Metro exodus

Metro Exodus is a first-person shooter with elements of survival horror and stealth action . Actions take place on the post-apocalyptic wastelands of the territory of the Russian Federation and in the Republic of Kazakhstan , where the player must cope with new dangers of the world and participate in the fight against mutated creatures, as well as hostile people ^{[1] [10]} . The player has an arsenal of firearms and throwing weapons that can be improved ^[1] (From the modifications, you can configure all parts of the weapon. Starting from the receiver and ending with the barrel). The game features a mixture of linear levels and open locations available for player research ^{[6] [7]} . There is also a dynamic weather system, a cycle of day and night, and a change of seasons of the seasons as history progresses ^{[1] [7]} .

The action of Metro Exodus takes place in 2035 on the post-apocalyptic Earth , which was destroyed as a result of nuclear war more than 20 years ago, in 2013 ^[1] .

The game continues the story of a good ending Metro: Last Light , which is taken as a canon ^{[7] [11]} . The main character - Artyom, with a group of surviving Rangers of the Order of Sparta goes on a journey from the Moscow metro on a modified locomotive "Aurora" and travels far to the east, to look for a new place to live in post-apocalyptic Russia ^[1] . The story begins with a harsh nuclear winter and occurs within one year ^[8] . Another character of the game, who returned from previous games and the book " Metro 2035 ", is Anna, who is now Artem's wife ^[7] .

Prologue

After the battle for D6, Artyom left the Order and married Anna. Colonel Melnik continues to restore the military force of the Order. Artyom increasingly recollects that when he stood at the top of the Ostankino television tower and sent rockets to Black's lair , he heard someone talking on the radio over the radio - and he was sure that the signal was not from Moscow. Assuming that people also survived outside the capital of Russia, he makes many sorties to the surface in a vain hope of catching a signal from outside the city. Anna and Melnik are dissatisfied with the raids of Artyom - they are sure that, besides the residents of the Moscow metro, no one on the planet has survived.

Moscow

During the next attack , Artema is attacked by a large flock of guards. Fighting off them, he gets seriously wounded. The soldiers of the “Sparta” detachment save the mutants of Artyom, who deliver him to VDNH , where he is given blood . Anna persuades her husband to stop making ineffectual and unhealthy attacks. Melnik agrees with Anna's words and assures that there are no signs of life outside the Moscow metro. Also, the colonel offers Artem back in the Order.

A week later, Artyom, disobeying the colonel, again goes on a raid along with Anna. The radio transmitter is still silent. Returning home to the Exhibition of Economic Achievements and fighting off mutants, Artyom and Anna to their surprise notice a locomotive moving towards Balashikha by rail. At this moment, a van arrives with Hansa soldiers, whom the heroes take for their people from the Order and, hoping to overtake the train, get into it. Unfriendly Hanseatic people seize them. In the truck, prisoners Artyom and Anna unexpectedly find people from the provinces who got to Moscow from the village. Artyom was right about the survivors outside the capital. Having reached Balashikha, the Hanseatic people shot the visitors and Artyom, who tried to protect them. Thanks to the Hunter token that stopped the bullet, Artem miraculously survived and finds himself in a pit with corpses.

Getting out of the pit, Artyom secretly sneaks onto the base of the Hansa - the depot where the locomotive he had seen earlier stands. Artyom is assisted by a train driver, Yermak, who was sharpened in the room. Reaching the command center, Artyom saves Anna. During the ensuing clash, Artem and Anna accidentally destroy equipment, which is why radio signals from survivors from all continents were broadcast to the command center. The Hanseatic commander explains to them that Artyom and Anna have just disabled the radio-frequency suppression device . According to the commander, the isolation of Moscow from the rest of the world ensures the safety of its remaining residents, as the war continues.

Artyom and Anna free Ermak and steal a steam locomotive, but they are overtaken by a stripping group. This group are comrades Artem - a detachment of Spartans led by Melnik, as well as two officers of the Hanse. In the course of the verbal brawl, it turns out that Artyom and Anna committed an unforgivable act on the part of the Invisible observers - the surviving representatives of the Russian government who had taken refuge in Moscow - and now they are threatened with death . For the sake of saving Artem and Anna, the colonel sacrifices his reputation, deciding on desertion. Melnik fighters say they will go along with him. Having thrown the officers of the Hansa off board and having repulsed themselves from the pursuit of the second Hansa train, the detachment leaves Moscow on a train.

