Why Haven’t You Played The Metro Games?

The Metro games have been around for years, but have barely caught on with mainstream audiences.

You Are Reading :Why Havent You Played The Metro Games

Since 2005, Metro has spanned both novels and video games alike. Though it may not be as influential as other triple-A titles, it’s still unrivaled in the likes of horror and post-apocalyptic categories. Exodus, initially released in February alongside an Epic Games store exclusivity, now stands among the best titles in the world-ending genre, such as Fallout 3, The Last of Us, and Wasteland.

The widespread acclaim of this latest entry is due in large part to the franchise’s success as a whole. Those who haven’t played the entire series or read any of the original novels by Dmitry Glukhovsky must dive in. As terrifying as this series is, there’s a great deal of heart and meaning that tends to get overshadowed by the more bombastic set pieces and disgusting creatures that occupy its dark narratives. It’s not only a testament of Russian post-apocalyptic culture, but also a revelation on how humans may treat each other at the brink of annihilation.

An Ever-Evolving Post-Apocalyptic Franchise

Initially developed by the unknown entity of 4A Games then published by THQ Nordic in 2010, Metro 2033 would be the first of an ever-evolving franchise of post-apocalyptic games. As one player claims in a Steam forum, it’s “One of the best games I ever played…” Metro 2033 was a first-person shooter that challenged gamers through immersive, real-world scenarios. The game revolved around a nuclear holocaust occurring in 2013 that caused Russian society to shift into the subway system for a new era of survival. Though hardly protected from the more vicious threats, such as the Dark Ones, the Russians did eventually find a way to escape the pockets of radiation that ravaged the world above-ground, only at the cost of their freedom.

This is exactly what separated Metro from its many counterparts – realistic gameplay alongside impressive visuals that underscored the powerful yet grim outlooks that propagated Russian post-apocalyptic culture. Despite well-balanced narratives and intense story beats, the Metro series unfortunately never sold well. Each entry has still seemingly toppled its predecessor, as evidenced by Last Light selling more units than 2033 in just 3 months, in addition to Exodus selling 2.5x more units on Epic than Last Light did on Steam. It’s an interesting deep dive into a gaming series that rarely ever gets the praise it rightfully deserves.

Russian To Its Dim Core

With Glukhovsky’s novels as the backbone of the franchise, Metro hit the ground running by having an already well-established IP as an aesthetic. Last Light and Exodus took these concepts a step further by allowing the main character, Artyom, some much-needed breathing room and giving players total responsibility for his survival. While other popular games like Fallout and Rage were more about adventure and reconnection, Metro was the exact opposite, as it grappled with survival and hardship. This wasn’t an ordinary post-apocalyptic story – this was real-life devastation that touched players’ hearts.

This is the Russian outlook, a bland dichotomy of destruction and survival in their most precarious forms. As Glukhovsky relates in an interview with VG247:

“This incredibly nostalgic, bleak, regretful tonality of the Russian post-apocalypse stems from the fact that we had this feeling just like people in the Dark Age and medieval times that the Golden Age of civilisation was long gone and you were looking into the past with a great nostalgia thinking that the higher the paramount of culture and science and civilisation was already gone and whatever you were looking at forward, like you had a view, is bleak and horrible and you fear the future because you know for sure that every tomorrow is going to be worse than every today.”

The mechanics worked in beautiful tandem with the story. Instead of just worrying about a health bar, players also had to consider outside environments, night-time terrors, ammo rationing, and much more. The first two titles utilized literal ammo as a currency, which itself lends credence to this devastated world. Venturing into the outdoor wastes requires both a face mask, for breathability, and a wristwatch, which helps players keep track of their air supply and time outside. This is a harsh, dark and real-world playthrough of what an actual apocalypse looks and feels like.

Underrated, Yet Better Than Fallout

With 2033 now available for free on the Epic Games Store, for which Exodus publisher THQ says we should welcome, it’s about time this underrated series of post-apocalyptic frights finds some much-needed acclaim. Since its inception, Metro has remained a staple in post-apocalyptic gaming on the PC, with graphics and visuals that will stand the test of time. As the new age of consoles and cloud gaming only intensifies the further we delve into the future, it’s imperative that this gaming series finds the love it sorely deserves.

With the amount drama that surrounded Exodus over its Epic exclusivity, it makes sense that many gamers may judge the title before eevn trying it. With plenty of heart-stopping and terrifying sequences, Metro packs a bevy of surprises for those willing to traverse its downright bleak and depressing narrative, though most do come away with something extraordinarily valuable: a far more nuanced understanding on the reality of survival, and what it may very well mean at the precipice of extinction.

There are no brighter days in Metro, only darker ones, and while this may turn off some players, surviving this dark narrative is a challenge in its own right.

Link Source : https://www.thegamer.com/metro-games-underrated-2033-last-light-exodus/