Metro Exodus has been a wild experience that feels somehow very personal to me. While 2033 and Last Light have definitely got me hooked into the series, it was Exodus that finally clicked it. In my opinion, 2033 and Last Light have always felt like a generic shooter with a cool atmosphere, but Exodus seems to have some sort of a soul/charm on its own that deeply resonated with me.
The immersion that was raised to a brand new level thanks to new semi open world sandbox nature, the story moment, the characters in the game have been well written, memorable and stand out on their own.. In the past 2 games I couldn't even remember the name of a single character, this one however each one of them touched the bottom of my heart deeply. I'm really grateful for how the game knows to slow itself down quite a lot.
Between the heated combat and lengthy “hold your breath” stealth section, it's the moment where I met and struck a conversation, listening to what the characters, NPCs, had been up to is where the game really shines the brightest. It's just so calm and soothing in a way that it puts a smile on my face, gives me the determination, wills, to fight through the cruel world of post apocalyptic Russia.
One of the characters you meet in the game- The Admiral. At first he seems like just another one of those maniac people that was the result of this never ending nightmare of a world. But the more I listen to him,to his struggle, the more I find despite all that, he is after all still just a human, and still has the soul of a human, heck even a child actually.
My heart was shattered when he asked to stay with him. It's just such a pity how the world has just claimed yet another poor innocent and turned them into this, where they sort of lost themselves in a way but still clinging to their past being.
It is moments like that made me realize that, damn, this game is quite something else. It instantly became one of my top games of all time. If you are a fan of the FPS genre, fan of games like S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Fallout, or just love to play games where you actually feel like a part of it’s world, Exodus will certainly be worth your time and money. As for me, I can’t wait to see what the talented people at 4A will do next with the Metro franchise.