Title: Metro Exodus
Developer: 4A Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Released: February 15, 2019 (PC, PS4, Xbox One), June 18, 2021 (PS5, Xbox Series X/S)
Platform Reviewed: PlayStation 5 Playstation 4, PC
Platforms Available: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac
Article Reading Time: 14 minutes

Fourteen Years On: Metro Exodus’ Thrilling Path

This year, it’s been fourteen years recently since developers from Ukrainian studio 4A Games brought us the successful action game Metro 2033, which was based on the successful novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky. It is built on a dense atmosphere, stunning artwork, and fun action. The book’s author expressed several times that he liked the game’s treatment, and he was certainly glad that new readers found their way to his novels. Three years later, we have a free sequel, Metro: Last Light, which has already been released simultaneously for all major platforms. The developers have put all their experience to good use, and Metro has become a classic video game. So it’s no wonder that expectations were very high when the next Metro Exodus was announced. Find out if the developers managed to meet them in my review below. I’ll just reveal that it’s going to be quite a ride.

Metro Exodus has taken quite a leap forward with the PlayStation 5 version. The original PS4 version was great on its own, but the visual enhancements and technical innovations elevate the experience to a new level. I was immediately hooked on the PS5. The most significant change is the implementation of ray tracing, completely transforming the game’s lighting. Shadows are deep and realistic, and reflections on metal or water surfaces feel real. The environment has gained depth, making the atmosphere denser than before. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second on PS5, which noticeably improves gameplay.

Artyom’s Quest: Surviving in Post-Apocalyptic Russia

Metro Exodus, based on the novel Metro 2035, is a follow-up to the ending of Metro: Last Light. However, you haven’t played the previous installments. In that case, I recommend doing so, as the next installment follows its predecessor with only a slight distance this time. Anyway, the thing is, it’s been 23 years since the great war that wiped out nearly seven billion people, and the last remnants are still living in the Moscow subway system, having to deal with its aftermath every day, be it the omnipresent radiation or the various monsters. Among the survivors is the protagonist, Artyom, who hasn’t stopped dreaming of a place to live without fear of radiation and multiple monsters. Now, with his wife Anna, he occasionally makes his way to the surface, looking for a signal from possible other survivors. But the dream turns into a nightmare during one trip to the surface, when Artyom wonders if it was worth dreaming like this. Either way, along with Anna and a few other Special Forces members, he embarks on a journey through Russia and its wilderness on the Aurora train to find the paradise he so desires. I don’t want to give any spoilers here because the fantastic story is full of twists and turns, well-written characters, dialogue, and different communities, which everyone must enjoy for themselves. But the story definitely doesn’t disappoint anyone. It keeps you glued to the screen until the grand finale, which you will remember for a long time. It also concludes this unique trilogy very well.

Diverse Terrains: Beyond the Moscow Metro

You can see from the first minute of Metro Exodus that the developers now had much more ambition and budget after their previous successes, as everything is much more lavish and looks expensive compared to the first two installments. And I would compare Metro’s journey through this a bit to the Witcher series, where only with the third installment could the developers at CD Project RED fully realize what they always wanted. But it’s also worth mentioning that 4A Games hasn’t forgotten the previous installments and its fans, so they’re still building on their quality and popular foundations. Metro Exodus is still an atmospheric survival action game with horror elements, but now in a much more cinematic and spectacular way. I enjoyed the game immensely because of this, and I enjoyed every minute of it enormously. Plus, it’s hard to tear yourself away from it. Something is always happening, and the game keeps the player in suspense about how everything will continue. 

The fact that the developers had a much bigger budget shows in the levels themselves with their excellent design. Again, if you’re looking for a linear action game with a strong focus on story, you’ll find it here. You don’t have to worry about the game-changing dramatically. However, the developers have also prepared some more expansive levels; it’s a more miniature open world; I might compare it in style to the last God of War. You’re always set goals from the main storyline. Still, NPC characters occasionally give you some side quest you may or may not complete. The side quests are usually related to finding a particular item or exploring locations, which mainly enriches the game experience and reveals more about the local world.

