Metro Exodus [Gameplay #2] - In the Bleak Midwinter
1Given its underwhelming prologue with overly familiar metro crawling, lots of ham-fisted dialogue and a couple of rather silly (not to mention all-too-convenient) plot twists, it's fair to say that Metro Exodus doesn't make a very good first impression. But when the Aurora grinds to a halt on the banks of the Volga and Artyom gets to explore the frozen wastelands around him, the whole game shifts gear quite dramatically.
For a series defined by its granular approach to FPS design, it's more than a little ironic that the emphasis on (bad) storytelling and elaborate set pieces has so often drowned out the methodical, slow-paced gameplay which Metro actually demands. That the new game includes expeditions into vast open areas (with a fully dynamic day and night cycle, no less) to be explored at the player's own pace makes a huge difference. While slowly making my way across the desolate landscape (constantly on the lookout for groups of scavenging monsters and enemy patrols), I found it much easier to take in the scenery and appreciate the exquisitely hand-crafted remnants of a civilization long since consigned to dust.
Of course, it goes without saying that its ground-breaking graphical effects have something to do with my enjoyment of the latest title developed with the 4A Engine. On my new gaming PC, I'm able to run Metro Exodus in 4K on Extreme settings with both maxed-out raytracing and DLSS turned on, and the overall experience can be quite breathtaking. I find the introduction of raytracing in and of itself to be quite subtle, but there are individual scenes (for examples, dimly lit indoor environments interacting with the daylight outside) which stand out. Even if it's hard to put into words exactly what's going, it does feel like a rather seismic shift towards a new level of realism.