▷Metro Exodus review: the whiteness of the snow, the cold of death 🥇

The subway was their only salvation, during that nuclear war that took with it seven million people. L'Order of Sparta he could only act in the shadows, with the fear of being exterminated at any moment. A ghostly vision of death and frost dazzles us in the first scenes of the latest effort by 4A Games, which return to the limelight with a sequel to what we have seen so far in the two previous titles, of which this game is temporally distanced by only two years from the events we have known in the book Metro 2035. Released on PC, PS4 and Xbox One the 15 February last, Metro Exodus marks a point of detachment from the past: this time we are no longer in the capital of the Great Mother Russia, just as narrative linearity is abandoned.

In the immensity of emptiness

Let's dive right into the action, after the short story told us by the voiceover of our hero, the good, dear Artyom. We find ourselves underground taking up a rifle and wandering through the tunnels wrapped in cobwebs and populated by skulls and corpses. But do not worry, we will not be reduced to wandering like rats through claustrophobic pipes and spaces: the novelty of this third and last title are the explorable areas of a certain vastness, making it similar to other "greats" of the post-apocalyptic open world category, see Fallout and Mad Max. The novelty of this third and last title are the explorable areas of a certain vastness, making it similar to other "greats" of the post-apocalyptic open world category, see Fallout and Mad Max.

Thus we will be able to see the light of the pale Russian sun, wandering through the territories reachable aboard the Aurora, the train that will take us throughout the game. These areas turn out to be populated by different types of enemies, which suffer the climatic effects depending on the place where we will find ourselves. We will therefore see how the main game maps are actually real sand-box, showing us a main area surrounded by complementary and secondary ramifications that allow us to explore more deeply, but not necessarily, the world that opens up in front of us. In fact, the pace of the game will still be rather linear as a whole, since the number of worlds actually explorable is small and justifies that twenty hours that will be enough for you to complete the enterprise.

Nothing particularly original or creative ultimately: these additions increase longevity not too high, but there are some moles. Having greatly reduced both suggestions and indications, we will often and (not) willingly consult the map with its notebook. Result: it becomes enough complex to guess the references of question marks that populate the map during the journey. We will have to try to remember the dialogues by heart, often proceeding by trial and error and thoroughly exploring the various areas, to be sure not to forget anything. A bit 'boring? Yes, we admit it. Unfortunately they will not be the only problems encountered in our adventure.

Fantastic mutants and how to deal with them

The war also brought with it the genesis of animal and humanoid species, mutated and terribly violent, never before seen on earth. We will inevitably find ourselves in front of these beings for adrenaline-fueled battles, but not as exciting as regards the variety of enemies. As we said, we will collide with two main types: the human and mutants. In the first case we will have to deal with fights fought over distance and a certain underlying immobility; in the case of demons, the attack pattern changes, in endless loops, however, since they will all tend to come towards us. The situation varies when we are dealing with some mutated animals that will attack us from afar, but learned these very few differences, there will be no more surprises.

THEaction in general it promises rather fluid, thanks also to equipment that we can use easily while we move, making everything absolutely natural: we have a mask to clean steadily, especially after close-range combat. A gesture that will be mechanical, but indispensable, as well as not too uncomfortable to make. We will also be able to extract objects from our backpack at any time, while we are in action and without disturbing the rest of the movements, as well as create dressing kits, filters, ammunition of the special weapons and little else. Speaking of weapons: we can always change their components, such as stock, barrel, magazines and so on, recovering the modifications from weapons abandoned by enemies or some supporting actors.

On the wrist we will have some sensors, including the compass that will constantly show us the right direction to follow, as well as a few other indicators on the screen, such as the resistance of the gas mask filters. The double type of will come in very handy loading the game: on the one hand the quick one, which allows us to restart from the last save, on the other hand that of the last checkpoint, making us return a few minutes before the game. In the initial settings we will also be able to count on ben five game modes, really allowing any category of player to explore cold Russia at our leisure: these different difficulty levels are flanked by other interesting items in our game menu, such as the hint window, which is populated with more and more important details as that we advance. Could not miss the photo mode, which allows us to set our camera according to the most basic options, guaranteeing a more than good quality of the images (as indeed is the whole graphics of this game), but nothing else exceptional in short.

The Achilles heel of the Order of Sparta

At this point we can safely address a nerve in the series: theartificial intelligence. The situation hasn't changed in this third game, demonstrating how persevering is truly diabolical. The enemies behave in a very basic way, respecting the routines described above; the difficulty in the game also lies in the shortage of ammunition and in the enemy's resistance to our blows. We will have to fire several cartridges, having the foresight to aim at their weak points, a feat that will not always prove to be very easy.

However, each medal has its implications: if we look at the graphics we can hardly have something to say. Really high resolution, accentuated by settings exciting and particularly realistic, even in the smallest details, such as the condensation of our breath, the effect of ice cracks on the screen or the dust that dances in the air. A bit' the design is less impressive of the characters, not too particular in the expressions and movements that are not very plastic and natural.

The lights go out

Artyom's latest adventure is configured as a physical and symbolic journey, in search of a hope that the apocalypse seems to have dissolved with much of the rest of the world. The game not only has a fairly logical, single-track structure, but also allows for detours and off-road routes, allowing for a little more noticeable freedom. So we have in our hands the story of a journey that reaches its final destination, between some stumbling blocks and captivating monstrosities, perhaps not suitable for the most sensitive in the middle of the night, but worth it. Thus, aboard the Aurora, we arrive at the sunset of this memorable experience with constant emotional tension.