Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus demands a lot, and what it gives in return may not appeal to everyone. It is a deliberately paced game, with a decidedly languid feel requiring a level of patience that was at times difficult to muster. But once I finally got it I couldn’t stop playing. This game is rough in nearly every way, but I kinda loved it.

Metro Exodus sees protagonist Artyom and his friends fleeing the Moscow underground where they’ve spent their entire lives and trudging east across the post-apocalypse Russian landscape aboard a train in search of a new home. The game has a very detached, expository approach to storytelling that often left me feeling overwhelmed and a bit lost. It tries to tackle a number of themes without really nailing any particular one, and it explores these ideas through long-winded character monologues that often go on for several minutes. Meanwhile, you’re always free to move around or just leave the character entirely, making it very easy to get distracted while someone tells you their life story. I’m glad that there’s so much dialogue here, but I wish the conversations were more engaging.

You’ll hear much of this dialogue aboard the train during the transit between areas of the game. Metro Exodus is structured into self-contained, mostly open-world regions. Whereas the first two games took place entirely in the metro tunnels and frozen wasteland above, Metro Exodus sees our heroes journeying to entirely new environments, offering a fresh perspective on what the world is like outside of Moscow. Setting out into these zones and discovering what makes them unique and who runs the place was one of my favorite parts of the game.

Exploration in Metro Exodus involves scavenging through abandoned buildings, infiltrating (or assaulting) bandit camps, and fighting through monster nests. You’ll encounter the occasional survivor who will—and I have to stress this again— talk at you for a long time. There’s usually a bit of dynamic dialogue that’s influenced by whether or not you have your weapon holstered, if you choose to sit down and listen to them, things like that. The areas you visit look terrific, and the game benefits greatly from its day/night cycle and dynamic weather system that dramatically alter the lighting, as well as ease of stealth.

Visiting every spot located throughout the game’s regions is practically essential to surviving, because Metro can be a punishing game even on the normal difficulty setting. You’ll need to keep a close watch on your supply of ammunition, healing items, throwables, and air filters. To aid in his travels, Artyom carries a backpack that doubles as a crafting station, so you can create simple items and even swap out weapon attachments while in the field. Doing anything more complex, such as cleaning your guns or making bullets, requires the use of a workbench, of which you’ll find plenty in the environment.

The survival elements of Metro Exodus go hand-in-hand with its oppressively slow movement speed and its dour, filthy environments, creating an experience that is often brutal and unforgiving. Artyom seriously drags his feet through this game, but for whatever reason I was fully bought into his plodding movement and pace of play. There are actually vehicles in some of the game’s regions to allow for faster travel, but even these felt sluggish in their own way.

Where Metro Exodus really bogs down is in its lack of polish, particularly in its shooting mechanics. It just does not feel great to get into combat in this game, not in an infuriating way but in a way that feels off. It never shakes this, but I did become a bit more confident over time. Even still, there are numerous bugs in the sound design, where sound effects will come in after an animation, or not at all. This is particularly harmful during dramatic cutscenes where hand-to-hand combat is taking place but the scene is mostly silent, divorcing it of any impact. Navigating small spaces can occasionally be a hassle as Artyom has a habit of getting stuck on objects. Unbelievably, I also found myself taking fall damage for walking down stairs too quickly, because Artyom will overshoot the steps and just fall to the bottom like I was walking off a ledge.

Metro Exodus is a real clunker, but I found its various charms to be just strong enough that I never felt compelled to call it quits. It sells its journey well, building a large cast of characters where everyone gets an opportunity to really make a name for themselves. I loved the anticipation of seeing where the tracks would take them next, as well as the ensuing struggle to survive in these new places. Often it felt like my enjoyment of the game was in spite of itself, but that’s probably too harsh. Metro Exodus has a lot of heart, even if it’s a rough one.