Metro Awakening review: a survival horror adventure that’ll land with the right audience, but that’s not me
subway awakening It’s important to me. There’s definitely something for you here VR games Fan; i.e. someone who has a better connection to the Metro series (it was my first entry), enjoys slow-burn horror stories, and can tolerate spiders. Unfortunately, that’s not me.
Comment information
Platform review: Meta task 3
Available for: Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest 2, PSVR 2, Steam
release date: November 7, 2024
Mind you, I do enjoy some good survival horror games. Resident Evil 2, 4, 7and 8 – Includes meta tasks Resident Evil 4 port – is one of my favorite games of all time. The gameplay loop of facing your fears and exploring eerie environments to better face the dangers that linger in these spaces is something I can’t get enough of, and in that regard, I think subway awakening Very correctly done.
Even the smaller beasts of the Moscow Metro can be scary, and wandering through claustrophobic tunnels creates an inescapable sense of tension. Resources seem to be quite scarce, so management and stealth are crucial, but not so scarce that survival feels like an impossible task – as long as you take every bullet seriously.
I also love the game’s realistic weapon handling as it adds to the overall horror of the game; there’s nothing worse than hearing “bang” * “bang” * “click” when you realize your ammo When you’ve run out and a monster is charging at you, the only way to reload is to eject the bullet properly, insert a new round and cock your gun – simple, unless you’re scared. These moments don’t feel the same if your gun simply reloads with the push of a button.
This is true for many people subway awakeninginteractive elements. Everything feels real, including the various props you can find around you, which makes the world feel quite alive – which is great for immersion.
While these high-quality VR aspects from Vertigo Games are worth looking forward to, the team behind arizona sunshine and its sequel – a shining example of a post-apocalyptic VR shooter.
wandering in darkness
set five years ago Metro 2033 We play Serdar, a doctor who is tasked with rescuing his wife Yana from the painful shadow of her past. During her quest, Zelda will discover the man he was destined to become: Khan, the mysterious ally of main series protagonist Artyom.
the best bit
While I wish it had come sooner, the first jump scare in your first real fight is an excellent inciting incident that will instantly scare you in a way that you won’t be able to shake as you continue to play.
While the story is well written – creating an interesting blend of science fiction and folklore – things take a long time to get going. The intro left me feeling like I was stuck in an overextended cutscene, broken up by unnecessary exploration between expositions.
There are some action scenes at the beginning – a big battle scene with machine guns drawn – but I didn’t feel like I was immersed in the survival horror scenes I was promised. When I finally did, the thrilling jump scares left me whiplash-stricken as things went from zero to 100 in an instant.
Fans of slower-paced stories may enjoy this gentler pace – perhaps even its juxtaposition with the title’s more action-packed and horror-filled sequences – but unfortunately, I found the intro to be a tough one to take away from this Bad start, I didn’t feel the need to get through the story. The plot felt like an obstacle to the game I wanted to play rather than an integral part of it.
I’m also having accessibility issues. We have a whole section of the review dedicated to this, so I’ll save some for that, but I found the smooth motion vignette completely ineffective – so where I was able to play Shadow of Arkham I kept having to pause until my headphones died subway awakening Once every 20 to 30 minutes, or make do with teleportation.
a difficult journey
My last complaint is that I did notice some performance issues, especially after going through the loading zone. I was playing Meta task 3 And doubt more powerful systems – PSVR 2 and PCVR headsets – will be more difficult in this regard, although I can’t confirm this myself.
Nothing game-breaking in what I’ve experienced though, and there was always just a few seconds of noticeable frame rate drops before subway awakening Return to
In general I think subwayThe VR title has a lot to offer, especially for fans of the series who want to immerse themselves in the series’ iconic scenes. The story wasn’t for me, but for those who are more invested in the plot, I can see how its more gradual pace creates this unignorable sense of tension that, even in safer areas, will have you waiting for the next A shadow agonized over when a monster would crawl out.
Entering this world through VR creates some appropriate horror that feels more impactful than a flat-screen game. What horror fans will like subway awakening A must-have, but if you prefer a more relaxed adventure you can skip this.
Should you play Metro Awakens?
Play it if…
Don’t play it if…
Accessibility
Like many VR games, subway awakening You are required to use a full range of upper body movement – although you can play standing or seated. It also has teleportation movement, which is ideal for players who can’t yet tolerate smooth movement.
Unfortunately, while smooth motion does have a vignette option, it’s very weak – so much so that in the game’s darker environments I didn’t notice it at all. The result was that, while I was generally happy with the smooth motion with vignetting, I had to switch to the less enjoyable teleportation style because I had a hard time staying immersed for long periods of time.
Another question is subway awakening There are quite a few spiders, and while an arachnophobia mode is coming, it’s not out yet. I found spiders in more hilarious VR games kill it with fire There are way too many, so you can bet Metro VR has more spiders than I want to handle. Horror is about being scary, yes, but spiders instill a distinctly uninteresting fear in me, so I’m happy to wait for updates.
How I tested Metro Awakening
For this review, I played subway awakening Connecting my Meta Quest 3 with Razer headband and facial interfaceotherwise it is standard mode I. As I explored the Moscow Metro, I tried out a range of the game’s various encounters to test different strategies, and I explored the game’s settings to better master its accessibility features.
