Metro 2033 : Redux Review

 Introduction :
The cold winds of nuclear winter are blowing on the surface, hordes of monsters live in the city that has been dead for many years. The human world has shrunk to the size of a Moscow subway, but even people have only partially got it. For years, the survivors hide from a hostile world in tunnels and stations. They exist in spite of the radiation, the bloodthirsty creatures that are trying to break through the cordons every hour; in spite of the war that destroyed civilization. Years without maintenance and repair, a series of man-made disasters and other factors turned the once famous and cozy tunnels into a labyrinth of horror. Inhaling gas, falling into radioactive slush or being murdered by a carnivorous creature or a human foe - death is almost certain. This is the world that we live in.

Metro 2033 last light was the first project made by the Ukrainian video game developer 4A Games. The game has since received in the form of the novel that goes by the same name, written by a Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky. The making of the project started in 2006. Metro blew up when it was revealed to the public during the 2009 Game Convention in Leipzig. The game was announced by Nvidia, which made the game get even more popular and hyped up. The game was released in March 2010 on the Xbox and PC and since then has received thousands of positive reviews.

The Redux version of the original game has made many changes - stealth and weapon customization have been made easier and more accomplishable. A graphics overhaul was seen, post processing and lighting effects are also a welcome change. Weapons, animations and gunplay have also been different since then. While many of the changes in Redux (especially fixing the crashes and improving performance) were needed and good to have, the voice acting, at least for me, was better in the original.
The atmosphere has slightly changed in Redux - it's not as spooky, but I can assure you it will still make you wet yourself once in a while :P. Which one you get does not change much - you still get the game in all of it's glory, the gameplay is stellar in both Redux and the original.



The gameplay mechanics, graphics and over-all gameplay have aged very well, with max graphics it still looks like a quite new title. The attention to detail is nice to see in a 9 year old game. The gameplay is very (and I mean very) tense. You get attacked by something at least every few minutes - even at the start of the game. The game tries to keep your attention, and it manages to do so very well. The balance between horror, fun and action is well managed.
The outside world is gloomy, dark, scary and very atmospheric. The dead cities, the gray sky and the ruins, the gaping holes in the ground and the abandoned cars create a very post - apocalyptic style game, similar to Fallout and even more so with Stalker. Metro is basically S.T.A.L.K.E.R, a game also set in a post - nuclear, radiated world, but better - superior animations, graphics and gameplay make it a lot more enjoyable. Just leave the real world behind, disconnect from everything except the game, and you have yourself the best immersion and entertainment to you're ever going to get.

 
 
Conclusion :

Taking everything into account, Metro 2033, especially the redux version, is still a very much relevant and playable game today. While some parts of the game - for example walking animations, facial expressions and the story aren't it's strong side, the game has it's beauty. The mainly linear approach to the game makes it just a little more structured and makes the setting of Metro a different from other games. The secrets, darkness, horrors, atmosphere and the loneliness might get to some people - they might love it, they might hate it, but for me, Metro is a masterpiece of a game. Add a couple of the many mods - and you have yourself a game as good as any AAA title from 2018/19. :)
My rating: 8.6/10

Thank you for reading my article! Might make a review of the sequel - Metro : Last Light Redux. Feel free to ask me to review any other games you enjoy! :P