Metro: Last Light Redux is a survival FPS that kicks off right where its predecessor, known as 2033 left off. This is assuming you got the bad ending, which is the canon one. This Redux version has many updated enhancements over its original release, most importantly being a new difficultly mode where supplies are more scarce, and massive graphical improvements brought by the switch to a new engine. With that said, we once again play as Artyom, the protagonist of the last title. He is now a member of the group simply known as The Order, who are all celebrating the results he accomplished during the previous game. All appears well, but with what they gained, the other factions of the Metro grew envious and tensions run high.
It does an excellent job of letting you feel the calm before the visibly inevitable storm. While in the previous title, you mostly found yourself merely fighting for survival and fearing the horrific mutants, the focus now lies on humans. Their schemes, how far they are willing to go to achieve what they want, and their cruelty are key themes. You will fear being in the Metro as much as being above ground in the irradiated, hostile remains of what was once Moscow. It is fascinating to see how much power humanity still has left despite being forced to live underground for decades, yet still they choose to use it to kill one another. This new view into the politics found in the Metro is just as interesting as Artyom’s previous, more personal adventure.
I’ve tried to avoid spoilers, but there is no way around this one, considering it is the central focus of the plot. If you haven’t played the previous title, I’d advise against reading any further. Remember how we nuked the hive of the mysterious beings commonly known as The Dark Ones? Well, info reaches us that one is still left alive, and we are promptly sent to finish the job that we once started. Being part of the Order, you can choose some quality weapons and attachments right from the get-go. You feel pretty unstoppable surrounded with equally well-equipped fighters, though that will soon change as you head out into the world and remember just how unforgiving it is.
We can still carry up to three unique weapons and several other secondary items, such as pipe bombs. Each gun handles differently, and the various available attachments help differentiate them even more. Depending on your difficulty, ammo can be really hard to come by. And most of what you do come across is low grade refurbished ammunition created in the Metro. The much rarer military-grade rounds are actually used as currency, so while you can use them to deal extra damage, you are essentially burning through your cash. Depending on how you conserve your ammo, you may not have a choice but to use it just to survive until you reach another merchant.
There is little time to waste when fighting mutants. Being the wild, horribly irradiated beasts that they are, few of them feel any sense of fear and will rush right toward you. Taking them down before they reach you is key to surviving any fight, as while you do have a knife, that is more of a last resort. This title does an outstanding job of putting you on edge. The environments are continually creaking, and angry snarling is never far off. With how quickly they can kill you, being ambushed is near-certain death, even with as much firepower as you have. Mutants come in different sizes and shapes. Some fly around, others pop in and out of narrow areas, while some lurk underwater. The sense that you are never truly safe is strong here because you, in fact, are not.
For as dangerous as claws and teeth are, possibly your gravest threat is simply oxygen. When you are above ground, you will need to constantly be swapping gasmask filters in order to survive. Those are quite rare and as dangerous as your surroundings are, you will be forced to make haste to wherever you need to go. On the other hand, going off the beaten path can net you some hefty rewards, be it in bullets or new weapons. It is always linear, yet is open enough to give you the choice to branch off and explore. Also found throughout are Artyom’s diary pages, which grant you some insight into what he is thinking and some added lore.
Artyom himself is still completely mute, other than in the prologue of a new mission where he will give you a recap of what is happening. Given that he actually has a voice, I always found it quite strange that they choose to make him mute and simply stare blank-eyed while people talk to him. He has a will of his own, and you do not have any choices throughout. You do, however, have a karma system that will lead to one of two endings, depending on how bloodthirsty you are and how generous you were to beggars. It makes sense in a specific part near the end of the game where someone is influenced by your actions, but before then, this just feels like a contrived system, in my opinion. Luckily, all the other characters you will meet along the way are top-notch. From old faces to new foes, all are really interesting and make you care for or despise them.
