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Metro Last Light

Metro Last Light

 

Metro Last Light is the sequel to the classic Metro 2033 and continues the story of Artyom in a post-apocalyptic Moscow. In this world the citizens of Moscow were driven into the metro tunnels following a nuclear war that left the surface uninhabitable and without a central government they formed their own factions in order to survive. The only currency acceptable is military grade ammo and that’s indicative of the constant struggle to survive in the face of deadly threats posed by mutants, the Dark Ones and even other humans. At the end of Metro 2033 (spoiler alert) Artyom gained possession of the key of a destructive arsenal and unleashed it against the Dark Ones. However he realized too late that the Dark Ones were attempting to communicate with the humans and only wanted peace. Metro Last Light picks up a year after those events and the focus of this new journey is the one surviving Dark One.

There was an alternate ending for Metro 2033 where you could actually stop the Dark Ones from being destroyed and instead make peace with them. So if you played it and that was your ending it won’t matter in Metro Last Light. The story here is Artyom destroyed the Dark Ones because he realized too late that they only wanted peace. So he is burdened not only by guilt for his actions but the knowledge that the Dark Ones were capable of communicating through hallucinations and could’ve aided human survivors. That’s not all. The remaining human survivors broken up into various factions are on the verge of civil war even with the constant mutant threat. And they’re all in a race to acquire a doomsday device hidden in the military vaults of D6 because they believe it would give them ultimate power instead of understanding this is what caused the destruction in the first place. All hope seems lost if not because of the mutant threat then because of the civil war that would decimate the remaining pockets of human civilization. However Artyom holds the key to humanity’s last hope and that’s directly connected to the last Dark One.

If you played Metro 2033 then you know it’s not like most FPS. It’s a survival-horror game where the overall premise behind the world it’s set in plays as much a role in the game as the action. That atmosphere of life being fragile and hanging from a thread loomed over all aspects of game play and created an immersive environment that put you in the shoes of Artyom. So even the psychological impact of a devastating nuclear war is reflected in everything from the uninhabitable surface that requires a gas mask just to travel to the everyday life of the remaining humans and the factions they created in order to survive. THQ plans on retaining that tone and even created a live action trailer for the survivors. The game play in Metro 2033 was thoroughly enjoyable and it wasn’t possible to go through the missions with guns blazing because ammo was at a premium and Artyom isn’t Superman. So you had to use a combination of stealth and wise management of supplies wisely in order to succeed. And everything was in-game such as viewing objectives, inventory or charging batteries. The game play that made Metro 2033 a hit hasn’t been forgotten and the game play footage of Metro Last Light shows a the focus will again be on the environment and not constant firefights. Military-grade ammo is still as important as the first game with you given the option of using it in battle or as currency. The gas mask and air filters will be back as well except now you’ll be required to maintain and clean them manually following fights. Artyom is now a ranger so that’ll be reflected in his movements and speed in terms of reloading or charging his batteries (even in a post-apocalyptic world battery life isn’t good)

I loved Metro 2033. It was a breath of fresh air in the FPS genre and the story and environment were very compelling. I’m looking forward to this one and if you haven’t played Metro 2033 then my review might convince you to check it out. If that’s not enough then watch the official trailer. Metro Last Light is set to be released May 14th.

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