“The future’s uncertain, and the end is always near” – The Doors (1970)
In Metro: Last Light, you are always facing the prospect of death from either the different factions in the underground train stations or the mutated creatures above ground. And if death is too hard to approach, you will almost certainly go mad with all the surreal and supernatural stuff that’s happening around you (or probably in your head).
Metro: Last Light is a winner in every way a game with post-apocalyptic setting can be, barring a few technical shortcomings, and a few notable issues with the Xbox 360 console freezing. Other than that, it’s a perfectly crafted title that starts off where Metro 2033 left off.
The new Metro offers a fascinating setting and easily depicts its evolution as years go by. The concept of a post-apocalyptic Russia chalked out by 4A Games shows how the developers didn’t leave any stone unturned in its pursuit of offering a great game with replay value.
When Metro 2033 concluded, players were asked to make a choice regarding the path they want to follow, and it seems like Metro: Last Light makes sure that the player chose the most destructive one, and so starts the epic of the Last Light.
The game takes you back to a nuclear war devastated Moscow. The remaining batch of humans, in hopes of avoiding the dangerous radiation levels and gruesome mutant abominations plaguing the surface, have gathered in the underground metro system to fight off any threat and just stay alive for another day.
Players are the returning protagonist Artyom who is now a Ranger. And while it was assumed that the creatures known as The Dark Ones had already been erased from the face of the land, one of the creatures escaped this fate. Artyom must now find out about the continued existence of this creature, although not sure if he’s to destroy it or try and establish a way to communicate with it.
His Ranger allies, however, wants this creature annihilated, although Artyom will think twice before doing that due to his special connection with The Dark Ones and the guilt of bringing a horrific destruction to the land always in the back of his mind.
Nothing in the world is perfect, and Metro: Last Light is no exception. The game does have a few technical and AI shortcomings, console freezing and texture issues. The AI can be dumb and often doesn’t care if its allies are being butchered by you.
The underground setting of the game is often dark, claustrophobic, full of suspense and will invoke a sense of not being alone. You will often be attacked by strange wasteland creatures that bore the brunt of being radiated into something surreal. Apart from that, you will have creepy visions, throughout the campaign, of the past when things were different, with strange shadows on the walls and weird voices that will come back to haunt you.
Back on the ground, the visuals greet you with a sense of belonging with life-like in-game environment. The amazing graphics output show nature as it changes during the different times of the day. As you would expect, the PC version's graphics are far superior to the console's.
On a whole, Metro: Last Light is better than its predecessor with immersive storytelling, life-like settings and a healthy dose of stealth play. And while the game might look a bit drab at times (mainly due to the AI), it certainly doesn’t take anything away from the greatness of Artyom’s journey.