Metro 2033 is a post apocalyptic survival horror first person shooter based on the best-selling Russian novel by Dmitry Glukhovsky. Taking place in the ruined underground metro system of Moscow metro 2033 puts you in the place of a young man named Artyom. The few survivors of the nuclear devastated land have been forced to live under the threat of horrifying mutants, strange anomalies, and other metro stations that are at war. However a new threat has aroused in the form of strange psychic powered creatures named the dark ones. It is your job to travel through the tunnels of Moscow and acquire the help of another Metro station called Polis. Along the way you will come across other Metro stations and meet many interesting characters that will help you find your way.
The story in Metro 2033 is told beautifully and is defiantly among some of the best told in the video game medium.
The whole game is a fairly scripted linear experience but it is a great showcase in why that is a very good thing. The scripted set pieces in Metro will always have you on the edge of your seat. As you travel through the game you will pick up different types of ammo for your weapons. Ammunition is the currency in the Metro and you can exchange your regular bullets for Military grade bullets. You can spend these on more regular bullets that do less damage to enemies or you can trade them for various supplies including some very cool homemade weapons. There are some interesting Gameplay mechanics that come into play in Metro 2033. Things like when you travel to the surface of Moscow you need to make sure you have a gas mask with enough filters or having to manually charge your flashlight. While the Gameplay and action in Metro is still fun what really detracts from this game the most are two things. First the enemy AI is just awful. Sometimes during a stealth segment you will throw five knives near an enemy while standing right in front of him and he still will not notice you. At other times you could be hiding in the shadows and one dude catches you out of the corner of his eye and suddenly the whole area is alerted to your presence. The hit detection on the enemies can also be very frustrating at times.
The atmosphere and environment of Metro 2033 is the best part of the game. The dark eerie tunnels, the creepy mutated creatures, and the lively Metro stations are all very convinced and add a lot to the experience. Although the levels are small and linear the game does a superb job at making you feel like you’re in a much larger world.
There is a moderate amount of replay value in Metro 2033. While the game is only about 6-8 hours long it is an experience worth coming back to multiple times.
Metro 2033 is a great immersive shooter with a well-told story that just struggles a little too much with its core gameplay. If the developers could have put in a little more time in to polishing its shooting and stealth mechanics this would have been a much better game.
