Metro Exodus Review - A Great Game Hindered by its Performance

Metro Exodus follows on from the previous games where we play Artyom, a survivor of a 2013 apocalyptic event that is currently attempting to make contact with possible survivors out side of Moscow.

After years of being in the Metro and now beginning a quest for a new home aboard the Aurora, we are taken to locations well outside what we are used to and come across survivors in this new world.

This looks like the logical path to take after having the last two games take place in the Metro and going on this kind of world adventure was pretty fun. It was interesting to hear the characters compare certain aspects about the environments to the Metro and seeing their reactions to the outside world after the apocalyptic event.

It was really interesting to see the different groups and cults that have formed due to what happened and the places the story take you which make it feel that you aren't experiencing the same things over and over again. Lastly there is plenty of dialogue outside the main story that the characters not only have with you, but with each other that expands individual stories and backgrounds.

Metro Exodus' Campaign takes place over several sandbox levels that include open world elements. That may sound a little confusing, however the levels are so big in scale that there are multiple side missions you can do, along with the main quest.

These levels are mainly split by seasons and each arc of the story takes place in one of these seasons such as Winter, Summer, Autumn, Spring etc. As mentioned earlier, these levels are quite expansive not only on the surface, but for some of them, underground too.

The environments are beautiful and visually Metro Exodus is stunning. My favourite being the desert where you can feel the dryness and heat it is emitting. Scattered around are skeletons of fallen individuals, tumbleweed drifting in the harsh winds and at some points catching fire due to how hot it was. This was all topped off with the impending sandstorm in the distance that looked both dangerous, but epic at the same time.

It would have been interesting to see what the game would have looked like if it was fully open world, however it would probably have been difficult to adjust each area depending on the season it is at the time. Due to this, it seems like it was a much better idea to go down this route in terms of focusing on each environment separately to not only match the gameplay they wanted to create for it, but to also be in line with the narrative.

How you manage your inventory is pretty important and therefore, ammo and weapons are pretty limited out on the field, along with materials you can pick up. Any weapons you find while exploring or after putting down an enemy you can either swap for whichever one you currently have on you or break down for ammo and upgrades to your current arsenal.

No weapons to break down? No problem as you can craft your ammo almost anywhere you are to make up for this. This is especially helpful when you are running low, but is also useful for other items such as health packs, grenades and bullets as well.

During the crafting process you can also clean your weapons to keep them in tip top shape. I like the amount of realism that was added to this aspect of Metro Exodus and it further instils the fact that this is not a game that you can just go out there and do whatever you like. Not only are these things difficult to come by, but the environment can also affect your equipment too.

I recall during a preview event for the game that Metro Exodus was not designed to ease in complete newbies and they were not kidding. My own skills aside, I didn't feel at any point that the difficulty was being unfair, but altogether challenging. If you remember to fully explore your environments and pick up any materials you can, you should be fine.

One of my biggest issues with Metro Exodus is how many problems it has in terms of crashes. I played the PC version and trying to get it to run just to review it was quite the effort, however even after all of that, I was still unable to finish it due to crashes still happening and save data becoming corrupted.

To ensure that this was not just the PC version, I made sure to check with friends if the same was happening on consoles and apparently it is. It's such a shame because the game is so good, but the constant issues stop you from enjoying it the way the developers intended.

In conclusion, Metro Exodus is a great game that is hindered by its overall performance. 4A Games have done a marvelous job with this world and making you feel so tense even in situations where nothing will happen.

If all the issues are fixed then Metro Exodus will truly unlock its final form, but until then it struggles to reach its full potential.

Got something to say? Let us know in the comments below or hit me up on twitter @TheLibanAli

You can also find us over on our Social Networks:
http://www.facebook.com/weknowgamers
http://www.twitter.com/weknow_gamers