Down in the destroyed ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow the fight still continues, the red army vs the reincarnation of Nazi Germany. However one old foe is making a fight-back and now Arytom must fight his own personal battle of grief as well as the resurgence of the old enemy. Welcome back to Moscow’s Metro, as you finish Arytom’s fight through Hell on Earth.
If you have played Metro Redux 2033 you’ll know all about the story at this point, if you haven’t I’d advise to stop reading, spoilers are a plenty here. Anyway, as you will know Metro 2033 ended with Arytom reaching the Missile launch finishing off the ‘Dark Ones’ was and for all, or so we thought. The story begins with our Russian hero learning that he must once again venture out into the wilderness in search of one final Dark One.
Of course things don’t go to plan in Moscow and we once again, sigh, run into a Nazi squad and subsequently captured. After playing the first Metro it really surprised me how well the environment was set up and it surrounded you and worked in tandem with the storyline. In last light I feel as they have raised the bar, the setting is more elaborate, the metro has its old rustic feel while looking advanced and it doesn’t detract from the fantastic feeling that you get from the Metro Franchise.
One aspect I felt lacking in Metro Redux 2033 was a truly likable character to interact with, all the characters, including Ayrtom to a degree seemed very unapproachable never seemed to let their guard down so to speak. This isn’t the case in Last Light and one of the first characters you come across, Paval, is a real card. With clever puns giving you a real sense of attachment when you fight alongside him.
For those who played the original versions on Xbox 360 you may well ask why buy Metro Redux on Xbox One, so let me answer that. Firstly; if you loved the originals it’s a no brainer. The game has been graphically overhauled and it looks stunning, the sound and the atmosphere really add to the game more so than any other on Xbox One at the date of writing. What you get for your £25-30 hard earned cash, is both Metro 2033 and Last Light re-mastered, with all DLC. In game they’ve fixed some of flaws which were apparent in the original versions and added neat features to make it easier for when you get lost, which happens a lot. The AI interacts well, more so than on the original versions in my opinion, and I feel the game overall has come on leaps and bounds through these apparent easy upgrades.
Coupling that with another impressive storyline, Last light is thoroughly enjoyable, the varying landscapes in, what you would think is a very difficult environment for writers to create , is staggering, with different missions throwing up ever changing sets which really make you impressed with the game.
The diversity of Metro should be applauded, this doesn’t just hold to the previously mentioned environment, but the enemies you face. Not just the Nazi army which you have to contend with but the varying tactics to prevent the monsters from eating you alive. This is another area in which Last Light shows that is clearly an upgrade on Metro 2033 in my opinion. Overall it just adds to the fun factor.
Surprisingly with these types of games I usually start playing and get very put off with skulking round places in the dark, dying and having to go over it again and again. But Metro Last light, and to a degree its predecessor, allow you to have the best of both worlds. I found myself doing well stealthing my way through missions before the AI wised up to what was going on and came looking, at that point the game had the mechanics for me to fight my way out, a rare commodity some games don’t possess.
Keeping on the topic of guns and all things combat, Metro has kindly left special weapons around the map should you want to go explore and there is a wealth of options, this all adds to the resource management which you have to contend with as well, it’s not just a case of going ‘gung ho’ into a Nazi bunker, you have to tactically plan what you’re going to do. This leads you onto the varying levels of difficult in terms of combat with Metro also allowing you to choose whether you want full combat or like to skulk around the place unseen, a nice touch.
Overall Metro Redux Last Light is an excellent addition to the Xbox One family and firmly raises the bar and sets the standard of how a remake should be done. Other games watch and learn because Metro Redux should be firmly on your Xbox One Play List.