After a considerable distance from the capital, the fugitives find that the local background radiation is within the normal range, so you can breathe freely on the surface without a gas mask. The colonel explains that now the only chance for forgiveness for them is to contact the surviving top leadership of the country, which is located in a bunker at Mount Yamantau in the Urals . By order of Melnik, Artyom using a radio receiver catches the signal from Yamantau, having learned the coordinates of the location of the bunker. The group gives the locomotive the name "Aurora" in honor of the goddess of the morning dawn and the cruiser , having set off on a journey to Mount Yamantau.

Volga

With the onset of spring , two months later, a locomotive of fugitives arrives at the bridge over the Volga River . On the bridge, a locomotive is attacked by unknown people. A steam locomotive destroys the barricades lying on the paths, because of which it breaks and stops. Miller suggests that these were foreign invaders. Because of the breakdown of the locomotive, the colonel sends Artyom and Anna to reconnoiter into the church noticed by the group, and orders the rest of the fighters to take defensive positions.

In the church, Artyom stumbles upon the sermon of his father Silantia, the leader of the electorate sect rejecting electronic technology. Having fallen into the trap of sectarians, Artyom tries to get out of the church and discovers Katya and her daughter Nastya who are in captivity at Silantia. Artyom finds a moored boat and leaves the church. Anna on the radio reports that she has already delivered Katya and Nastya to the Aurora. Artyom from the shore notes the Prince, whom Miller sent for reconnaissance. Upon returning to the coast, “Tsar-fish” - a huge mutated catfish , which is a deity of the electoars , pounced on Artyom. The fish carries his boat in pieces, the Prince helps Artyom to get ashore.

After a conversation with Prince Artem returns to the group of Spartans. From Katy, Miller learns about a mechanic named Cross who can help in repairing a steam locomotive. By order of Melnik, Artyom gets to the Cross and convinces him to help fix the broken Aurora with Yermak and join the team.

Returning to the locomotive, Artyom hears Melnik’s voice on the radio, who asks Damir and Sam to find Anna. Stepan said that she went to explore the area with antennas. Artyom goes there and finds a pit leading to a basement filled with poisonous gas. The main character falls down there and finds half-dead Anna with coughing fits. Artyom puts on a gas mask on her, and Sam and Damir who came to the rescue here take Anna to the Aurora.

Later, Miller tells Artyom that it is possible to cross the sectarian bridge without assault, if you get on the barge of a merchant caravan and under the guise of dealers try to lower the section of the bridge. Anna offers to deliver and attach to the train the depot car for the increased crew, which now includes Katya, Nastya and Krest. The cross says that he has his own railcar in the terminal, capable of dragging the car to the locomotive. Miller agrees with the plan and sends Artyom for a railcar. After a clash with bandits and mutant beastmen, Artyom finds a trolley, hooking a car to it and delivers the train to the Aurora.

Arriving at the bridge on the merchants' barge, Artyom and Prince reach Silantia. Depending on the actions committed by Artyom earlier on the Volga, Silantiy either agrees to lower the bridge and peacefully miss the Aurora line-up, or else he will sound the alarm and be stunned. In any case, Miller's group will cross the Volga across the bridge on the Aurora, but the Prince may die, depending on the actions of Silantia. Later, Miller summoned Artyom and discusses the upcoming meeting with the Minister of Defense .

Yamantau

The Spartans reach Yamantau, but quickly discover that civilian employees and soldiers of government asylum, without waiting for the country's leadership, turned into cannibals , luring survivors with a false promise of security. Artyom and the Spartans manage to escape and escape, but Melnik’s faith in preserving the current government has been undermined, and everyone wonders what to do next.

Caspian

Using the map they found in Yamantau, they decide to go to the Caspian-1 satellite communications center near the Caspian Sea in the hope of gaining access to a satellite to find habitable land for settlement. On the dry remnants of the Caspian Sea, Spartans steal much-needed water and fuel from local bandits and free local slaves, receiving an updated satellite map.

Taiga

As the Spartans continue their journey, Anna begins to cough up blood . Fearing that the reason was the accidental inhalation of poisonous gas during the trip, the heroes decided to explore the nearby forest valley to see if it was suitable for settlement. Making his way through the forest, Artyom finds himself between two surviving factions, both of which are terrorized by a giant mutant bear , who is called the Master of the Forest. However, he also discovers that the dam protecting the valley from radiation is on the verge of destruction, which makes the area unsuitable for settlement. Artyom defeats the Forest Master and returns to the train, but Anna's condition worsened. The only chance to save Anna is to find an antidote in Novosibirsk , despite the high radioactive contamination of the city.

