Metro Awakening VR Review – Atmospheric, Claustrophobic, and Eventually Monotonic

Metro Awakening brings the post-apocalyptic tunnel-dwelling franchise to VR for the primary time, however is it a great match? Learn on to seek out out in our full overview.

Metro Awakening Particulars:

Writer: Vertigo Video games
Out there On: Quest, PC VR, PSVR 2
Reviewed On: Quest 3
Launch Date: November seventh, 2024
Worth: $50

Editor’s notice: all clips on this overview are from the Quest 3 model of the sport. Screenshots are from the PC VR model.

Gameplay

Developer Vertigo Video games did a high quality job of creating Metro Awakening really feel like a Metro recreation, however in VR. Though not almost as broad in scope as the latest title within the franchise, Metro Exodus (2019), it captures most of the sequence’ staples: a gritty, post-apocalyptic setting, attention-grabbing improvised weaponry, and a gameplay loop based mostly across the pillars of scavenging, sneaking, and taking pictures.

The sport’s weapons and taking pictures mechanics are its strengths. You begin with a reasonably primary pistol and AK-47. I notably like that enemies stagger visibly when taking photographs, making the impression of taking pictures really feel a lot better than the extra usually seen bullet-sponge enemies. You’re fairly susceptible your self, and can discover that squeezing off just a few AK rounds into a foul man after which taking cowl is simpler than simply standing out within the open. Gun fights really feel scrappy fairly than bombastic.

Later within the recreation you discover a crossbow and a shotgun. Whereas these weapon archetypes have been seen 100 instances earlier than in VR, these two really feel proper at residence among the many uniquely cool makeshift weaponry the Metro sequence is thought for.

The crossbow is a revolver with a pop-out cylinder into which you slide sharp steel rods. Cocking the crossbow requires pulling again an enormous lever on prime. Due to the weapon’s barebones development, can watch precisely how the mechanism articulates to elevate one of many bolts into place. And dang, it’s positive cool to see.

Like every good crossbow, this factor is quiet. And there’s an absolute satisfaction with not solely dropping somebody silently from the shadows, however then pulling the bolt out of your sufferer, coming out the crossbow’s revolver-style cylinder, and sliding it proper again in for the subsequent shot. Retrievable ammo weapons in video games all the time have that further layer of enjoyable, however there’s one thing particularly distinctive about doing this in VR when it’s your personal fingers eradicating and reloading the bolts.

The following weapon, the shotgun, is for if you’re able to go loud. Surprisingly, this one isn’t pump motion, but it surely has a singular design all its personal that makes it a standout. And you could know that I’ve a fairly excessive bar for what constitutes an excellent feeling shotgun in VR.

The shotgun in Metro Awakening is definitely a revolver just like the crossbow. However, curiously, it has an uncovered cylinder, which suggests you’ll be able to pop shells into any open slot earlier than pulling the charging deal with to load a spherical. Once more, the skeletal, makeshift development of the weapon means you’ll be able to actually see the way it operates, which is simply further cool in VR as a result of you’ll be able to examine and articulate your gun nevertheless you need (fairly than being caught canned animations).

The sport’s closing weapon is the blowdart gun, and whereas I really like the concept of bodily elevating it to your mouth to fireplace, it doesn’t really feel prefer it suits properly with the remainder of the sport’s weapons. Not solely does it really feel like an inferior model of the crossbow, it’s simply much less enjoyable and fewer satisfying to make use of.

All issues thought-about, the sport’s weapons have an excellent really feel—particularly the crossbow and shotgun—even when there are solely 4 main weapons to be discovered total.

Scavenging additionally feels good. The detailed environments usually give me sufficient to take a look at to get pleasure from peeking round corners and down hallways to see if I can spot some further provides.

Scavenging goes hand-in-hand with being ready, which is a should in Metro Awakening. For those who leap right into a struggle with out ensuring your mags are loaded, realizing which weapons are outfitted, and with the ability to function your weapons confidently beneath stress, you’ll get overwhelmed and overrun rapidly.

I loved the sensation of the scavenging and emphasis on preparedness. I discovered myself recurrently selecting magazines off of dispatched weapons to steal the ammo, ensuring my well being syringe was ready, and pre-selecting my shoulder-slung weapon relying upon which enemies I anticipated to come across.

Quite than simply discovering further provides, some sort of ‘foreign money’ (ie: ‘weapon elements’) that may very well be utilized to improve your weapons would have made for a extra thrilling scavenging reward, and would have match properly into Metro gameplay tropes.

Although there have been ample alternatives to struggle stealthily as an alternative of stepping into guns-ablazin’, I didn’t discover the stealth alternatives notably thrilling. Knocking folks out with a punch to the pinnacle doesn’t really feel very satisfying, and it appeared to backfire in lots of circumstances, with the unhealthy man simply being confused for a second earlier than blasting.

Enemy AI was good a minimum of, which retains fight attention-grabbing. The enemies continuously talk and transfer across the setting, giving them a way of intelligence. Some enemies, just like the rat mutants, is usually a bit annoying as a result of they often come up behind you with little time to react to their presence.

However I do respect their behaviors like operating away after taking some preliminary harm and peering round corners earlier than coming out for a chew.

The sport has a literal arachnophobia warning in the beginning, and for good cause. There are a number of sequences with spider enemies, together with instances the place spiders are actually crawling in your head. I respect the creepiness of those moments, however discovered the precise fight with these enemies extra annoying than not. Spiders can leap onto your face or hand, and it isn’t precisely clear what the participant is meant to do about it. I think about lots of people will find yourself smacking their headset a few times whereas attempting to drag the spider off.

