Review: Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light Redux (PC)

I can't recall a recent game that has so believably created a sense of place. Right from the get-go I bought into the sci-fi setup of the Metro games and the resulting hardscrabble life of living in underground tunnels. Little snippets of what life is like, coping with hardship, the various factions that have risen up in place of a central government, the cobbled-together devices and an economy driven by bullets and the ever-present threat of mutant attacks and the mysterious Dark Ones. During the periods of downtime I found myself poking around in corners trying to understand how these people are surviving. Even during periods of shooting, sneaking, and battling mutants I often lingered in "cleared" areas to soak in the atmosphere.

Above ground -- it's an apocalypse up there too, maybe even worse than an apocalypse -- I would swipe at my gas mask plexiglass just because I could. Half of Metro is just the feeling of being there.

There is one thing that often took me out of the experience and that was protagonist's Artyom's mute tendencies. He narrates his diary entries between "chapters" but otherwise stays quiet even when characters in both games address him directly. It's a distracting oversight -- maybe? -- for a couple of games that otherwise manage to create and flesh out an interesting universe.

As a straight-up shooter, the games offer an exciting experience but both games also feature Survival mode that changes the game and gameplay significantly. This mode heightens the sense of scavenging to stay alive in a horror-filled nightmare.

In Survival mode, bullets, the currency of the Metro games, become very scarce and suddenly it matters what kind and how many bullets Artyom has at any moment. It's a layer of resource management that's expected (if you didn't play Metro 2033 back in 2010) but adds a level of intensity and focus on every encounter. Artyom could churn through bullets or look for a more quiet approach and save those bullets for when there's no other choice. It's a moment-to-moment consideration that's stripped out of Spartan -- "easy" -- mode. Survival mode is definitely more challenging and interesting but even I fell into Spartan mode to plow through the story faster.

If you're looking at the value proposition, $50 for the two games is a fantastic deal. I speak to the reported graphic overhaul, having not played either game when they were originally released but they look damn good and do a fantastic job setting the tone and place of the game.

The Metro Redux package is highly recommended.

- Aaron Simmer
Follow @EmpireArmchair

The Good:
- Such a great (horrible) setting
- Looks great
- Two campaign modes play dramatically different

The Bad:
- Artyom is basically a mute when he shouldn't be
- I had save games screw up a couple of times