With the announcement of Metro: Exodus releasing in 2018, what a great time to go back and play two of the best video games based on books all in one package, with Metro: Redux.

Note: I reviewed this game on the PS4.

Story

Metro: Redux takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where the last of humanity lives in underground subway systems in cities like Moscow. The humans have been living underground for 20 years now, and they’re reaching a breaking point. As the Dark Ones slowly close in on the remaining pockets of civilization, the people are slowly becoming more and more insane. Your mission is simple: protect humanity till the very end.

But, here’s the problem: the story doesn’t really blend cohesively. Now, I haven’t read the books, but I hope that their story is more fluent than the games. Sometimes, your partner just won’t follow you somewhere, creating forced tension. Objectives will be given to you with little direction, leaving you to wander looking for an interactive item. One time, you get on a boat with some random guy who runs a ferry to the middle of nowhere. And in one of the worst plot skips I’ve ever seen, shortly after your first partner dies, a man literally pops out of an air duct and becomes your new partner. By my knowledge, this is a man that you have never met before. Needless to say, if you’re playing for the story, then stay away from this game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is divided into sections. As such, I will cover each type separately.

First is regular battles with the nosalis/lurkers. While it is technically possible to sneak past them in most scenarios, it is simply not worth your time to do that. A shotgun shell to the head from close range will kill them. These are the most boring, monotonous battles in the game. Demons will add some tension to the battles, but they are easily avoidable and only serve as a nuisance.

Next are rush battles with (usually) nosalis. These are usually with other NPCs, and feature a ton of nosalis rushing your position. These were easily handled by just letting my teammates take them out.

Next are battles against spiders/scorpions. The idea is that you use the lighter to make the creatures flip over and then stab them. But since you pretty much have to walk into the creatures that n order to burn them, and they scurry away quickly, you find yourself crouching and walking them into a corner. Good idea, poor execution.

Next, there is a turret section. Terrible, as expected.

Next is the small sections of solely exploration. These are largely filler and a lot of the time don’t even have ammo/filters for you to collect. Pointless. EXCEPT in one part of chapter 2, when you first go outside. I don’t want to spoil the exploration of it, but I’ll say that this was the only time in the game that I found a genuine alternate path to explore.

Next are stealth sections against other humans. These were not of much concern, as I could just steamroll through these sections with tons of ammo. That was, until, there was a battle against the Fourth Reich that was outside. FYI, whenever you’re outside, you HAVE to wear a gas mask or you will die. But getting hit with bullets will crack and break your gas mask, rather quickly at that. So in that one, late section of the game, I had to learn ALL of the game’s stealth mechanics. And the stealth was pretty fun, taking out guards when they weren’t looking. Putting out lights as I go. Watching where I step. I wish the game had forced me to learn these tactics sooner, as they were some of the best moments of the game.

Overall, the gameplay varies itself just enough to keep it fresh through most of the game, but by the end of the game, the gameplay had gotten stale.

Environment

The beginning of the game has a great environment to it. The fear of not knowing what the monsters are really got to me. I was genuinely scared when I first fought a nosalie. Unfortunately, once I learned the trends of the monsters, all fear of the dark was lost. I’m not going to go into that, because I want you to experience that.

The fear was all lost until the library section in chapter 5. I’m not going to spoil it at all, as this section is worth the cost of this game alone. Just know that when the section intro says “I was alone again… and soon I would look into the eyes of fear – literally”, it’s not lying.

Graphics

Metro: Redux is possibly one of the best remasters of a one-generation old game. The original game had horrendously low textures, and looked 5 years old on launch day. The Redux version really makes the game look up to par with modern standards. Graphics shouldn’t be a concern for anyone considering this game.

Verdict

Despite the game’s flawed story and somewhat monotonous gameplay, during certain moments this game really shines. And, when purchasing, you get two full experiences on one disc. This game is worth a purchase at only $19.99. But, based on the serious flaws that this game still has, I give it a…

7/10

+ Pros

Tense moments of horror

Thrilling stealth sequences

Library levels as a whole

– Cons

Minimal story

Monotonous gun play