The journey of Artyom is grim, but it is worth it to those who got the chance to play through his journey since 2010. Living in underground subways is never easy, and many people would take their chances with the mutants if it meant missing out on the sun and clean air. Fortunately, we deal with the best parts, and everything else is just window dressing in an otherwise excellent series of games.
Despite being adapted from a novel, the Metro series is known for its excellent gameplay and tightly crafted story. It’s not every day that a game series can claim that they’ve had three critically acclaimed releases. 4A Games can add that particular feather to their cap after the masterful job they’ve done up till now. As a celebration for twenty-three years, we’ll rank the games from good to great.
What’s the Order of the Metro Games?
The Metro game series has four games, and they released in this order: Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, Metro Redux, and Metro Exodus. Metro: Last Light is a direct sequel to Metro 2033, and Metro Exodus is the third installment in the Metro Game trilogy. On the other hand, Metro Redux is basically a remastered version of the first two games.
The first downloadable content (DLC), known as The Two Colonels, paid tribute to the Metro franchise’s roots by presenting a more confined and guided gaming experience. On the other hand, the latest DLC, Sam’s Story, honors the success of Metro Exodus’s new direction by returning players to a nonlinear environment that is unique in its ambiance and yet familiar in its structure.
| Game Title | Release Date | Developer | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro 2033 | 2010 | 4A Games | PC, Xbox 360 |
| Metro: Last Light | 2013 | 4A Games | Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux, SteamOS |
| Metro Redux | 2014 | 4A Games | Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, MacOS, Linux, SteamOS |
| Metro Exodus | 2019 | 4A Games | Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Windows PC, Google Stadia, Amazon Luna |
| Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels DLC | 2019 | 4A Games | Xbox One, PS4, Windows PC |
| Metro Exodus: Sam’s Story DLC | 2020 | 4A Games | PS4, Xbox One, Windows PC |
So, there are three “unique” Metro games in total, with the last game having two DLCs. The first two have been remastered and merged into a game called Metro: Redux. Metro: Last Light is the sequel to Metro’s 2033 title. Metro Exodus is the third one in the series, and it presents the grand ending of the Metro trilogy. We must remember that there are also two bonus DLCs available for Metro Exodus, namely The Two Colonels DLC and Sam’s Story DLC.
5. Metro 2033
Despite being the grandmommy of it all, the classic makes it first on the list. Despite the nostalgia, the game is still well-made, even by today’s standards. The pacing is excellent overall, and the intro throws you into action while giving you a good look into the world and characters. Graphically, the game was amazing for the time, and Redux did a fantastic job updating everything to look better.
The gameplay was solid, and the combat pacing lent itself well to the desperation of surviving against the mutant abominations in the setting. The dialogue was generic overall but entertaining. Some players came into the game not knowing what to expect, but Metro 2033 did a great job introducing players to the world.
4. Metro Exodus
Metro Exodus is the number two game on our list and the most divergent in the series. With this entry, 4A Games attempted to use more “emergent” gameplay to spice up the formula. Some players’ main problem was the need for more straightforward objectives and unskippable dialogue. The physics was also a problem, and particular objects were a pain to navigate around. The Enemies could be very tricky to overcome.
With all that said, Metro Exodus was beautiful, and unsurprisingly, the world design was at the series’ apex. Like many games at the time, the developers opted to move into several more miniature open worlds instead of the linear design of past games. Overall, it was a worthwhile sequel to the next game.
3. Metro Exodus – The Two Colonels DLC
One of two DLCs for Metro: Exodus, The Two Colonels is an excellent continuation of the story from a different point of view. Instead of playing as Artyom, we take on the viewpoint of Colonel Khlebnikov, whose role is more complex than what we’re used to. The story is told over time and ends with the Aurora arriving at Novosibirsk. As for everything else, it’s the same gameplay as its parent title.
2. Metro Exodus: Sam’s Story (DLC)
Sam’s Story takes a more emotional approach to post-apocalyptic storytelling. Poor Sam wants to have his family back and return home to the USA, but like most action-oriented settings, the pathway home is a challenge. Luckily, the gameplay found in the main game is still fully intact, and the graphics still look phenomenal. The game features new weapons and multiple endings and is a great sendoff for the Metro: Exodus trilogy.
1. Metro: Last Light
The title that took the series to a new level, Metro: Last Light, took everything in the first game and improved it exponentially. From graphics to gameplay, everything carries a lot of attention to detail. Some of the combat sequences are some of the best action sequences in gaming.
Even more impressive is how the development team at 4A Games inserted more eerie elements into the overall atmosphere. It also had its weird elements, such as unexplained nudity and some lackluster boss fights, but that’s relatively minor compared to the good stuff.
Metro Books That Inspired the Metro Games
The Metro franchise is a collection of post-apocalyptic fiction novels and video games that first began with Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novel Metro 2033 in 2005. The Metro franchise includes Glukhovsky’s sequels, Metro 2034 and Metro 2035, as well as other books by various authors such as Tullio Avoledo, Pierre Bordage, Robert J. Szmidt, and Shimun Vrochek.
The first video game adaptation of Metro 2033‘s novel was made by A4 Games, a Ukrainian game studio. All of the Metro stories share the same fictional world from Glukhovsky’s novels. While the original novels focused on a ruined Moscow and its subway system, the extended universe explores different regions of Russia and other parts of the world that were devastated by global nuclear and biological warfare.