What I liked during the quests is that the developers go a bit, well, instead, a lot old school and don’t lead the player by the hand. On the map, which you can call up at any time simply by pressing the touchpad, you only have the important places marked, but you no longer have an arrow to guide you to them; plus, you only get information and details about the quests from other NPC characters. This approach helps you explore the game world, making you feel and enjoy it more. This is the opposite of what we see in other similar games that lead you by the hand to a goal, which they still mark out so you don’t accidentally miss it in a meter-by-meter room. Here, you just know the location, and it’s up to you to explore it and find what you need and are looking for. 

As I mentioned above, the game takes place outside of Moscow this time, so you’ll visit more diverse locations that take you across the Russian wilderness. You’ll look to the Volga River, Siberia’s taiga, which radiation has virtually avoided, and the Caspian Sea desert, where I sometimes felt like I was in Mad Max. The greater variety of environments definitely helps the game. I always enjoyed arriving in a new one and the varied challenges you’ll face while playing.

PS5 Upgrades: Enhanced Visuals and Performance

The developers have also worked on using the DualSense controller’s haptic response, adding another dimension to gameplay. You can feel the gun shake as you shoot or the subtle vibrations that simulate the terrain you’re moving across. The colors have been slightly altered on the PS5, which may be a plus for some and a minus for others. While there were minor graphical glitches, such as occasional shadowing issues, overall, the PS5 version of Metro Exodus is the best you can play. It uses the console to its full potential and delivers a fantastic experience. If you have a choice, this version should be a clear priority. The game is still impressive on PS4, but the difference is noticeable.

What I also have to mention about the environment is that the developers have worked on the changing weather, so it starts raining heavily at the Volga River out of nowhere. At the same time, in the desert, a sandstorm comes again. Also, the time of day changes dynamically during gameplay, affecting the gameplay itself. While you encounter mostly human opponents during the day, at night, various mutants and other creatures come to the surface, and you have to deal with different problems that don’t exist during the day. You have to think whether a given mission is worth doing in the evening or during the day. 

Many players of the previous installments must wonder if Metro Exodus still offers those dark corners of the subway. The answer, of course, is yes. Although it occurs mainly on the surface, you’ll still be crawling through various bunkers and bases where daylight can’t reach. Of course, there are plenty of subway stations, but I won’t spoil any more.  

Combat and Strategy: Facing the Mutant Threat

Because the game occurs outside radiation-infested Moscow, Artyom no longer has to constantly wear a mask and change one filter after another. However, it still happens and is an important part of the gameplay when you venture into the contaminated parts of the world here. Survival elements are, therefore, ever-present and are linked to, for example, making first aid kits and various bombs, upgrading your suit with found materials, and then modifying various weapons. Artyom will also shoot pistols, shotguns, machine guns, crossbows, and other interesting toys you can change with the parts you find. This will make the weapons even more effective in the fight against human opponents and monsters. Modifying weapons or making bullets, first aid kits, and other items are handled simply. They will be accessible, even for a novice.

Even smaller but, from my point of view, a fundamental note about the weapons: this time, the developers have delivered a really detailed gunplay rich in visual and animation perfectly processed weapons from which it is really a pleasure to shoot and last but not least, of course, to listen to them. For me, as a lover of weapons in games, a huge thumbs up.

If you get attacked by monsters, the game contains several types. It’s a classic fast-paced shooter, but you must count every bullet. You don’t have enough of them on the higher difficulties, so every bullet that misses the target hurts like hell and can be helpful later. You constantly have to explore your surroundings, find hidden ammo boxes, and so on, so the core gameplay of Metro Exodus is similar to previous installments. Survival elements, which are also well-balanced, still play a crucial role. Fortunately, you can continually replenish your supplies with found materials at the workbenches scattered around the world and at the main base in the form of the Aurora locomotive. 

