Metro Awakening
Review
Immersed in Terror
by JesseGatt
reviewed on PC
Metro's Finest
The Metro Franchise has come to VR, and what better publisher to take on this incredible IP than Vertigo Games? They are constantly pumping out some of the best VR games, and Metro Awakening is no exception. This solo Action/Horror FPS blends story-driven elements with tense atmospheric exploration, stealth and combat.
The year is 2028. The survivors of nuclear Armageddon cling to existence in the buried subways of the Moscow Metro – civilization's last refuge and tomb, where ghosts and spirits haunt the living in this man-made purgatory. You are Serdar, a doctor braving the darkness, crippling radiation and deadly threats of the Metro in the search for your wife and the medication she so desperately needs.
Speak to Me
A new and polished VR game with an engaging story, told through fully animated NPCs with a hint of humour? If you told me that 2 years ago I would have laughed. If I wanted something like that the only game I would turn to would be Half-Life Alyx. But here we are, VR is finally getting the love that it deserves, and oh, is it good. Vertigo games, have blessed us with yet another masterpiece, carrying the VR platform on its shoulders.
Metro Awakening has NPCs that engage with you, making it feel like you are really a part of the community that lies within the decrepit tunnels. The main camp has other NPCs that interact with each other, their conversations were so interesting that I would just go over to a group and eavesdrop on them having full-blown conversations. It makes the camp feel so much more lived in, really selling the vibe of the depressed but hopeful community that dwells in the tunnels. But dangers are lurking beyond the camp, and your wife is missing, so it is up to you to face them.
Unsettling Horrors
During your time exploring the metro tunnels, you will face mutants, rogue humans - and worst of all - spiders. Vertigo Games had way too much fun with designing the spider mechanics, and it scared the hell out of me every time. What's that? You're already terrified of what lurks beyond that door? Oh, well there's a spider crawling across your face, and there's another one on your hand. The genuine panic that they sent me into every time, has me keeping my neighbours up.
Speaking of spider mechanics (a topic I wish never to talk about again), the player mechanics are top-notch. You have a holster on each hip and one on your shoulder, along with a backpack used to store ammo, a lighter, filters and other utilities. All this is nothing new, but it all feels smooth and intuitive meaning you will rarely grab the wrong thing - unless you're having a spider-induced panic attack, of course. But there is much more than that.
Those spiders mentioned earlier need to be physically swatted from your hand. The fact that you manually have to put your gas mask on whilst keeping tabs on your filters to not die from radiation exposure, makes it all the better. Gas masks fit VR so well. Oh and get this, the gas mask gets foggy, and you can wipe the fog from your mask. In all seriousness, Vertigo Games has done a superb job at working in these systems in Metro Awakening.
You will realise very early on that supplies are hard to come by, forcing you to focus on your aim and use your utilities only when they are absolutely necessary. A neat trick you can do is grab weapons from fallen enemies and take the mag out of them, making me feel like every bullet counts, even if you have to scavenge for it. These features paired with its top-of-the-line lighting and sound design make this one of the most immersive but unsettling games I have ever played. Even with how scary this game gets, the tension is held throughout the game and keeps me wanting to dig deeper into the story.
The Ninja of Metro
In some of the human interactions, you have the option of sneaking through them. You turn off your flashlight and scurry into the darkness like a little gremlin, hiding in vents and dark rooms waiting to strike. You can throw objects that you find lying around as a distraction before you make your move, then pull out your kni...wait...where's my knife? Yeah, the stealth kills are done with your fists, which is definitely an interesting option and something that really starts to tick me off whenever I'd go in stealth.
When you punch someone in the head it is the most cartoonish thing I've ever seen. It is pretty funny at first but then just becomes an immersion breaker. With all these perfect mechanics would it really have been that hard to implement a knife? Because of this I rarely went for the stealth option as stealth kills were so janky and the gun combat was so good. But Vertigo Games, when you decide to make a sequel to this game - which I hope does happen - please put a knife in it. I can't bare to watch a full-grown man fall over and die because I gave him a love tap to the head.
Nit Picks
Besides stealth kills, there really aren't that many negatives in the game, The only thing I could really find is that some levels can feel a bit repetitive. But at the end of the day you're in a metro tunnel, how diverse can it really get? There is also a lack of a full-body representation, meaning all you see is a floating pair of hands. Personally, I'm not fussed about it, as all the games I have played that do have this feature end up looking scuffed and your virtual body gets in the way. Other than that, this game is pretty much perfect.
Quest 3 vs PC VR
If you decide to purchase this game on the Meta Quest store, Cross-buy will be supported for Metro Awakening, meaning you only have to purchase it once and it will be available through your Quest 3 and PCVR. Yes, this game is definitely coming in on the expensive side at around $40 USD, but the experience it offers, along with the cross-buy feature makes this game purchase one that I;d be happy to make. I played this game mainly on the Quest 3 and I thought the graphics looked great for a stand-alone, and are still extremely immersive.
But playing the game on PCVR with a 3080 and Ryzen 7 5700x on almost max settings...Whoa...does it look good. If you have a decent PCVR set-up, this is definitely the way to go. The visual fidelity upgrades opposing the Quest version are definitely noticeable. The game is stunning, with textures being so good that you can see the imperfections in people's faces and, of course, better quality spiders if that is your thing. However, whichever platform you have access to, this game is still a masterpiece and offers one of the most well-made immersive experiences.
Game of the Year?
Metro Awakening is one of the best VR experiences I've had so far, and may even be my Game Of The Year. If you are willing to get scared a few times, I could not recommend this game more to you. If It wasn't for the lack of a knife, I think this would have been a 10/10, but because of this, I avoided experiencing a majority of the stealth options. I hope Vertigo Games keeps up with this momentum because they are one of the best in the business so far.
As always, follow Hooked Gamers on Instagram for news updates, reviews, competitions and more.
9.0
fun score
Pros
Engaging story with antmosphere keeps you on edge, Fully Animated NPCs, Immersive sound design Perfect VR mechanics
Cons
Some levels can be repetitive, Stealth kills are janky, Lack of full-body representation
