Metro: Last Light

The Good
Ukrainian game industry has evolved in recent years from a passionate community producing creative, yet deeply flawed games, to a serious, well-recognized power on the international arena. Particularly in the first-person shooter genre the Ukrainians climbed to the top of the ladder. When Metro 2033 came out, players all around the world were enthusiastic to receive this soulful, inspired game, pleasantly surprised by its impressive visuals and level of polish. Metro: Last Light, a direct continuation of the story started in that game, is a very similar experience with nearly identical gameplay mechanics and the same emphasis placed on atmospheric immersion.

Indeed, atmosphere is where those two games beat most of the competition. Metro 2033 drew us into the intimidatingly beautiful post-apocalyptic Moscow, and the sequel tries its best to deliver more of the same. Like the first game, Metro: Last Light takes place alternatively in the dark passages of the subway and on the surface of a ruined city. The subway levels are perhaps even more interesting than before. Besides the usual tunnels and train graveyards, there are also more natural areas such as a vast underground cave system, one of the game's scariest, most nerve-wrecking levels. The stations are also even more extravagant and gorgeous than in the first game. You'll visit the once proud Theater station converted into living quarters and entertainment area pitifully trying to revive the glamorous past; a picturesque "Venice" with quiet fishermen working on the bank of a contaminated green river; a sleazy station where old Soviet trains have been converted into improvised lap-dancing booths, and others.

The attention to detail in these populated places is astounding. Despite their small size and linear structure, the stations are a definite highlight thanks to their credible depiction of everyday life. You'll want to stop and listen to every single character, look in every corner and bath in the splendor of these meticulously crafted locations. Interestingly enough, much of this content is optional: you can choose to rush through a station or listen to the often interesting conversations of simple people, witness their joys and tragedies, and participate in their heart-wrenching life for a brief moment.

The undisputed crown of the game, however, are the surface areas. That is where the improvement over the first title is most clearly realized. In the first game the surface segments were quite short, and you were somewhat too compelled to end them due to the scarcity of gas mask filters and other resources. The sequel downplays that survival aspect a bit, compensating it with much bigger playing areas. And let me tell you, those areas belong to the most awe-inspiring, gorgeous views I have ever seen in a video game. I get goose bumps just from thinking about them. The atmosphere is simply incredible. Profound sadness and almost mystical fear overcome you as you emerge into the bleak ruins of a great city. Screenshots of one particular location, a night trip through swamps surrounding a church, should be displayed everywhere to demonstrate the exceptional talent of the artists. But that is just one example from a row of magical locations that refuse to leave your soul after having penetrated it.

Don't think the reduction of survival elements has made these areas easier. As a matter of fact, I died more on the surface in this game than in the first one. The considerable increase in size makes navigation harder, and there are more hazards than even before. Surface enemies are now much more varied, with horrifying flying creatures lifting you into the air and dropping on the ground, repulsive giant mutated reptiles crawling from all corners to surround you, and packs of ferocious predators jumping at your face before you are able to pull out your shotgun. It's a good thing that there are now more filters to sustain my life on the surface, since this life has become even more dangerous and those areas cannot be escaped with the same ease.

The extra weight placed on surface exploration provides an overall better balance and a sharper contrast to the game's indoor levels. These chiefly follow the formula of the predecessor, though the stealth has been slightly modified, becoming somewhat more predictable and scripted, yet more satisfying to pull off. However, I never really play a Metro game for the stealth. On harder difficulty levels a direct approach usually proves to be fatal, but even if you are not perfect at sneaking you can still manage to dispatch your foes if you have the right skills. The challenge is still there, and enemies are as unrelenting as before, so running through a level while gunning down everyone in sight without thinking is definitely not an option. Setpieces such as riding a draisine, fighting monsters with a partner or facing unique bosses are exciting and add even more tension to the gameplay.

Even though the game is very linear for the most part, a few levels are reasonably large, and there are even optional areas here and there. Particularly the surface levels are impressive in this respect, allowing you to wander around quite a bit. But even some tunnels have branching ways, with the draisine level in the middle of the game being particularly interesting, as you can disembark it and explore on foot areas you could just drive by. Exploring optional areas as well as making some crucial decisions during the course of the game will award you "morality points", a sufficient amount of which unlocks the game's "good" ending.

Metro: Last Light is similar to the first game in most aspects, but it feels more polished, more confident, more direct in its tone. It is more aware of its international recognition and a near-blockbuster status, and as a result has an even more focused design, with more cinematic treatment and tighter scripting. And while the first game was a bit careful with its storytelling, the sequel goes all the way. Its story is much more appealing and emotional than that of the predecessor, touching upon important themes with more clarity and poignancy. The antagonists are by far more developed, the drama is more coherent, and the pacing of the plot is impeccable.

The Bad
Metro 2033 wasn't a very original game, but at least it introduced a few interesting gameplay-related ideas. Metro: Last Light doesn't really introduce anything new: it simply copies said ideas (e.g. the necessity to wear the gas mask on the surface) and builds another game around them. There is nothing substantial here that distinguishes this game from the previous one. This lack of originality has plagued many good sequels, and can be arguably justified by the well-known rabid conservatism of many video game fans. And yet I fail to see how a few well-placed, fitting enhancements could destroy a game that tries too carefully to be the exact same thing as its predecessor.

The linearity and the lack of interactivity are particularly aggravating because they are so badly concealed. Yes, there are optional areas, but most levels are full of inexplicably impassable barriers, and some locations literally confine you to a narrow path surrounded by artificial borders. Surface locations are much better in this respect, but I was most disappointed by the stations. Bustling local life and attention to detail are just decorations: there is nearly nothing to explore in the stations, and temptingly-looking areas are irritatingly blocked even when they appear to be very much within your reach.

Voice acting in the original Russian version can often get stiff and unnatural. Too many voices sound too similar to each other, and the strangely slow, overly articulated delivery doesn't fit at all these characters with their rough life. Even more annoying is the lack of swear words: a Russian soldier shouting "Damnation!" instead of a long row of grammatically sophisticated sex-based expletives is a non-existing phenomenon. At least some people now say "ass" instead of "butt", which can be regarded as a small improvement over the first game.

The Bottom Line
Metro: Last Light is one of those games where you don't pay much attention to actual gameplay mechanics because everything else is done so, so well. Yes, it's just a linear over-scripted shooter that doesn't even change the formula of its predecessor, but who cares when it grabs you and possesses your soul from the beginning to the end? A more polished and more dramatic replica of the first game, it is once again a treat for everyone willing to plunge into a masterfully created, magically atmospheric virtual world and spend there some unforgettable hours.