Game 27 - Metro 2033 - Week 16 - April 20

etro 2033 was a game I first experienced in 2012 in anticipation for the sequel to be released in 2013. This was during the first year of my university, so understandably it got away from me. By the time Exodus rolled around, I decided I'd wait until it was on special on Steam and play through all 3. Well, one 50% off deal later here we are.

I love immersion. I crave it. I'm of the the belief that no other medium or genre does it quite as well as video games with a first person perspective. In recent years we've seen VR leading the charge on immersive experiences with FPS as the spear head. Nothing lends itself quite as well as being in control, and seeing everything, a story, a world, engaging characters through your very own eyes. So whenever a game seeks to double down on that through design such as Far Cry 2 or S.T.A.L.K.E.R did so many years ago. I know that I'm guaranteed to love it. Speaking of Far Cry 2 I wish more games adopted the wound mending mechanic, instead of magic med kits. Or the dynamic embedded storytelling laid down by STALKER. To this day no game I have played or am aware of has executed the immersive interactive first person experience as well as the Metro series. This is highlighted most of all in Ranger modes, the hardest, most realistic and true Metro 2033 experience. No crosshair, limited HUD, no ammo count. Make sure you count down each bullet fired, lest you find yourself pointing an empty barrelled shotgun in the face of a mutant. Keep those hawk eyes peeled or you'll miss essential items hidden in the environment. Make every bullet count and your rifle raised, iron sights are a survivor's best friend; laser sights and scopes even more so. As with real life a single bullet can kill foe or yourself alike. Direct approaches are suicide and darkness is your greatest ally. Silenced weapons help remove light sources. The reason all this works is due to the generous in-game "physical" HUD. Bullets are tallied in your journal. A watch on your wrist keeps track of oxygen. Cracks in the screen indicate when your mask is about to give way and leave you vulnerable to the radiation and corrupt. It tethers you to the world, because every status indicator is in that world. It'd be pretty cool to see the next Far Cry use a Garmin to track health through heartbeat. 

It surprises me how all well this holds up. The gameplay helps draw you in and keep you there, but it's the world itself that makes you believe the world around you exists. Like a great fantasy novel. I loved the themes of the story - how it was presented through Artyom (your) eyes in journals what you witness in character. I appreciate a silent protagonist here. While it's old school and often antiquated, in this instance it helps feel like you yourself are the character, an actor, an observer, his voice (or lack of) is your voice. The world is fascinating. Driven into the Metros by nuclear fallout, the remnants of humanity survive in stations. There are three main factions. The Nazis, The Reds and The Spartans. The former two hold their old world views, but in line with human nature, more than anything they want power and control. The Spartans or Rangers seek to protect humanity and the stations. A ranger is anyone who roams the surface for supplies. And the Spartans do so as an organised militaristic collective to protect humanity, scouting and neutralizing threats of mutant origin. As Artyom, you're a green boy from a lesser known station. Dark Ones, the creatures of bedtime stories across the Metro are being spotted at an alarming rate and the apparent myths threaten the extinction of all humans. 

It's the characters that make you believe in this well crafted world based on Dmitry Glukhovsky novel of the same name. In appearance characters tend to blur together into one grey blob of human survivors, but the performances were so damn outstanding that it's hard not to recognize them all. They set out stages for Artyom's journey. 

Hunter and Alex - The Dark Ones are coming and at the edge of the line, Exhibition is in danger, the threat must be due to... the Spartan tries to say before you're attacked by crawling dark ones. "If it's hostile, you kill it". Artyom's childhood role model sets the tone for the rest of the game. A struggle for survival. Bullet for bullet, body for body, dust to dust. As the fallout settles, Hunter argues with Alex, your other role model and adoptive father who saved you from a swarm of rats as a child. A fatalist, he believes humanity is destined to perish, and this is the next step in evolution.  Hunter takes issue with this, and leaves to take the fight to the enemy and hunt down the Dark Ones. But not before he tells Artyom if he doesn't return, he must deliver a message to the other Spartan's at Polis station. Of course he doesn't return and while Alex disapproves, this sets the path for Artyom and his future. 

