Recent reviews by avrel.js

Metro Exodus is a pretty decent game, though somewhat uneven in quality.

The art direction is quite good, and there’s a strong overall atmosphere. However, the quality of the different zones you’ll travel through varies significantly. The first and last zones are really well-designed and immersive, with a Stalker-like ambiance (even though the last one is more of a linear path than an open zone). On the other hand, the desert area is just boring and empty. The other zones are decent but ultimately forgettable.

The stealth sequences are terrible, and there are quite a few of them. You can choose to run and gun instead, but doing so will have consequences on the ending, so be mindful of that. The stealth mechanics break immersion—you can stand directly in front of someone, and they won’t see you, or you’ll have to pass between NPCs in not very convincing way. It’s much better, even satisfying, in games like Dishonored, but in Metro, it’s just bad.

The gunplay feels nice—not exceptional but solid. There aren’t a lot of guns, but you can customize them and experiment with different approaches, which adds variety.

The game’s difficulty is well-balanced. You die quickly, but so do your enemies, which keeps things fair and engaging. There are a few moments where you can end up in a very tough position if you don’t manage your ammo or medkits properly.

The story is decent. There are a few WTF moments, but there’s also some effort put into developing the characters around you. It’s not perfect, but it works. The narrative sequences are a mix of pre-rendered videos and in-game moments, where you witness interactions among your crew while aboard the Aurora, the train you use to travel.

Graphically, the game looks good, but there’s a lot of variation in quality. Some textures look amazing, while others are shockingly low-resolution (reminiscent of Half-Life 1). The lighting is excellent, and I believe this was one of the first games to use ray tracing at such a level—and yes, it works beautifully. However, the game is very demanding. I played it at 2K resolution with all settings maxed, including maximum ray tracing, without DLSS and with Shading Rate x2. On average, I got around 70 FPS on an RTX 4080 with an i9-12900K. If you choose to use DLSS, be aware that it makes the game blurry as hell, which, in my opinion, doesn’t look good at all.

One of the greatest aspect of the game, is the minimalism of the HUD and all the little aspects like using a light to burn these web, recharging your flashlight, patching up your broken mask with a bit of scotch etc. All theses things add a lot to the immersion.

AI-GENERATED SUMMARY RESUME
Overall, Metro Exodus is a good game with flashes of brilliance, but it struggles with consistency in both its design and technical execution. If you’re a fan of immersive atmospheres and survival-style gameplay, it’s worth your time—just be prepared to overlook some of its rougher edges.

The game is (now) quite well polished (still a few bugs), had very interesting characters, incredible visuals, enjoyable game play and a really good story.

One of my GOAT.

Kudos to Larian Studios for an amazing game!

Even though the last act wasn't as polished as the first two, the entire journey has been incredible.

Congratulations on creating such an engaging experience.

GOTY deserved!

Great atmosphere and stunning storyline, impressive realism in many aspects, sometimes detrimental to gameplay. Shootings are really ♥♥♥♥♥♥.

Excellent jeu, 18 ans après sa sortie.

Superbe ambiance, difficulté corsée par rapport aux jeux originaux. Très bien écrit et doublé. Petit bémol : le puzzle final est en dessous du reste mais c'est compensé par une cinématique de fin de très haut niveau.

Great game with a nice artistic direction

A nice game. I've play to Dishonored just after discover the No Clip documentary about Arkane Studio and it was a good journey. I've enjoy the artistic direction and the gameplay who offers many way to reach objectives. Relatively short game.

A "punchy" coop game with a really amazing artistic direction and a nice story. You should play ITT. Good job Take-Two, it's a memorable game.

One of the best videogame experience you could enjoy in your miserable human life.