A very Unique experiance
Metro 2033 is the latest release from Ukraine developer 4A. Metro 2033 takes place in war torn Moscow, The city has been ravaged by nuclear war and the survivors have fled underground to the metro tunnels to survive the radiation.
The player stars as Artyom, a young man that has grown up in the metro tunnels all his life. You are tasked by your hometown to seek help from a neighbouring city. As Artyom goes on this journey he meets several interesting characters.
The game is shown in a First-Person perspective, the player has access to several weapons ranging from a revolver to assault rifles. The weapons can be found in upgrading versions at either vendors or found in the tunnels, these can be extended barrels, silencers or scopes.
What makes Metro 2033 unique to other First-Person shooters, is that the main currency is bullets. Pre-War bullets are highly desired for their upgraded stopping power and accuracy, they can be traded for several less powerful bullets made in the Metro. I found this system to be very unique and really adds to the atmosphere, because if you miss or just spray bullets everywhere you will end up being poorer then people that really take their time to aim and make sure their shots hit.
The player needs to buy or find several supplies such as gas filters and medkits to help survive the tunnels and protect him from the radiation. When you are attacked while wearing a gas mask, it cracks and more damage can cause it to break meaning that you have limited time to find another mask before you die from the toxins.
The enemies that you will face are mainly either human or the Dark ones. The humans are your typical Bandits while the Dark ones are the mutations that have occurred from the nuclear war. They are encountered early on but they are still quite terrifying to fight. They are similar to large wolves which a gray leathery skin with massive claws and teeth, but this is just one type of Dark One. There are many others that can fly or bury underground and come up behind the player. Bandits are the most common and also my favourite enemies, they are always fun to fight which mainly revolves around aiming for the head and planning out your strategy before hand as you can be killed quite easily.
The gunplay was varied but not solid enough to be a high point, by all means it isn't bad it just isn't particularly good either.
The atmosphere in the game is definitely the highlight of the game. The atmosphere in this game is absolutely amazing, you are really shown how the world would be if people were forced into living in metro tunnels. Metro 2033 really shows the grit of the tunnels, it really shows how people would live and by the end of the game which is pretty decently length at about 7-9 hours you really feel like you have been living as Artyom and not only saw what he did, but feel it.
This does not make the graphics stunning, it is in fact not a very pretty game. The eyes on many of the characters are just too bright and really badly detailed. Animations are also quite stiff and protrude from the experience. However the game shows the characters outfits very well, you can see various pots, pans and other supplies on the backpacks of characters. Their outfits are really well detailed and look really old and dirty which adds to the experience. Metro 2033 is mainly shown in a brown, dirty and dark mood, therefore there are no breathtaking sites and views just grit and dirt which is exactly what you would find in an old metro tunnel.
As you are exploring the metro tunnels your ears are treated to some very nice sounds. The guns sound realistic and each have unique gunshot sounds. The Games soundtrack was very well made and really added to the experience. Metro 2033 throws in a soft and mysterious beat when exploring the tunnels and ramps up the volume into a good heart pumping track when the action heats up.
So all up I highly recommend Metro 2033 for it's amazing story and unique experience. The game rewards you for exploring and really brings you into this world. The gunplay has much to be desired but it good enough to get through the game. My main love for this game is how astonishingly Metro 2033 details itself to make you feel that you are in this world and experiencing it as Artyom does. The various characters you meet and the amount of detail they put into developing the atmosphere.
Gameplay 7/10
Design 8/10
Sound 8/10
Overall 8/10
