Metro Awakening is arguably the largest PSVR2 launch of 2024, but it surely’s additionally a giant shift for Vertigo Video games, the workforce behind the Arizona Sunshine collection. Whereas the wacky and bloody antics of zombie slaying are a straightforward match for the VR format, the Metro collection is all about stealth, bullet counting, and that dread-inducing environment. Whereas we had considerations as as to whether the developer might switch the hallmarks of the collection to the VR format, not solely has it proved that it will possibly, it’s additionally delivered among the finest video games on PSVR2.
Set a handful of years earlier than the mainline collection, Metro Awakening places you within the sneakers of Serdar, a survivor condemned to a life inside Russia’s metro system. Nestled inside a small group, Serdar’s spouse Yana is in dire want of treatment, as she is haunted by the sounds of her useless son’s voice. With a pistol by your facet and a trusty gasoline masks strapped to your backpack, you head out to the hazards and horrors of the metro system.
Instantly, it’s clear that Vertigo has nailed the aesthetic of the Metro collection, with thrown collectively lodgings lit up by the amber hue of close by barrel fires. As you discover you’ll witness no finish of horrific sights, from dilapidated camps plagued by human stays to mutant nestings speckled with radioactive mushrooms. All of it seems to be implausible within the grimmest type of approach, and it’s thick with this deeply unnerving environment.
Whereas not as visually spectacular as one thing like Horizon Name of the Mountain, the lighting provides Metro Awakening a way more lifelike sense of setting. The inexperienced glow of mushrooms, the flickering lights, and even simply the flashlight in your head all nail the grungy really feel of the collection as you sneak round horrid monsters and deranged survivors.
All the visible bundle comes collectively masterfully because of the immersive VR options that Vertigo has applied. It may be as small as wiping the condensation off your gasoline masks visor or flicking in your lighter to burn away some cobwebs, there’s loads of memorable VR particular moments that massively amp immersion. It’s laborious to beat pushing by way of a terrifying spider-infested space, scanning above and under, gun on the prepared, just for a large spider to pounce at you and crawl across the again of your cranium, with the texture of its creeping legs articulated by way of the headset haptics. It is moments like these that merely can’t be replicated within the flat-screen format.
To face such creepy crawlies you’ve got Metro Awakening’s admittedly restricted roster of weaponry, though every gun is satisfying to fireside off because of the returning taking pictures mechanics from Arizona Sunshine 2. Manually ejecting {a magazine} and slapping in one other or slotting in every shotgun shell is rarely not cool, and due to the PSVR2 Sense Controller’s haptics, every shot has some energy behind it. Issues have really improved from the Arizona collection too, as now you can maintain a weapon from the barrel whilst you do one thing else along with your set off hand. All the means of firing, reloading, and switching weapons turns into second nature after a while with the sport.
The identical may very well be stated about all of the controls actually. Metro by no means needs to interrupt your immersion, so all the things is finished inside its world and pretty realistically too, with no in-game menus past the pause menu – though there are load screens between some areas. You flip in your flashlight by urgent R2 whereas holding the controller to your head, your rifle is saved over your proper shoulder, grabbing your left shoulder along with your proper hand brings out your backpack, and so forth. Even one thing as menial as checking ammunition may be achieved by sight, inspecting the facet of {a magazine} or partially pulling again the chamber.
There would be the odd second once you unintentionally seize your backpack as an alternative of ammunition for example, however Metro Awakening is basically freed from the finicky controls most different VR shooters are plagued with. It is thrilling as you stalk enemies, closing one eye to line up the shot of your crossbow, and the dearth of ammunition is certainly one of our favorite issues concerning the sport. It is at all times been a characteristic of the Metro collection however there’s something concerning the bodily motion of eradicating magazines from discarded weapons or pulling bolts out of the skulls fallen people and creatures, that simply immerses you even additional.
When bullets and bolts begin to fly, Metro nails its all-out motion. Popping a fast headshot, choosing up their dropped rifle, and peeking out of canopy to fireside off a couple of rounds is exhilarating. Stealth too may be nerve-racking as you toss bottles to distract enemies, line up pictures, and guarantee you’re hidden in darkness; enemies will really discover your flashlight when you go away it on. The most important flaws in all of it are the sport’s melee knockouts, that are extremely straightforward to mess up as you strike enemies within the head from behind, and enemy footsteps which may at occasions be laborious to position.
Placing all of its mechanics and visuals collectively, there are some segments to Metro Awakening’s marketing campaign which can be heart-pounding. The music is unnerving, the lighting is popping off, and the controls fade away into the background that means it’s extremely straightforward to fully lose your self on this sport.
For these on the lookout for that narrative expertise, that is our largest bone of competition with Metro Awakening. The entire thing begins off robust sufficient, with likeable characters and convincing mo-cap for a VR sport. We have been by no means bored of its story, however the additional the sport leans into the supernatural — a pillar of the Metro collection — the much less engaged we have been with our character’s plight. Primarily, although, this was right down to these supernatural components bleeding into the gameplay, which in concept hold issues contemporary mechanically, however they have been nowhere close to as participating as sneaking by bandits and ghouls.
The sport does lose a little bit of steam because it chugs its technique to the end line. We’d have beloved a tad extra selection in its setting, the emotional climax of its story left us feeling reasonably detached, and there have been perhaps one too many on-rails shooter moments. Nevertheless, none of it left a stale style in our mouths, because of the riveting gameplay moments sprinkled all through its 10 hour marketing campaign.
Simply to briefly contact on some efficiency points, the sport did crash a handful of occasions whereas loading up new areas; typically we’d load into a brand new space and never be capable to transfer for a couple of seconds, and we had roughly two or three situations of the body fee dropping momentarily. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of our technical expertise with the sport was flawless, with these points being few and much between within the grand scheme of issues.
Conclusion
We’re sorry that we ever doubted that Vertigo might pull off a Metro VR sport. The Dutch devs have masterfully captured the essence of this cult collection, and amplified its greatest traits with myriad VR particular mechanics. Whereas we had some points with its story and would have favored a tad extra setting selection, its highs are so excessive we’d fortunately undergo all of it once more. With the visuals, the environment, and the controls all melting into the expertise, Metro Awakening is definitely some of the immersive VR video games we’ve ever performed.
