Scunner Darkly

Metro Exodus is a thinking-person’s FPS. Stealth is order of the day and dominates gameplay if you’re to stay on top of your vital supplies (and not become a bullet-sponge) but that doesn’t mean there isn’t action to be had. Exodus invites you take control of encounters through planning your assaults rather than ploughing headlong into enemy settlements. If you want to go in with guns blazing nobody’s going to stop you, but the odds are rarely on your side and burning through resources won’t help your next encounter. Stop, think, survive. Technically (played on PC) it’s very good. However it’s the art direction and writing that give Exodus its charm with characters you can actually care about and environments that feel authentic and truly post-apocalyptic. There’s loads of incidental dialogue that isn’t forced upon the player but taking time to listen both fleshes out the story and can provide hints and clues that may prove valuable later on. Size-wise Exodus is a Goldilocks game, not too big and not too small. Including DLC I’ve put in over 150 hours, not much by Fallout standards but I can’t always commit to massive games as I’ve also a life in the real world that needs dealing with from time to time. Exodus gets this balance just right in my opinion. Like Fallout if you’re simply doing what’s necessary you can expect to complete it in around 30 hours, but you’ll be missing out on so many interesting locations and encounters. If there’s one piece of advice I can offer it’s to buy Exodus on a platform offering achievements. Chasing achievements really bumps up the replay value, and “New Game+” mode which is unlocked after the first completion lets you really up the ante if you’re looking for a more hardcore experience. It also presents the option to gain access early on (but not immediately) to the weapons selected when you finished your previous game. No spoilers but it can really change the game’s dynamic. Previously found collectibles are remembered too so the player can focus on any areas they may have previously missed. At this point anyone interested in taking the plunge should buy the Gold Edition as it includes both DLCs, and can be found for around the same price as Exodus on its own.