Taking the late train to Metro 2033…

Well, as most of you with Steam accounts are probably aware that Metro: The Last Light, the sequel to Metro 2033, is now available. For those who probably figured this was some kind of morbid train simulator produced by Tim Burton, I’ll try to correct that real quick. 

The Metro series basically throws you back to a post-apocalyptic Moscow, after Russia was bombarded to kingdom come due to a nuclear war. The country is now severely radiated, making survival almost impossible on the surface and forcing the remaining citizens to seek refuge underground in the metro stations.

Meanwhile, those stranded outside, animal and human alike, have mutated into vicious creatures or what the locals have taken to calling “Dark Ones”. Those lucky enough to avoid such a fate now face a daily battle for survival, scavenging essential food and supplies while avoiding certain death by radiation, bandits or mutant claws.

Personally, I had Metro 2033 long before the sequel came out. But one thing about me, I have this big phobia for playing horror games. Ever since F.E.A.R (a very, very scary game for you paranormal weirdos), I didn’t dare playing even Left 4 Dead for a while!

I’ve, however, heard good things about the Metro series, and I’ll be damned if I let a little girl in a red dress prevent me from experiencing it first-hand for myself.

So I booted Metro 2033, and decided to see what the fuss was all about…

In this game, you play Artyom, a 20-year-old male survivor who has lived underground his entire life. You start off in a prologue, where you accompany Miller, another survivor, for an apparent mission…

The story then rewinds back 8 days ago. The story begins when Artyom and his stepfather cross paths with an old friend, Hunter, who is an elite Ranger and mutant hunter. Their brief reunion is cut short when the mutants find a way to break into the heart of the metro…

The 20-year-old eventually leaves the sanctuary of his home after promising Hunter to seek aid from Polis, another station, to counter the growing mutant threat.  He signs up as a caravan guard for a push cart, which would take him north towards Rigo Station…

So our hero makes it to Rigo Station without any problems… but his journey is far from over. Will he press on, despite knowing what danger lurks in the dark, abandoned tunnels? And what were those visions he encountered? Were they an omen for things to come, or simply hallucinations due to the radiation?

Stay tuned to find out more…

-Airalien