Metro Awakening review

I’m a big fan of the Metro games, and getting a chance to live in that world got me so excited. Vertigo Games has done a fantastic job with Arizona Sunshine, but Metro Awakening is a very different kind of FPS. It is methodical, claustrophobic, and dramatic. Gameplay is immersive and realistic, but perhaps the most authentic part of Metro Awakening is that you’re just a normal guy. You’re not a soldier with experience holding a gun, and this dangerous world is terrifying. It begs the question how far you will go to save the love of your life, and in Serdar’s case, you will journey to the brink of your own sanity to ensure their safety.

Metro Awakening starts off relatively slowly. You’ll get to grips with the metro station and its tunnels, learn about the people around you, and understand what is going on with Serdar’s wife. You’re a doctor who must find his wife and her medication, and travelling through the metro is a truly terrifying experience. It’s dark in most places, where the fear of these creatures lurks around every unseeable corner. Get ready to clench your cheeks and hold your breathe because that fear never leaves you. I instantly warmed to Serdar, and his normality humanises him and makes his personality easy to relate to, at least to begin with.

I won’t ruin anything, but fans of Metro’s deep lore and story are going to get such a kick out of Metro Awakening. Dmitry Glukhovsky is an excellent storyteller, and if you have loved both his books and the previous games, I think you’re going to enjoy the way the story goes. I was gripped from beginning to end, and for all the challenges you face, every new bit of story kept me wanting to play and put myself through the tense and scary moments that come at you thick and fast. It’s going to be interesting to see what people think once it’s finally out, that’s for sure.

It feels hopeless at times, as supplies are in short supply as you try to survive against the horrors of the underground. Radiation threatens your life, and death is a constant fear. Every step is taken carefully in this methodical horror thriller. You feel hopeless, and that’s what I gravitated to. Too often do we play as burly killing machines who pull triggers like drawing breath. Survival feels earned, and that’s why Metro Awakening can be difficult at times. You’ll face some horrifying entities that attack you from all directions, so being the need to approach every area with trepidation becomes a must.

Serdar has a range of tools he’ll use throughout, such as his faithful charging pack that will power the headtorch and power up switch panels and more. You spin the handle and it builds up electricity, and the higher the power the brighter your torch is. There are many dark areas in the metro so choosing when best to pause and recharge or push through to safety through dense and dangerous areas becomes an act you have to constantly juggle. Light is your friend, but you have to work for the comfort that a flickering light provides you.

You have a gas mask that needs its filter replacing. A medical syringe can be used to heal you, but the vials need changing after every use. There are also a range of handmade weapons that can be equipped to kill enemies, but ammo needs to be swapped out once a clip is empty. Unlike other games, there’s not a clear indication of how many bullets you have left, meaning that in certain situations you’ll run out of ammo just as something is about to pounce on you and rip your body to shreds. It can be frustrating, yet it adds to that authenticity and anxiety that fills your body every step of the way.

It’s impressive how such a dark environment can look so good, but Metro Awakening makes it work. The level of detail that surrounds Serdar is impressive, and I was constantly impressed by how alive the world feels. The design of characters is fantastic, and when you start to encounter the dark beings that inhabit the underground, you both try and run and take a step back at how good it looks. The lighting works as its own character, tricking you into a false sense of security as well as making you see things that may or may not be there.

Metro Awakening is not just a good VR title, it’s a great addition to the wider world of the Metro story. The origins of Kahn and the way the story unravels is constantly exciting, and the acting is strong. While the authenticity of reloading and keeping your torch working can be frustrating when you’re in an area with creatures lurking the tunnels, I was constantly impressed with how Vertigo has used that realism to create exciting gameplay that challenges you to survive. Living in this universe and seeing the story unfold makes me happy to know there’s still a lot of love for the Metro universe.