Simple Gamer

Metro 2033 Finally Finished

Well, this post has been a very long time coming! I got Metro 2033 from one of the Steam sales in the last quarter of 2010, and played it quite a bit before getting stuck. Shortly after, I started playing quite a bit of Bad Company 2 online, so I never got around to finishing Metro 2033. I initially wrote about it a while ago having it played it a fair bit, but finally about a month or so ago, I completed the game.

First of all, I didn’t actually have much of the game left, so it didn’t take me long once I got past where I was stuck. Even though I did get stuck, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the game. I love atmospheric games that uses the environment to create moods and tell a story, and Metro 2033 does this very well.

The premise is pretty clearcut. After a nuclear strike on Russia, survivors were forced to live underground in the metro system. The surface is uninhabitable for humans due to radiation levels, and now since humans are unused to the sunlight, daytime would most certainly blind them. Not only that, all sorts of monsters and ‘dark ones’ have taken over the surface. These creatures also come down into the metro and cause problems for humans, making it a real fight for survival for those near entrances to the surface.

You are Artyom, living at VDNKH, one of the metro stations in the underground system. There has been a surge of monsters coming down into your home system, attacking and leaving many casualties. Those who survive are left brainless, scarred in a way that can’t be cured. You meet an individual passing through the station one day called Hunter and begin to suffer from nightmares. Hunter makes it your mission to deliver a message to Polis, one of the main stations in the underground system if Hunter doesn’t survive from investigating the entrance to the metro near your station.

And so your journey through the underground begins. Metro 2033 does a fantastic job at creating a great atmosphere wherever you are in the game. For some reason, the game actually needs a pretty high end system to get it running properly, but when you do, it really is worth it. The sound is great and it really does look gorgeous, except some stiff facial animations. But really, I’m more into the world around me than looking at people’s faces.

It’s difficult to talk in-depth about the game without giving spoilers, so I’m going to do my best and try tread softly. You explore part of the metro system as you go on your quest, and also get to explore the land above, which is quite the scene when you first go on there. The ruins in the snow, as you walk through with your gas mask on, look stunning and creates a rather grim atmosphere.

The AI in this game is a bit of a letdown, as they follow predetermined set patterns. Also, alerting one enemy in an area will tend to alert everyone, which could be a disaster if you’re trying to sneak your way through. It then effectively means you have to wipe out everyone!

I also got around to reading the book on Metro 2033, which is completely different from the game. It follows the main premise and some of the key events, however it’s radically different in a lot of ways and the game simply leaves out a ton. The game itself is less than 10 hours, so it’s not a long game at all. However, it is a very enjoyable game, especially if you like other titles such as Bioshock which immerse you in rich environments.

Metro 2034 has been announced and there are some trailers floating around too. I look forward to that being released, since the developers have already said that they’ll be addressing some key issues from the first game.