The third video game in the series, Metro Exodus is not only the more visually pleasing but also the one that brings the story outside of the subway, giving the player a little more freedom and some new scenarios to explore. Still, be aware that the gritty environments and story are not something to take lightly, and you'll need time to fully process this plot-heavy title. And by the way, you definitely need to experience both previous games to actually get the best out of Metro Exodus and understand what's going on!

Though you can even jump to the game in Reader Mode, experiencing the plot without caring too much about the enemies, Metro Exodus is one of those games that are better played in the higher difficulties, when you really feel how treacherous and ruthless it can be. Managing your scarce bullets and gas mask filters is one of the things you need to understand in order to survive, and trigger-happy players may have a hard time otherwise. All in all, Metro Exodus is an outstanding narrative experience that comes in video game format... and maybe that's the only problem since some mechanics will feel dull or outdated when compared to other modern games.

We'll talk about the gameplay mechanics later, but if we mention the visuals in the game, we can't ignore the dynamic day/night cycle or the weather system, both of them adding impressive details that you can see in your gas mask, your weapons, and the enemies. The previous games' graphics and animations were rather rough, but this time we finally can see some improvements in the visual department... if you have a beefy PC, that is!

In regards to the ambiance sound, Metro Exodus does a wonderful job at setting the mood through the music and sound effects, though then again, some mutants' groans and stuff feels extremely generic. One thing we loved about Metro Exodus is how many secret voice lines you can actually find, like when you stay around some characters for enough time. They will address you and maybe spark a conversation!

That last line, however, brings us to what we hated the most about the sound in Metro Exodus, and that's the lack of voice interactions for Artyom himself. Sure, a lot of plot-heavy games are considered masterpieces of their time and genre even when starring silent characters (from The Legend of Zelda to Half-Life), but in a game where the plot and dialogues are so important, Artyom feels like a dumb, generic, easily manipulable killing-machine, and your only chance to bond with him is through narrations like when reading his diary. Because of this, many lines in the game are just monologues about why and how should Artyom perform a certain task, and you can do nothing but stare at people talking to you... and reacting for you. That old excuse of talking protagonists taking away the role-playing of a game feels more stupid every time someone mentions it, and there are a lot of awesome games backing this up.

Regarding the story, one of the flaws of Metro Exodus is that it uses certain narrative techniques that feel kind of outdated and ultimately also affect the gameplay, like the need for intermittent cutscenes to give you input about what to do and why you're doing it. Better storytelling and enough depth and freedom for Artyom would also benefit Anna and the rest of the cast, allowing them to feel more real and do away with all those redundant dialogues needed to explain Artyom's feelings. All in all, Metro Exodus serves as an excellent closure to the trilogy, whether it's the last game of the saga or a new beginning for the survivors.

If you played the previous games, you may remember that bullets were also Moscow Metro's new currency, so saving your bullets was also investing in medkits and other items. This time around you'll find yourself collecting resources in the form of chemicals and gears, and with them, you can craft bullets, medkits, air filters, upgrades for your weapons and suit, and even throwables like explosives or knives. In order to craft something, all you need to do is using your backpack (you get it after escaping in the Aurora) or find a workbench in a safe house, the only place where you can craft bullets, grenades, and molotov cocktails. Other things you can do at a workbench range from cleaning your gas mask and weapons to customize your equipment, so finding workbenches will definitely help you stay alive.

Those who never played a survival game might have a hard time with all of Artyom's tools, and if you don't pay attention to your gas mask filter or the sound of your Geiger counter then you'll have more problems than a bunch of mutants trying to eat you. Ultimately, it's all up to you: would you rather be the one exploring a new area hoping for useful resources and human enemies to kill and loot, or will you stick to your survival instinct and avoid as many enemies as you can? In Metro Exodus, venturing to explore certain environments could also cause your weapon to get dirty and jam, negatively affecting its accuracy and perhaps rendering it unusable. As you can tell, a lot of decision making is involved!

If you go into Metro Exodus looking for the best FPS, then tough luck. If you go into Metro Exodus looking for the best environments, you might be in for a surprise. If all you need is an interesting story, with some horror elements and good enough gameplay to sustain it, then Metro Exodus is indeed the way to go. It will take you around 10 hours to complete unless you like exploring and doing all the sidequests, in which case Metro Exodus will keep you busy for about 20 to 25 hours. That's if you know how to play and don't die frequently, because loading every time you die or run out of bullets will definitely help to inflate those numbers!

Just like every other game in the franchise, Metro Exodus is not a game for everyone, but it serves its purpose very well while giving the saga a fresh look and a new perspective. It also shows that adapting novels into video games is something that Eastern Europeans do very well (though 4A Games' HQ is now in Malta), and after witnessing Artyom’s faith we can't but hope for more Metro games!

We hope our review has given you enough information to know what to expect from this game, and that you take enough time to experience all the emotions the Aurora and its crew have to share with you. If you want more gaming articles, keep browsing Honey’s Anime!