something is lost during these levels, such as the claustrophobic atmosphere previous games suffocated players with. Travel feels tedious, even with the addition of a vehicle in a later mission, and having to contend with resource management, hostile creatures and buggy stealth states leaves the levels looking closer to Fallout than a smart expansion on Metro.
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Although the series has never been entirely free of technical bugs, Exodus feels more trying than the previous games. The opening level, oddly, is the buggiest. The game crashed at one point, and an errant melee kill saw Artyom become stuck in a part of the environment, with a poorly-timed autosave making escape quite difficult. While later levels are less technically inept, there are still plenty of moments that feel unpolished, such as seeing characters and dialogues overlapping. Even switching the language to Russian didn’t help much, making for an odd oversight. It’s these little issues, and the fact many remained some months after the game’s launch, which put a bit of a dampener on the experience. Not quite enough to spoil it completely, but it does take away some of the shine.
A more expansive setting with open-world elements means Exodus plays a little differently from its predecessors
Metro Exodus does benefit from new hardware, often looking rather stunning. Environments, encompassing a variety of spaces, weathers and time zones, all benefit from excellent lighting and tons of neat details, such as thick cobwebs which can be burnt using a lighter. Despite larger levels possibly proving taxing, they do not buckle in terms of performance whatsoever. Characters look impressive, showcasing some top animations and fluid motion. The sound, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. The voice acting, using faux-Russian English, feels almost like a poor-man’s imitation. While the dialogue is great, you should probably switch to Russian to enjoy Metro Exodus’ zeitgeist to the fullest. The music and effects are great though, with the former delivering tension and emotion in spades, while the guns, explosions and creatures all fit brilliantly.
Metro Exodus reflects the series’ tenets almost to a tee, warts and all. Despite suffering from a layer of technical ineptitude, particularly on the opening level, a captivating cast of characters makes the journey worthwhile. The mix of shooting, crafting and survival elements mean that for the most part, ME is a decent and distinctive game. Not all of its new ideas are successful, as the sandbox levels lose a little of what made the previous games special, but it remains a solid and engaging shooter that could have benefited from a little longer in the development oven. But for those who have followed Artyom’s journey to this point, they should be more than satisfied.
Metro Exodus reflects the series’ tenets almost to a tee, warts and all. Despite suffering from a layer of technical ineptitude, particularly on the opening level, a captivating cast of characters makes the journey worthwhile. The mix of shooting, crafting and survival elements mean that for the most part, ME is a decent and distinctive game. Not all of its new ideas are successful, as the sandbox levels lose a little of what made the previous games special, but it remains a solid and engaging shooter that could have benefited from a little longer in the development oven. But for those who have followed Artyom’s journey to this point, they should be more than satisfied.
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VERDICT
"Metro Exodus reflects the series’ tenets almost to a tee, warts and all. Despite moments of technical ineptitude and the loss of a little of what made the previous games special, fans should be more than satisfied." OVERALL: 7/10 |