Which brings me to the humans. They are easily as dangerous as any mutated foe and will have you wincing with how brutal they can be, both in the story as well as when you receive a stray bullet to the face. None of them ever travel alone either, where there is one, many more are surely around. As dangerous as human foes can be, they do differ from the mutants in that they do have a sense of self-preservation. They will not merely try to rush you, but take cover while slowly trying to move to your position. This gives you the chance to try and flank them, or pick them off one by one if you can get some shots off fast enough. Your health does not regenerate, and you can’t take much damage either. That in combination with them being quick to react and good shots, makes fighting them directly a risky proposal.
That is where the stealth system comes into play. You can crouch and slowly make your way around, turning off light sources or generators to stay better hidden. Sneaking up behind someone will give you the option to slice their throat or simply knock them out. Or you can use silenced weapons if you have any as to avoid alerting the rest of his group. Whether you go in loud or sneak around, you will find that the AI is not too great. When sneaking, they are too easy, but where it is most noticeable is in combat. They rarely seem to make sensible decisions and are all too often content enough to stick to the same piece of cover all throughout the engagement. At times, they will push forward to try to get you, or suddenly roll to avoid your return fire, though those moments are few and far between.
Taking enough damage will result in you needing to use a syringe. Whether you use it when you barely have a scratch or are on death’s door is up to you. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. What you do need to keep in mind is that you can only carry up to five and will have to find more to restock. Like the last game, there is no manual saving. You will have to rely on autosaves, which really does up the tension when you have gone a while without one. Unfortunately, that will not be due entirely to how danger can spring up on you at any moment, but also that of random crashes. It is never fun to have to do an entire battle all over, or worse still, listen to a character’s dialogue yet again. They were not common enough to be a significant issue as I suffered five throughout, less than the original, but still worth mentioning.
Right from the start, the story is engaging. It is quite the change of tone from Artyom’s last personal journey to being able to see the politics and state of the Metro as a whole. How everything you’ve previously worked for has spectacularly backfired and doomed what you wanted to protect. While you do spend a good portion of the time fighting, it does on occasion, take time to build up the world and show you how people are affected as well as terrified by the inevitable conflict. The story, gameplay, environments, and atmosphere all combine to create an incredibly immersive world. Little details like needing to wipe your gas mask of any muck, showing a community’s source of food, as well needing to constantly manually recharge your flashlight goes a long way.
This sequel had quite a lot to live up to from the countless memorable moments in Metro 2033. It more than delivers. The situations you will find yourself in are just as unique, probably even more so since in most of your journey, you will be alone and facing absurd tasks. It is a lonelier, more hopeless trek through the world. Where once you fought with hope for humanity, you now suddenly find yourself killing far more of them than in the original. The encounters with the mutants don’t lag behind either. Boss fights, in particular, are pulled off better than ever, and it seems that every step of the way has a new threat. There isn’t a great variety of enemies, though due to the great pacing that doesn’t overuse a single type, be it human or not, each encounter manages to feel fresh throughout.
All told, I’d calculate that the campaign lasted me around nine to ten hours. I enjoyed every second of it, even if by the end, the story got a little too bonkers for my liking. Creeping your way through the lifeless remains of Moscow as a violent storm rages, and your fingers never leaving the trigger as your air slowly but surely depletes is a really unique experience. Exploring the dark depths of the Metro, humanity’s last bastion is no less enjoyable. This version also includes all the DLC, adding many extra missions that offer us different characters to play as. Their paths run parallel to the events of the main story and are all pretty fun to play through, adding more depth to the characters as well as the lore.
Metro Last Light Redux is a sequel that captures everything that made the original so beloved and further expanded upon it. Being a heavily story-focused game, I would consider it necessary to start with the first title. However, if you already played and enjoyed that, getting Last Light is a no brainier. It is a profoundly engaging and ruthless journey into a nuclear post-apocalypse where Russia’s old enemies are now long forgotten, and what remains of its people create new foes among themselves. And your role? As the game itself puts it, you are trying to stop a tornado with your bare hands.
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