One other annoying enemy had been the sport’s frequent ‘shadow’ figures which made for some boring and poorly telegraphed gameplay. The figures, which mix fairly properly into the sport’s darkish tunnels, will kill you should you stand close to them for just a few seconds. However given they’re onerous to see, and that taking harm from them makes your display screen even darker, it’s typically onerous to inform if you’re even being harm by them. Oh and there’s pleasant shadows that look nearly the identical, however don’t do harm to you….

Even after beating the sport, I’m nonetheless sort of uncertain precisely what was supposed with this ‘shadow determine’ gameplay. Ready for an NPC to maneuver out of the way in which so you may get to the place you’re going simply isn’t enjoyable. Possibly there was some solution to dispel them? Taking pictures definitely didn’t do the trick.

Whereas Metro Awakening has robust VR fundamentals and a compelling first half, the latter half of the sport sadly lacks the variability for a powerful end. From a narrative that’s nebulous and troublesome to care about, to repeating gameplay sequences that aren’t notably enjoyable in your fourth or fifth go, to only quite a lot of unnecessary strolling, it felt like an excellent first half of the sport gave solution to a padded and uninspired second half.

It took me 7.5 hours to complete the sport on medium problem, however I’d have been glad if that they had lower out a number of the repetitive gameplay segments for a tighter and total extra enjoyable expertise.

Immersion

Metro Awakening isn’t excessive up there in environmental interactivity, but it surely does have an excellent sense of ambiance. Environments are detailed, decrepit, and really feel genuine in the way in which that a lot of the world appears to be like prefer it’s been cobbled collectively from the remnants of a fallen society.

Though the sport appears to be like considerably higher in its PC and PSVR 2 model (thanks to higher textures, fashions, and a lot better lighting), I used to be usually impressed with the visible presentation on Quest 3. Though not as properly lit or textured, environments felt equally dense on Quest 3, with none apparent circumstances of belongings being carelessly crushed to satisfy the efficiency price range. The sport depends closely on Meta’s Software Spacewarp tech to run in addition to it does on the standalone headset—bringing with it some artifacts—however usually I feel it’s a great commerce for a way the sport appears to be like on Quest 3. I haven’t had an opportunity to check Metro Awakening on Quest 2 but, so the decision remains to be out on that.

For higher or for worse, the inherent claustrophobia of being caught in an deserted metro actually lands in a VR headset. Strolling via the sport’s labyrinthine tunnels and hallways makes you’re feeling like there’s nowhere to run and that each nook may very well be hiding a risk. Persistently good ambient sound design helps to promote the sport’s properly measured pressure. Although I didn’t respect how the sport’s music would continuously kick in and spoil an upcoming encounter that will have in any other case been shocking.

I personally loved getting immersed on this tense ambiance, however some may discover it oppressive.

Though the sport’s holster system usually works fairly properly, the whole lack of a physique or any indicators as to the placement of the stock volumes are felt like a miss for a VR recreation of this scope in 2024. All you see is floating fingers… it’s as much as you to recollect the place all of the invisible stock places are. Within the midst of fight, as an illustration, should you can’t keep in mind precisely pull out your weapon backpack (attain over your left shoulder along with your proper hand), you’re going to be scrambling.

Though the affordances for the stock system aren’t nice, I did respect the usability. I haven’t seen a VR recreation use the gesture of ‘attain along with your proper hand over the alternative shoulder’ earlier than, but it surely appeared like the sport did an excellent job of detecting this persistently with few false positives.

I additionally preferred the diegetic stock design. Principally you have got two backpacks: one for weapons and one for different tools like grenades, gasoline masks, and well being vials. In each circumstances, gadgets are usually represented in your backpacks at full measurement and their precise depend, fairly than shrinking unrealistically and ‘stacking’ into infinite piles. So you probably have three grenades, you’ll see three full-sized grenades in your backpack. And you’ll’t match any extra, as a result of there’s solely sufficient room for 3.

This makes for an immersive solution to not solely talk to the participant what number of provides they’ve, but additionally an immersive means for gamers to truly retrieve the gadgets. I additionally like that the sport will give the participant key gadgets contextually from the chest stock slot. For those who’re holding a pistol and attain to your chest, you’ll pull out a pistol journal. For those who’re holding the well being syringe and attain to your chest, you’ll pull out a contemporary well being vial. It feels very pure in follow and minimizes the cognitive load of frequent actions like reloading—a sensible design that additionally labored nice in Half-Life: Alyx (2020).

As a basic framework for VR recreation stock, this one has legs.

Whereas the sport’s ambiance is compelling, I did discover myself wishing there was extra environmental interactivity. That is a kind of video games the place some objects are interactive and a few simply… aren’t, with little rhyme or cause between what you’ll be able to choose up and what you’ll be able to’t. Even when there wasn’t any further gameplay related to making extra of the world’s objects interactive, there’s a lot element visually on the planet that it could add to the immersion to know that I may really seize and take a look at all of the issues scattered about.

Consolation

Metro Awakening affords a full set of recent VR consolation choices, together with teleport motion. Nonetheless, its specific selection of setting—cramped environments and fairly just a few steep stairs—goes to be much less comfy to these delicate to movement discomfort than an equal recreation with extra open environments and fewer frequent stair movement.

There are a number of moments within the recreation the place the horizon is shifted considerably. For many, these are transient sufficient to not be problematic, however such moments will be triggering for sure folks (and customarily talking, they might have been executed with out altering the horizon).