The world of Metro is one of tense morality, where the best and worst of humanity resort to all sorts of tactics to survive. As the darkest entry in the series yet, 4A Games’ Metro 2039 present a clear-cut distinction on who’s evil. It also brings back the Karma system, but it won’t work the same as in previous titles.
Executive producer Jon Bloch told GamesRadar, “If you look at our previous games, they’re dealing with preventing war in their themes – and in the morality of the player’s actions, choices, and the story around them.
“Where there was kind of a moral grayness in our previous games, we wanted to make sure that the morality was clear in Metro 2039. There is no hope, no future – except the one the Führer is promising to bring in. Metro 2039 is exploring the consequences of war, because war is here.”
If you’ve played the previous entries, you’ll remember Karma Points and how certain actions would contribute to them (like not shooting flying Mutants in a particular sequence in Metro: Last Light). Bloch didn’t confirm exactly how the sequel would approach things differently, but you’ll still have to confront the results of your actions.
“Every game has had a different way of approaching the same idea of a karma system, and Metro 2039 is no different. The same idea of actions having consequences remains. We’re just approaching it a little bit differently this time. We have to every time because it needs to serve the story.”
For what it’s worth, the publication didn’t note any particular pop-ups regarding Karma Points, so it may be even more understated than in previous games. Metro: Exodus changed things up slightly with its morality system tying into your companions throughout the story rather than simply affecting the ending. Perhaps 4A Games will opt for a similar approach.
Metro 2039 launches in February 2027 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Besides the Karma system, it also brings back the ability to customize weapons on the fly. It also adds a new tool, a blowtorch, for breaching entrances, opening up more options to sneak up on enemies.
