4A Games is using Metro: Last Light to redefine the post-apocalyptic genre in gaming.
Based on the Metro: 2033 book series by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game creates an undeniably haunting atmosphere entwined with a multilayered plot.
You might recall my previous article on 4A Games and the limited resources available to create this game. If you haven’t had a chance, check it out, because you can’t fully appreciate this game without knowing the story behind it.
To see what they created, with what they had, should make other developers blush with embarrassment. Metro: Last Light is a morbid, dark, depressing game that makes you eagerly anticipate the inevitable sequel.
Story
Normally I would give you a run through of key points in the game, but I do not want to spoil a minute of this fantastic story.
It starts off with the “bad” ending of Metro 2033, where you bomb the city of mysterious Dark Ones. Throughout the game your character, Artyom, tries to find redemption for a decision that causes him great remorse. On top of that personal story arch, you must also deal with the enclosing forces of the Red Army and the Nazis and their plots for domination of the entire metro.
On the surface, you deal with the ghosts of the world past, and eventually come to deal with your own personal ghosts.
The game balances multiple stories, delivering a satisfying ending to each that makes you rethink what you really care about.
Game play
On the surface, it’s a pretty straightforward first person shooter. You have your odd assortment of guns, with multiple sights and attachments you can add, and they are all fun to use. The only change to the traditional FPS gun line up are the quiet pneumatic weapons, which require you to pump for power (think of a Super Soaker….but with bullets). It’s a different approach to stealth gameplay and allows for an interesting and, arguably, better alternative to silencers on guns.
Speaking of stealth, Metro allows you to take sneaking to a whole new level. Of course you can run and gun throughout the game, but you can also approach a situation with some tact. In fact, stealth is often rewarded throughout the game, with secret compartments closing permanently if you decide to go in guns blazing.
Darkness is your friend. Whether avoiding packs of mutant rats or maneuvering around patrolling guards, there are paths you can take to move around enemies or stealthy incapacitate them.
This stealth approach to gameplay really lends itself to the feeling that you are truly trying to survive. If you try shooting up the place you will find yourself low on ammo and struggling until you reach the next store.
The game encourages you to explore every nook and cranny, rewarding you with unseen points that can help you reach the best ending in the game. Even listening to passing strangers can lead to bigger rewards down the road.
Graphics
The wasteland portrayed in Metro makes Fallout look like Candyland. Despite being a grey foreboding nightmare, the subtle details in each environment creates a unique settings, and each level is different than the one before it. The crumbling Nazi stations look and feel nothing like the Communist stations. Even the miles of subway tracks are all unique. You’ll never think to yourself, “Have I been here before?”
There is also a great amount of detail all the way down to the gameplay level. Your mask often fogs up reminding you to switch air filters, and you have to press a button to wipe away blood and gunk from your mask when you are braving the outside world.
In video games, the immersion is often broken when you see identical enemies running toward you, even more so when their movements are synced up. Fortunately, Metro takes care of this problem with incredible style. Enemy creatures are beautifully rendered, with smooth animations as they leap toward you with teeth bared. Human NPCs and enemies are distinct, with no two looking alike in either clothing or face.
You also have your, ahem, more nuanced details. Interestingly 4A has created the first textured vaginas in a video game. You have your fair share of strippers within the game, so you are able to, uh, experience their services firsthand. Now whether this should be taboo in gaming, is another argument, but it still cements the outstanding sense of realism in the game.
You can see how men, women, and children are struggling to survive in their small cities. The filth that surrounds them, and the looks of hopelessness that cover their faces.
Many people with applaud the detail that went into the parts of the game where you are killing enemies, I however, am blown away by the parts where you just…walk.
Sound
What makes horror movies so scary? Is it the over the top scares? The monsters? Or the eerie sound track that manages to creep you out even when nothing is happening. The soundtrack is haunting and will give you chills even when the action has died down. But, the real magic is when there is no music.
Sound is just as important as the graphics within this game, and may even save your life. It makes you constantly alert when traversing the wasteland. That scraping against rocks could either be a harmless bug or a mutant waiting to pounce when you turn your back. You learn to always check your surroundings because no one else has your back.
Being aware even with human enemy chatter will give you clues on their patrol routes. Muttering about checking on the lights or a missing buddy will give you hints that some enemies might be coming your direction. If you take a stealthy approach, they may even blab about hidden ammo or weapons, which are huge boons in the scarce wasteland.
But where the game really comes to life is the bustling city hubs. Traders selling their wares, children crying, drunks singing off key, all bring realism to another level. If you take your time, you can even hear NPC’s entire life stories.
Cons
However there are some problems within the game that despite being small, are still noticeable and detract from the overall experience.
There are many graphic bugs, with enemies falling into the ground when they die, or plain disappearing after death animations. Sometimes Artyom’s hands will render incorrectly during cut scenes and will dumbly hold them out in front of his face.
Enemies will sometimes jitter across the screen or “swim” in solid surfaces. Death may also cause rag doll physics to throw the body across the map.
Other times, dead enemies will still talk or make sounds like they were still alive. Sometimes bad guys will continue conversations despite their buddy not answering back.
One infuriating bug is when bullets refuse to hit enemies. It mostly happens while you are in rail cars, but sometimes even having cross hairs directly on an enemy will result in a miss. When point blank shotgun blasts miss mutants, it can mean the difference between life and death.
The bugs are small and far between, but occasionally still enough to break the beautiful sense of immersion 4A worked so hard to create.
Overall
4A’s attention to detail creates a survival action game unlike any other we’ve seen in a long while. It allows you to approach combat any way you choose, and rewards you for choosing the harder paths.
They created an expansive world that breathes and is full of bustling cities that never sleep. An enriching and stirring story of forgiveness, betrayal, and redemption sucks you in and makes you feel truly powerless despite being able to take down droves of enemies.
Overall, 4A created a breathtaking game on a budget smaller than many developers spend on cut scenes alone.
Metro: Last Light is hauntingly realistic game that immerses you into a post apocalyptic wasteland as you struggle not only to survive, but to save humanity.
10
Metro: Last Light
Metro: Last Light is hauntingly realistic game that immerses you into a post apocalyptic wasteland as you struggle not only to survive, but to save humanity.
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Lui Galletto
If you are reading this, I have been kidnapped. They are forcing me to play video games against my will. Send help
