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Review: Metro Last Light (PC)

The year is 2034. Beneath the rubble of post-apocalyptic Moscow, in the tunnels of the Metro, the remnants of our species are besieged by deadly threats. Mutants stalk the catacombs beneath the desolate surface, and hunt amidst the poisoned skies above. But rather than stand united, the station-cities of the Metro are engaged in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is stirring that could wipe humanity from the face of the earth forever. As Artyom, burdened by guilt but driven by hope, you hold the key to our survival – the last light in our darkest hour.

Metro: Last light the the follow-on, or Sequel if you will, to Metro 2033.  After the first reviews started pouring in we felt we had to give this game a try. As Artyom, you hold the key to the survival of humanity in the likes of a special bond you have with the “Dark Ones”. If you have not played the first one you may feel a bit lost with some of the plot lines, especially in the beginning. For example: in Metro 2033, you where responsible for blasting the last of the Dark Ones to smithereens with nukes. In Last light, this guilt starts to play an important role, and if you we’rent fully aware of your actions in Metro 2033, you wont fully understand why or even what is being referred to when talking about your guilt.

No expense was spared to focus on details. We spent hours forgetting about our quest at hand and simply wander the streets or tunnels of Moscow in awe of the chaos left behind after the nuke-strike. You get submersed in the gritty and decaying underground world where you never know what next may jump out of a dark corner.

Metro: Last Light does a wonderful job of setting up plenty of context for your actions and goes to great lengths to make itself more than just another shooter as it alternates between missions that are action-packed and those that are slower. The latter are what make Last Light truly shine, for it’s here that you get to experience the careful attention to detail that’s packed into its dystopian adventure.

You are also presented with a very well and perfectly places psychological element, where you are presented with flashes of what Moscow looked like prior to the holocaust, where you see the living walking among the dead, and the other way around.

The game will also leave you on the edge of your seat, or chair. In this post-apocalyptic Moscow  you need oxygen whenever you need to go to the surface, and this constantly leaves you in situations where you are running around searching dead bodies  for an oxygen refill while being chased by mutated beasts.

What we enjoyed in the story-line and would have loved to see more of, was the war between the factions that survived the nuclear blasts. The Nazis and the Communists.

This isn’t only a guns-blazing shooter; at least, it’s not meant to be. It’s a stealth-first game that changes between bouts of forced action and slow-paced, methodical sequences that dare you to keep quiet and stay out of sight. Little things, like crouching while walking and unscrewing light bulbs or extinguishing oil lamps can leave your foes at a disadvantage and give you the edge, though Last Light’s predictable and easy-to-manipulate enemy AI removes much of the drama if you want to play with a stealth slant.

Conclusion:

Metro: Last Light is a bold post-apocalyptic FPS adventure uniquely told from the Russian point of view. Last Light’s setting and presentation are its strong points. The PC iteration avoids many of its console counterparts’ technical issues, but bad AI is still a problem here. Metro: Last Light remains entertaining and you will definitely have quite a few “Wow that was awesome” moments as you get drawn into the post-apocalyptic Moscow’s rainy, dark and chaotic remains.

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