Kuva: © Vertigo Games
The post-apocalyptic Metro series adapts perfectly into an atmospheric VR game, but the technical implementation leaves much to be desired.
Publication date: 7 November 2024
Studio: Vertigo Games
Publisher: Deep Silver
Available: PSVR 2 (tested), Meta Quest & Steam VR
Players: 1
Age limit: K16
Game played for review: 7 hours
Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovskyn published in 2005 Metro 2033 took readers into the depths of Moscow’s subway tunnels, where the last survivors fled a global nuclear war. The same world was introduced five years later to players who got to know Glukhovsky’s universe in the shooter game of the same name developed by the Ukrainian studio 4A Games.
Since then, the universe has been expanded with numerous books and games. The latest among them is developed by Vertigo Games Metro Awakeningwhich adapts the world to virtual reality for the first time. Claustrophobic tunnels, a melancholic atmosphere and a narrative consisting of supernatural threads are as if made into an immersive VR experience.
Unlike previous games, Awakening does not continue Artyom’s journey, but follows the mysterious side character Serdar, familiar from both previous games and books. Graham McTavishin presented by the doctor goes in search of his wife in dangerous tunnels, but on his journey he encounters events that fundamentally change her.
Time-wise, Metro Awakening takes place before the events of the first game, so it serves as a kind of origin story for the character known as Khan. The plot takes the player on a supernatural trip to the darkest corners of the subway tunnels, where the boundaries between truth and fiction begin to blur threateningly. The experiences of Serdar, who relies on science, repeatedly go against his reason, which provides a nice framework for psychological atmosphere and outright horror.
Kuva: © Vertigo Games
Under the terms of immersion
In terms of gameplay, Metro Awakening alternates between narrative-promoting and more functional scenes, where the player solves light problems either with tools or weapons found in the backpack. The benefits brought by VR technology make both aspects a degree more immersive, when, for example, constantly emptying batteries have to be charged with a hand-cranked charger.
Similarly, reloading a weapon that runs out in the middle of a firefight is significantly more challenging in a panic, when instead of just pressing a button, the ammunition should be loaded into the weapon one by one.
For those who have played VR games, Awakening doesn’t directly offer anything very surprising or new, but it makes good and versatile use of familiar mechanics. All actions, from taking off the backpack to pulling the charger or opening the doors to wiping the fogging glass of the gas mask, are excellently implemented, which makes the player stay inside the world. The developers have clearly thought about using VR to implement normal functions.
At the beginning, the game also has enough different interactions between the world, but these unfortunately decrease as the game progresses.
Kuva: © Vertigo Games
In fact, the weak sides of the game generally start to show the further you play, because there is very little variation in terms of both enemies and problems in the end. Most of the obstacles that stop progress are practically charging empty batteries, so the portable charger will become really familiar during the trip. Correspondingly, there are only a handful of different enemy types, and even these do not really differ from each other.
In particular, the familiar mutants of the game world are reduced to a bit boring shooters, where the player just hits the enemies that come upon them, and there is no need for tactics. Fortunately, the trigger is excellently implemented and feels pleasant, which helps a little.
Human opponents bring a slight exception to the patterns, because you can sneak past them if you want. In this case, the player’s repertoire includes cornering, staying in the shadows, and attracting attention with objects thrown elsewhere. Many times sneaking is even necessary, because there is always a shortage of ammunition.
Kuva: © Vertigo Games
Semi-wool implementation
Repetitiveness also becomes annoying when it comes to the appearance of the game. Visually, Metro Awakening is quite good-looking for a VR game and especially successful in its atmosphere. The dark-speaking world especially helps to hide jagged edges, but still the same corridors, character models and doors become familiar quite soon – especially when the game starts repeating the environments as they are.
Metro tunnels wouldn’t offer too much variety otherwise, but despite the 7-8 hour duration, the same repetitive textures and designs were almost eating away at sleep.
The atmosphere, on the other hand, cannot be faulted. At its best, the game is full of horror, when supernatural elements fall on retinas and ear canals. However, the developers don’t give in to scaremongering, but create an oppressive atmosphere purely by means of the surrounding world.
Metro Awakening transfers the popular shooter game series quite successfully to the VR environment, but does not directly offer anything different to fans of the game series as well as VR games. Still, there will be an atmospheric dive into the depths of the subway tunnels, which would have needed a little more variety.
THEM
“Virtual reality brings a nice addition to the acclaimed Metro universe, but the implementation leaves much to be desired.”
Source: muropaketti.com
