For developer 4A Games, Metro: Exodus is all about leaning on the past to build a better future. At its core, the studio is comprised of ex-GSC Game World staff, those responsible for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow Of Chernobyl. In this long-awaited sequel, the team wants to create something of a best of, bringing the defining elements from both of the Metro games together with the sprawling scale and ambition of Shadow Of Chernobyl. It’s quite the challenge, but the earliest showing of Exodus has instilled us with confidence.
The Metro games were always known for their ability to create claustrophobic tension, for seeing series lead Artyom desperately trying to survive abandoned Russian transit lines while battling against mutated monstrosities and an ever-dwindling amount of supplies. In Exodus, we are finally spending more time on the surface, working to escape an irradiated Moscow for pastures new. This
means that a shift to the expected pace and gameplay of Metro: larger areas, filled with new dangers, are coming, alongside the traditional linear environments we’ve come to expect from the series.
The initial reveal hinted towards Metro making the shift towards an open world, but this isn’t necessarily the case. 4A is quick to describe Exodus as leaning on ‘sandbox survival’, and it’s this fusion of linear and larger environments that help give Exodus such a distinct S.T.A.L.K.E.R. feel. It’s going to work in a way that isn’t that dissimilar to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.’s design, the second coming of
The Zone, which was made up of 18 different maps – progression between them gated by loading screens. Exodus will work much in the same way, with Artyom transitioning between the dank tunnels and sprawling wilderness of Moscow as he looks to make his escape. These areas are set to be the largest 4A has ever created, dwarfing Metro: Last Light’s swamp level by some distance, we’re told, which should give series fans some indication as to the studio’s scope here.
Interestingly, Exodus actually takes place across an entire year, with players finally experiencing something more than a typically frozen Russian winter as they deal with shifting seasons, not to mention enemies that we’ve only typically dealt with in freezing conditions. During your travels, you’ll be able to meet other survivors and recruit them to your mission – although not everybody
will make it there alive. 4A promises that your decisions will have far-reaching consequences on the direction of the story, built for replayability, and on who of your group – called the Spartan Rangers – survives against Metro’s paranormal horrors.
What we are eager to see at this point is whether or not 4A is actually capable of bringing its immersive, linear storytelling and cast it across more open environments. The story being set in the aftermath of Last Light’s Redemption ending, we’re eager to see the impact of this journey on Artyom, although we’re fearful that emphasis could fall away from the survival systems that made the series so entertaining in an effort to emphasise the new dynamic weather system and day-night cycle. Still, with Exodus promising to showcase even more weapon customisation, a stronger focus on resource management and new ways for you to keep your gas mask in check against the elements,
it seems as if 4A is aware of the challenges ahead of it.
Given that we had essentially resigned ourselves to the fact that S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 was never going to happen – development on that died back in 2014 – the promise of Metro Exodus has us itching to play. It is, by all accounts, destined to be a true spiritual successor, taking the most popular elements
of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and bringing them together with Metro in spectacular fashion.
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