Recently, the trend of re-releasing old games as shiny, new PlayStation 4/Xbox One versions has become the standard operating procedure for many video game publishers. Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, The Last of Us Remastered, and Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition sit alongside titles like OlliOlli, Hotline Miami, and Escape Plan as games that straddle the console generations. With Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition and Grand Theft Auto V still to come later this year, it’s fair to say it’s not a short-term trend. This time, it’s Deep Silver’s turn to add to this big list of titles. However, give Deep Silver some credit, Metro Redux offers a lot of value with a significant amount of gameplay tweaks and graphical upgrades.
Platforms: PC, PS4 (Version Played), Xbox One
Publisher: Deep Silver
Developer: 4A Games
Genre: In Soviet Russia… Shooter First Persons You
Release Date: August 26, 2014
ESRB Rating: Mature
The Redux package consists of Metro 2033 and its sequel, Metro: Last Light. Both games tell the story of Artoym, a 20-year-old survivor of a nuclear winter, as he travels to save the Metro station he calls home. Players take on the role of Artoym as he battles from station to station, through the post-apocalyptic train tunnels, and over the icy, mutated wilderness of Moscow. The atmosphere is entirely oppressive and depressing, and every time you leave the safety of a neutral Metro station, you feel instantly intimidated. The mood, combined with a series of gameplay beats, leads to a first person shooter very different from most games on the market. The story and the shooting are solid, but both Metro games also add a heavy dash of sci-fi to the mix alongside a large dose of bullet scarcity, gas mask management, and even a button to wipe enemy blood from your visor. Those little tweaks to the standard formula make the series stand out amongst the current crop of first person shooters, but they also add a sense of realism and tenseness to your entire playthrough.
Interestingly enough, Metro Redux offers two differing ways to experience Artoym’s story. The original 2033 was harsher and slower, whereas Last Light was more accessible and action orientated. In the Redux double pack, you’re given the choice to play either title in the Last Light-like “Spartan” mode or the slower “Survivor” mode, which is more akin to 2033. The choice allows a larger variety of players to experience the world 4A Games has built, but, at the same time, neither mode takes the dread out of the world or lowers the skill required of the player.
The choice between “Survivor” and “Spartan” also binds the two games together into a more cohesive experience. The connected ethos makes the Metro Redux bundle feel like a singular and complete entity, rather than two separate games with two separate styles, like they were at the time of their original release.
The technical improvements in both titles also help make them fit together better. 4A rebuilt both games with the new version of their imaginatively named 4A Engine. This doesn’t really do much for Last Light, being as it was only released 15 months previous, but for Metro 2033, a game which is four years old at this point, looks far, far better. Many of the character models have been redone, as well as much of the lighting and many of the textures. The cutscenes from 2033 also now happen in first person, a change that Last Light brought in. Metro 2033 was a game that looked fantastic in its time, and now looks even better. And Metro: Last Light, well, it looked pretty good anyway.
But – and there is always one – the stability of the game has taken quite a hit with the Redux package. Some textures visibly pop, sometimes the sound freaks out, and, on occasion, in-game events don’t happen at all. The biggest fault would be a bug that crashed the game and kicked me straight back to the PlayStation 4 menu, multiple times. Whether a patch is scheduled, I do not know, but at the time of this review, the game is oftentimes unplayable unless you are rather patient and lucky.
Errors aside, or preferably errors fixed, both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light are fantastic games that benefited greatly from having a fresh coat of paint. Offering both titles together, streamlined and suddenly cohesive, is a staggering value proposition. Older than any other rereleases this year, for much less money, Metro Redux has two great titles sharing the billing, both easily recommendable for players familiar and new to the series.
Review Disclosure: A review copy of Metro Redux was provided by Deep Silver for the purposes of this review.
