16 years on from its initial release, Metro 2033 has been given a Next Gen Update, which is completely free for anyone who already owns Metro Redux; which itself was a remaster that released in 2014, upgrading both this game and its sequel Last Light. The Next Gen Update gives 4A Games’ seminal post-apocalyptic first-person shooter a much-needed technical and visual boost, adding to the thick atmosphere presented in the original. With that said, it never manages to truly feel like a modern game, thanks to its dated design occasionally undermining the experience.
“The Next Gen Update gives 4A Games’ seminal post-apocalyptic first-person shooter a much-needed technical and visual boost”
Metro 2033 Redux has the player fight through the underground of a post-apocalyptic, mutant-infested Moscow, where the last remnants of humanity have been forced to live under the surface of the utterly hostile and devastated surface above. While this latest update wouldn’t pass as a modern release even to non-gamers, it does provide an opportunity to revisit a fun FPS from a bygone era that actually still feels fairly distinct in the crowded market of post-apocalyptic shooters.
Even all these years later, Metro 2033 Redux‘s greatest strength is still undoubtedly the palpable atmosphere presented in the game. Traversing through tunnels and underground communities feels oppressive and claustrophobic. There is a desperate sadness to witnessing the behaviour of the scant population, these are people who are clearly willing to do anything they need to in order to survive.
“Even all these years later, Metro 2033 Redux‘s greatest strength is still undoubtedly the palpable atmosphere presented in the game.”
From having to contend with various hostile factions, to having to help defend these communities from the ever-present mutant threat lurking in the darkness, the environments all feel alive, as if they existed long before you arrived, and will continue to function after you move on and continue your adventure. Each station offers a glimpse of the different ways that humanity has adapted to daily life below ground.
During the rare sequences where you must venture above ground, things feel consistently tense and hostile. Fighting through the ruined remains of Moscow provides an unsettling reminder of a wold that has long been lost. The enemy monster design is strong in Metro 2033, with certain mutants feeling genuinely memorable. Every encounter with them helps maintain the feeling that Artyom is never entirely safe, even when travelling with human company.
Combat feels somewhat rudimentary, but largely enjoyable. The FPS systems aren’t unnecessarily complex or technical, but they are fun. The selection of weapons provided to the player does feel a little limited, but each gun feels distinctive and powerful in its own right.
The shotgun became my personal weapon of choice, purely because of how satisfying it feels in the heat of combat, although the pistol also packs an impressive punch, especially when you customise it, adding a new barrel to make it feel even more deadly. The firearm customisation also adds a layer of flexibility to an otherwise limited selection, which allows the player to adapt their chosen weapons to suit their preferred play style.
There are a handful of survival mechanics present too, but they are not overly intrusive. They help add a little to player immersion, with things like gas mask filters and ammunition feeling like limited resources.
With all of that said, not every aspect of the gameplay has aged gracefully. Certain encounters feel particularly restrictive thanks to a lack of traversal mechanics, and the game’s general level design limits player freedom in ways that make some sections feel a great deal more cumbersome than they need to be.
The recently released Next Gen update gives Metro 2033 Redux a clear technical boost, taking advantage of the PS5 console hardware to improve aspects like the game’s visual presentation and overall performance.
“The shotgun became my personal weapon of choice, purely because of how satisfying it feels in the heat of combat”
Additions like enhanced textures and an updated lighting and shadow system help to bring the interactive environments to life, while improved animation and a boost in sound quality work to add to the game’s already well-established atmospheric identity. Other technical improvements are also welcome, like support for higher screen resolution and modes that allow for higher frame-rate. The DualSense’s adaptive triggers have also been utilised through this upgrade to create another layer of player immersion.
The intention of this update was clearly not to radically change the feel of the original experience. Instead, it builds upon a previously established foundation that already feels solid, allowing for an experience that looks and feels more suited to modern hardware. While these upgrades are noticeable and positive, they fail to disguise the fact that this is still undeniably a game developed for an earlier generation.
Satisfying combat and a striking atmosphere aside, Metro 2033 Redux does show its age pretty frequently. The visual detail of the levels can be polished to a high degree, but the layout and design of the levels was undoubtedly planned and created in a bygone era, when players had more patience when it comes to getting lost trying to find out how to make progress. Modern attention spans probably won’t have the patience that Metro 2033 demands from the player.
Checkpoint placement can also feel sparse. The game isn’t overly difficult, but there are a few sections that tend to lead to a few repeated deaths. These can lead to players having to play a fairly lengthy stretch of gameplay over again a few times in order to proceed.
As an example, there was one particular sequence that involved fighting through a long tunnel, killing enemies as you are required to move along some train tracks. After being overwhelmed and killed several times at the same section, I repeatedly found myself being sent back to a checkpoint that was considerably far back.
“The game isn’t overly difficult, but there are a few sections that tend to lead to a few repeated deaths.”
Eventually, I got to a point where I had almost cleared the barrage of enemies, when the game abruptly crashed on me, closing itself down and booting me back to PS5 home screen. I was pretty frustrated, as I truly expected to lose all of that progress and have to play through the entire section yet again.
Upon restarting the game, I was pleasantly surprised and a little confused to find myself spawn at a checkpoint at a spot on the map I had already passed by several times, much further along the tunnel, just before the room where I had previously struggled. It was an unexpected bit of good fortune, but it confused me as to why I hadn’t triggered that checkpoint previously before the game crashed.
The crash itself was also disappointing to witness, particularly given the primary purpose of this latest update is to improve stability. While a single incident isn’t enough to qualify the game as having serious technical issues, it is always disappointing to encounter a hard crash that interrupts the flow of gameplay.
Overall, the Metro 2033 Redux Next Gen update delivers a game that feels like a competent, compelling post-apocalyptic FPS, with a well-presented atmosphere, satisfying gunplay and a world that feels genuinely lived in and oppressive. Playing natively on PS5 allows for notable visual and technical improvements to be implemented that allow the game to look and feel better on modern hardware.
However, it never completely overcomes the antiquated design choices that remain integral to the moment-to-moment gameplay. This results in an experience that feels closer to witnessing a time capsule that captures a moment in gaming that is absolutely worth capturing a preserving. For newcomers who have always curious about the Metro series, this is a great excuse to check it out. Long time fans of the series will definitely appreciate the technical improvements, but if you are expecting a substantial overhaul, you may be left somewhat disappointed.
This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.
