Metro 2033 Review - Nothing but you and the endless tunnels of darkness

By Sam Coles:

There are certain games that completely immerse you in the atmosphere; Metro 2033 is one of those games that has a great story as it is told through dialogue and the environment itself. Based on the novel of the same name by author Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game was a loose interpretation of the novel and was released in 2010 on PS3, 360 and PC, it also got a re-release in 2014 in a redux collection on Xbox One and PS4. What we got was a tense and immersive first person shooter mixed with survival horror and it is truly a beautiful game.  

Metro 2033 takes place in the titular metros in the year… well 2033, you play as Artyom a ranger who is tasked with destroying the mysterious creatures known as the “Dark Ones”, which sounds more racist every time I hear or say it. He traverses through the dark and for a lack of better words moist tunnels of the metros; he will battle mutated monstrosities that will want to rip his jugular out. He will not only fight mutants, but he’ll have to combat human forces such as the Communists who go by the old rules of Russia and the Reich who are a set of Nazis that are brutal and believe they are the ultimate super power.

Gameplay is a first person survival horror shooter, but there is more of an emphasis on stealth, not that supplies aren’t plentiful although that does vary on the difficulty you play it on. The game wants you to take a more stealthy approach, but it works as well as eating soup with a folk because enemies spot you instantly when they see a spec of your backside sticking out. To be honest it is easier to shoot your way out of most situations especially if you’re playing on normal because most enemies drop ammunition like a piñata. Shooting feels good, guns have a satisfying punch from the magnum revolver to the earth shattering shotgun which you can upgrade to have four barrels, and yes it looks as ridiculous as it sounds.

As I said earlier ammo is not in short supply, but if you find yourself running low you can use gold Kalashnikov bullets for your AK-47 but this comes at a cost as these function as currency. You come at an impasse where you have to weigh up the odds and think about if you use your gold bullets to get out of a fight or flee knowing you can purchase more supplies later.

I played this on the Xbox One via the Redux collection and it looks fantastic, but even for 2010 it was and still is a looker. They really capture the depressing and oppressive atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland. Character models are a bit rough around the edges, but honestly I’ll look past it as the environments looks stunning so I can ignore them for the most part, plus it is a 2010 release so I expect them to be a bit angular.

Ignoring the weak stealth elements, Metro 2033 is an immersive game with good gunplay and a story that will keep you intrigued. I would recommend picking this game up on PS3, 360, PS4, Xbox One or PC console wise I would recommend getting the current gen version as they run at a higher framerate and resolution.