While encounters with mutants are all about action when you meet human opponents, you have more options thanks to a solid stealth system, so everything can be handled silently. In many situations, this is better, as enemies are outnumbered, and Artyom can take a few hits on higher difficulty. When it comes to the gunfights, they’re fun, although I do have a bit of a gripe with the AI. It could be better. Enemies tried to take cover, but I sometimes felt like they were just standing still or running around the level mindlessly. This shouldn’t have happened, but fortunately, I noticed this problem infrequently. 

Exploration and Discovery: Open World and Quests

As mentioned, Metro Exodus has many more open locations and is a semi-open-world game. This makes it hard to estimate how long it will take you to play through. I finished the main storyline on medium difficulty with a few side quests in about twenty hours and 100% in two playthroughs in about forty hours, which is a solid time for a story-driven action game. It’s worth giving it all a second go afterward for two reasons. The first is completing all of the quests while exploring the world (as I did as a fan of the series), which has many secrets that fans will definitely want to uncover; you can collect ribbons and various other collectibles, for example. The second reason is that your actions affect the fate of several side characters, so you have it in your hands whether they survive or not. The story can thus partially play out differently, and just trying out a different path is a decent enticement to replay. I was sorry to lose any of the characters from the train. I’ve developed a nice relationship with them throughout playing, so giving it your all again and trying to save them motivates players to play again.

It was clear from the first demo that Metro Exodus would be a stunning technological game. The developers, who created their own engine, may have presented it on a hyped-up PC. Still, the console version is undoubtedly nothing to be ashamed of. It looks absolutely fantastic. From the very first minute, you’ll be amazed at the gorgeous-looking environments, the highly detailed characters, and the various effects, which are breathtaking at many times. That’s just how I imagine a modern action game released in 2019. The developers knew that the game looked beautiful, so they also prepared a high-quality photo mode, allowing you to easily take stunning shots and share them with others. However, you’ll also want to know how the optimization is doing. And it’s pretty good right now. On PS5, the game runs at a nice 60Fps and has raytracing enabled, which is very pleasing, except for the bugs. I found a few here and there, but nothing to dwell on, and they will likely be polished by patches. 

Fantastic Sound of Radiated Russia

But back to the positive side, namely the fantastic sound which, together with the visuals, provides a very dense atmosphere that could be cut right down. Suddenly, with headphones on, you’ll feel right in the subway aisles or a world after a huge disaster. The musical accompaniment is also of high quality, containing some pleasant, touching, and, at a few moments, intensely emotional and melancholic songs that took me by the heart and made me love and relate to the story and the characters even more. Furthermore, dubbing the individual characters was excellent – especially the Russian one. Before I end my review, I have to mention the localizations into languages like Czech and others, as with the previous two episodes. This is again of high quality, so everyone can enjoy Artyom’s incredible story, even non-English speakers.

Metro Exodus : Wrap-Up

Metro Exodus is an excellent action game whose most vital point is a well-written story with believable characters that you will simply and easily like. Compared to previous installments, it’s also far more varied, offering more open levels with side quests and giving more freedom in general. Yet it retains the characteristic elements and, most importantly, the dense atmosphere of the post-apocalyptic world. The game is slightly brought down by the AI and occasional bugs, but that doesn’t change the fact that fans of both the previous installments and the genre itself will enjoy this game.

Where to Purchase:

Embark on a post-apocalyptic odyssey with Metro Exodus on Steam.
Experience enhanced visuals and haptic feedback in Metro Exodus for PS4/PS5 on the PlayStation Store.
Survive the Russian wasteland in Metro Exodus for Xbox One/Series X|S on the Microsoft Store.
Journey beyond Moscow’s metro in Metro Exodus, available DRM-free on GOG.
Uncover the secrets of a devastated world in Metro Exodus on the Epic Games Store.
Explore the official website of Metro Exodus for more information and purchase options.