Novosibirsk

Despite the risk of exposure, Melnik and Artem decide to go to the city in search of a cure. They get to the Novosibirsk Metro , where they find a boy named Cyril - the only living person they met in the city. Cyril says that his father went in search of a map marking the location of a clean, suitable for the settlement area. Melnik decides to go for the map, and Artyom goes in search of a medicine to the Novosibirsk Research Institute , where before the war they had developed several advanced medicines. As he moves deeper into the city, he is highly irradiated and sees hallucinations . Artyom manages to find a cure, but he is badly wounded by the mutant “Blind” - a mutant gorilla . Artyom, Melnik and Kirill return to the train with a map and medicine, but along the way Melnik dies from radiation exposure .

Baikal

Because of the critical dose of radiation received by Artyom, he needs a blood transfusion, in which his companions participate. Anna is cured with the help of the found medicine. The crew of the Aurora settles on the shore of Lake Baikal , free from radiation and mutants.

The fate of Artyom himself depends on the actions he accomplished during the journey and the destinies of certain crew members that depend on it.

In a bad ending, Artyom dies from radiation exposure, and the Spartans and the grieving Anna arrange a funeral for him and Melnik. In a good ending, Artyom survives thanks to a blood transfusion. Melnik was buried, and Artyom was unanimously chosen as the new leader of the order “Sparta”. Now that they have a home, Artyom decides that the time has come to save humanity.

Composer Alexei Omelchuk, known for creating music for the STALKER series of games and past games of the Metro series, worked on the soundtrack for the game. Music is played alternately as you progress through the game.

The debut trailer of the game, presented at E3 2017, uses a remix of the track “In The House - In A Heartbeat” by composer John Murphy from the soundtrack to the film “ 28 Days Later ” ^[13] . On July 27, 2017 , the composition of the trailer was published by the publisher Deep Silver in open access on Spotify , SoundCloud and YouTube ^[14] . In the gameplay trailer from E3 2018, the track “Angel” by Massive Attack was used .

Metro Exodus is being developed by the Ukrainian company 4A Games ^{[7] [10]} on the updated 4A Engine game engine ^[2] . Game development began in 2014 in two 4A Games offices located in Slim ( Malta ) and Kiev ( Ukraine ) ^[1] . According to the creative director of the project, Andrey Prokhorov , the game combines the typical Metro gameplay and some elements of STALKER: The Shadow of Chernobyl ^{[6] [3]} .

First Information

On August 16, 2015 , writer Dmitry Glukhovsky, in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio, confirmed the development of the game based on the novel Metro 2035 ^[15] . In early November 2016 , on the official website of the book “Metro 2035”, there was information about the release in 2017, the new Metro series game telling about the “era of great discoveries”, but after the reaction of news publications, the publisher Deep Silver announced that there are no such plans for 2017 year ^{[16] [17] [18] [19]} .

Announcement

Metro Exodus was officially announced on June 11, 2017 during a Microsoft press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017 game show, where a debut trailer was shown and plans to be released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One gaming consoles, as well as a PC running Windows operating system ^{[4] [7] [8]} .

On December 5, 2017, Jeff Kayle reported that a new game trailer would be shown at The Game Awards ^[20] .

Before the release

The premiere of Metro Exodus at E3 2017 came as a surprise to most players and, in general, the game announcement was received positively ^[21] . Tom Hoggins from The Daily Telegraph newspaper , called Metro Exodus one of the “most exciting, new announcements” throughout the exhibition ^[22] , as well as Andrew Hayward from Stuff magazine ^[23] and Sam Prell from GamesRadar ^[24] . At the same time, PC World magazine placed Metro Exodus second in the top ten PC games from those submitted ^[25] , and Wired magazine recognized the game trailer as one of the best ones shown ^[26] .

In early 2018, the game hit the top 10 most anticipated games according to Gazeta.Ru ^[27] .

Awards

Comments

Sources

• - Metro Exodus official website
• Game Informer .   4A Games Reveals Scope Of Metro Exodus' World (eng.) . (12 February 2018)
• Game Informer .   The Secret Details Behind Metro Exodus' New Guns (Eng.) . (15 February 2018)
• Game Informer .   Is Metro Exodus More Or Less “Hardcore” Than Last Light? (eng.) (24 February 2018)