Unexpected masterpiece a delight

Metro 2033 was a bit of a cult classic, with a story that was well written, a believable world, but slightly broken game mechanics.

 

Metro Last Light

From: Deep Silver

For: PS3, Xbox360, PC

5 stars (out of five)

 

The developers set about righting the gameplay wrongs for the sequel, and they have done so brilliantly. Here we have Metro Last Light, a surprise Game of the Year contender.

For those unfamiliar with the Metro universe, the games are based on a series of books by Dmitry Glukhovsky that details the country of Russia after nuclear war breaks out.

Humans can no longer live on the surface and are confined to the extensive Metro tunnels. Much like the Fallout series, it presents a bleak view of the potential future for the world if nuclear war were to break out.

At points in the game you travel to the surface, requiring a gas mask and air filters to survive, and even then your time is limited.

It's here that the game really is in a league of its own. The destruction of buildings and their subsequent reclamation by nature is spectacular, as is the overwhelming feeling that the world is against you.

Mutated creatures roam the land now; humans were once top of the food chain, now they are at the bottom. Even the climate is out to get you. Playing the game with headphones or surround sound is an amazing experience.

When you're not on the surface, you're negotiating the dark, confined Metro tunnels.

In an unusual move for a first-person shooter, combat is stealth based. Sure, you can go in guns blazing and shoot everything that moves, but you can also sneak past all the enemies and be in and out before they even know you were there.

In the first game, the stealth sections were rather broken; this time around they work perfectly.

Graphically, Metro Last Light is superb. Whether it's the light of your flashlight bouncing off the tunnel walls or the vegetation swaying in the breeze on the surface, it is outstanding.

Character animation and the voice acting is also top-notch.

In the Metro world, the currency is military rounds. This leads to an interesting trade-off; do you make combat easier by using the military rounds in your weapons (as opposed to the makeshift rounds that are available), or do you save them up to buy new equipment?

In a refreshing change to the norm, Metro Last Light features no co-op or multiplayer modes whatsoever. Usually, you'd expect this to shorten the life of the game, but I think it actually does the opposite.

Without having to divert resources to either of those modes, the developers have been able to create a compelling and realistic world, one that draws you in and leaves you wanting more.

As soon as you finish, you'll start it again to play it in a completely different way and see how the story adapts. With the story length already being well over 12 hours, this represents excellent value for money, if you ask me.

The only down side is that the story follows directly on from the end of Metro 2033.

If you haven't played that, you may be a little lost, but reading a plot synopsis should do the trick. Metro Last Light absolutely shouldn't be overlooked.

An absolute masterpiece.