Metro 2039 is the game longtime fans have been waiting for

Metro 2039 is the latest installment of the legendary Metro series, acting as its fourth mainline game – and after diving into apocalyptic Moscow for a few hours, it’s clear the franchise’s iconic legacy will remain untouched in another great title.

Those who’ve played Metro will know the tense and electric atmosphere 2039 is attempting to recreate. That feeling of knowing something is about to attack you while being painfully aware that you have three bullets left in your gun and two minutes left on your watch is something only Metro can replicate, and 2039 does so wonderfully.

But it also expertly blends old and new, retaining that hopeless atmosphere and classic mechanics many adore from Last Light, 2033, and Exodus, all while introducing a brand new voiced protagonist, blueprint system, and enough added controls to make you wonder how The Stranger ever survived a run through the dangerous landscapes aboveground.

New and unnerving

The biggest changes in 2039 are its protagonist and blueprint system. Now, we have a new main character, fully voiced and ready to take down Hunter, a rather malicious villain (he’s called Feurer, so it’s a little on the nose) attempting to take over the Metro and its civilians following the fall of the Spartans.

He’s exactly what you’d expect a hardened, former Spartan soldier to be: blunt, rude, violent, and pretty two-dimensional, which is fine. He blends into the background a little, but given the thrill of stepping into his shoes in a first-person game, it’s not a terrible design.

4A Games

Then, on the other side is the blueprint system. Think of this like a Call of Duty loadout. Each scope or grip will offer bonuses to your weapon. It’s easy to understand and adds more adventure to a pretty linear game. Now, instead of traipsing from one derelict building to another, you’re left hunting for additions to your weapon, and then the parts to build it – a welcome change in a pretty dark and depressing setting.

Complex controls hinder action

However, with those new mechanics and the return of older ones, we’re left with an extremely complicated UI and more equipment than any soldier would know what to do with. There are eight different slots available for your blacklight, lighter, molotov cocktail, grenade, and more, and that’s not including the separate buttons to put on the gas mask, toggle the torch, throw the grenade, reload, change ammo type, and craft.

As such, at least on controller, you’re left with an extremely confusing set of actions and tools to navigate during faster-paced combat, which feels overwhelming, frustrating, and just overly complicated, regardless of whether you’re a new player or veteran.

4A Games / Deep Silver

Nevertheless, alongside the return of the gas mask and flashlight management, as well as the need to clean your weapon (I learnt that the hard way), Metro 2039 feels like a stellar callback to those that came before, continuing the franchise’s legacy while adding extremely welcome features without losing any of that ‘everything is terrible, and there is no hope’ charm.