Metro: Last Light is the sequel to the underrated gem Metro:2033. I played through Metro:2033 a little while back in anticipation for Metro: Last Light. I was not disappointed. Metro: Last Light like the previous game is a First Person Shooter (FPS) with some RPG elements added into the game. It is based on the novel Metro:2044 written by Dmitry Glukhovsky which takes place in a post apocalyptic world. The environments are big enough that some areas are hidden and it is up to you whether you’ll take the time to explore and find items that will help you or just plow through the game itself. There are many hidden little areas with weapons and more importantly the rare military grade bullets that can be used as currency. In this grand adventure there will be friendships, betrayals, conspiracies and secrets will be revealed.
Returning again is the protagonist Artyom. After the events of the previous game Artyom has become a full fledged ranger and is tasked with destroying a Dark One found above ground. But things go wrong when Artyom is captured by the the Reich. Thanks to the craftiness of a captured Communist soldier, they make a daring escape that will lead on to an amazing adventure that will have Artyom once again exploring the ruined Metro system of Moscow in order to accomplish his mission. But are the orders he was given the right thing to do? Things get even more tense when an enemy’s master plan comes to light that would destroy the majority of the people living in the Metro in what may just be the last human war.
Playing Metro: Last Light was a satisfying experience. Sneaking around and using knives was one of the most fun things in the game for me. In hindsight I wish I’d snuck around more and done less kills. The game will allow for that unless you really must kill someone to achieve your goal. The graphics looks great. If you have the opportunity to play it on the PC I highly recommend it since the graphics will be phenomenal on the right PC build. The audio is also well done. I had to turn around several times thinking I heard something next to me. Just like in the previous game I got what is deemed the “bad ending.” But I was actually very satisfied with it. I haven’ tread the books in this series yet so I can’t say how it ends but there is a sequel coming out so this story isn’t done.
Some tricky areas to pay attention to would be the battle against Big Momma. She was a pain and I didn’t have many bullets so in the end the knife was my friend. But she took forever. Never give up on that one though since she can be bought down. The next thing to do which I loved and may just go back to play it again is the chapter called “Regina.” Lots of fun opportunities for exploration on that board. Specifically the haunted room. Then the tank later in the game. Took me a few tries to figure out to shoot the red areas of the tank. Things are so chaotic it’s easy to miss.
I did find Metro: Last Light was a bit too easy in normal mode. But a first play through to get to know the environments isn’t a bad idea. Unfortunately Ranger Mode from the previous game isn’t automatically available. In it you get less bullets, tougher enemies and no HUD. For die hard fans of Metro: 2033 it was the highlight of the game. This time around it was made into pre-order bonus DLC unfortunately. And if you didn’t pre-order then you’d have to pay for it instead. There is a reason behind why that was the case and I’m sure many were turned off by it. But ultimately Metro: Last light is worth playing despite the unfortunate decision forced mainly by the retailers.
Metro: Last Light is a great sequel to Metro: 2033 and I can definitely recommend playing it. More than likely you’ll want to look at the achievement list after one play-through since there are some fun challenges to be had completing them. If you’ve never played the previous game is the new one still worth playing on it’s own? I think it’s a yes since the game does catch you up a bit on what’s happened before. But if you can go ahead and play Metro: 2033 since it’s still a great game.