Bourbon - another mentor and key influence on Artyom's survival. As a green boy out of the station, this hardened loner offers you a path to the next station. 
Some people call these demons, I call them bitches. — Bourbon talking about Demons

Bourbon joins you on your first journey to the surface. A man without fear, life dealt him a set of cards and he's ready to play them without hesitation. He teaches you to survive, and more importantly how to kill in the Metro. At the cost of his own life he saves you. His voice and lessons carry on with you throughout the game - because without them Artyom and all of humanity would have been doomed. 

Khan - No sooner does Bourbon die, that Khan shows up. An enigmatic figure and another loner. To him the Metro has its own voice. Which is no surprise, he seems to understand supernatural aspects of this new world better than anyone. Through Khan's lens you're able to witness ghosts, anomalies and understand the Dark Ones better, becoming more enlightened as you do. If Bourbon carried the mantra of Hunter, kill or be killed, Khan carries the opposing torch of there's another way - two views that are echoed throughout the journey. 

Ulman and Pavel - the two man operation (as Spartan's often are) save and lead Artyom to Polis. Both are quick witted, hence the opportunistic ability to survive so long as rangers, but the latter a little more reserved. Ulman is wry, always meeting foes with an eager smile. Pavel also talkative, is more grounded and realistic. 

Boris and Stepan - are the forgettable KIA Spartan extras, possibly cause you only meet them at Sparta, before the final struggle. Best friends, possibly but unlikely before the bombs fell. One is the wheel man, the other a Russian military veteran who tells of manning the radio and stories of those who perished. 

Miller - Carrying the rugged exterior you'd expect of a modern day Spetsnaz leader (which makes sense, as he reveals in Metro Exodus - he was a Colonel of GRU, Russian's military intelligence). A man of pure action. Even when the Spartan council denies Artyom's plea for help against the Dark Ones; Miller gathers a loyal cabal of Spartan's to take D6. He has a daughter, Anna, also a Spartan and a crack shot sniper. 

Danilla - Nosalis is the mutant rats of the Metro, suspected as Dark One offspring. While the winged demons are only found on the surface. Feared due to their size and danger for good reason. It is one of these bitches that flies through the ceiling of the Library the Spartan's find themselves in, mangling Danilla. Little is known, but he does reveal a lot about the Spartan's as a general character. Like the rest of the Spartan's Danilla is warrior hiding his fear through a veil of humour. When injured, Miller takes Danilla back to Poilis. Choosing to jeopardize the mission over leaving a man for dead. 

Vladimir - calculating and strategic quartermaster of the group, like Miller he would sit back and analyze a situation before rushing in. Wasted in the front line, he is a master technician, with unparalleled  knowledge of old world tech. 

The Metro - The world is it's own character. A dying world. A darwinistic world where cockroaches, you fight for the last scraps of survival. Society is grim and life more harsh then you can imagine. Food and water is a luxury. The Metro's currency is the most valuable item in human survival, high quality bullets. I love this. You have dirty ammo which is not nearly as effective. So you need to choose in every situation. Should I use bullets to put this threat down quickly? Take the risk now or the risk later when I need to trade these later to stock up for weapons, oxygen canisters, unique ammo, etc? A perfect representation of the harsh realities of surviving in this world through in-game economies. On top of this the Metro has a supernatural element, as mentioned and experienced through Khan and your own visions which become more intense as you venture further into the rabbit hole. 

Old Ones - the mysterious creatures are feared by all, but as you learn more and more you start to question if they're a threat to humanity, or if they might even help us. They stalk your dreams and are clearly trying to tell you something. 

The evolution of the experience from start to finish is overcoming your fear through hardened experience. This is the represented perfectly in the game. Ranging the surface has you feeling trepidatious and timid the first few times, especially when separated from your wasteland mother Bourbon. But by the end you feel confident and well equipped for anything. Nazi, Bandit, Demon. The surface has the most dangerous of threats and it's just another enemy for Artyom to outsmart and outwit. A journey from boy to man. It's funny that I mentioned Far Cry earlier as some of the most immersive experiences out there. These games represent a Far Cry from home, the journey of Alice into Wonderland. Experiencing the character arc of this power fantasy is none better then when the game makes you believe you're an actor in a real world.