4A Games' Metro series has earned critical acclaim in the gaming industry since its debut. The developer revealed the next installment in the franchise, Metro: Exodus, at E3 last June. Here's everything we know so far.
Following its unveiling, several details about Metro: Exodus were revealed in a PC Gamer interview with Jon Bloch and Andriy Prokhorov, two of the leading figures in the title's development, as well as other interviews with other sources. These interviews give us an extensive idea of what we can expect from 4A Games' new title.
Warning! There are Metro: Last Light spoilers ahead.
What can you expect from Metro: Exodus's narrative?
Artyom and company will embark on a perilous journey in search of new lands for him and his people to call home.
Metro: Exodus will take place after the "canonical" ending of Metro: Last Light — that is, the ending in which protagonist Artyom survives the communist faction's assault on the underground military base D6. Taking place in 2036 (two years later), Metro: Exodus will be centered around a risky, daring expedition by Artyom and the rest of the Spartan Rangers of the Metro as they leave Moscow via train in search of a better home for them and their people. Metro: Exodus's narrative will span a full year of time, meaning that by the story's end, it will be 2037.
In addition, the story will be more dynamic than the previous games; there will be impactful choices throughout the game that determine several things, such as the survival or death of comrades.
A new atmosphere blends with the classic Metro experience
Metro: Exodus will introduce a brand new type of atmosphere.
With the narrative focusing on exploration and discovery, Metro: Exodus is set to feature a new type of feeling to be projected onto the player — a feeling of hope and optimism. Bloch had this to say:
Again, without going to much into the story, yes there is a sense of "Let's go see what's out there, and hopefully we'll find something that's new and interesting, and a good place to live.
From this, we can glean that the tale of Exodus will be one considerably brighter than 2033 or Last Light, though 4A also made it clear that the classic, dark atmosphere of the series will be present.
Merging S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with Metro
Exodus will blend non-linear level design with the classic Metro formula.
Just as Metro: Exodus aims to deliver a new atmospheric feeling, 4A Games is also aiming to deliver a whole new gameplay experience by merging open-world gameplay with Metro's traditional linear style of level. 4A Games has cited the popular 2007 RPG shooter S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl as a major influence on Exodus, so we can definitely expect a good amount of strong, open-world sections of action between the tried-and-true dark, underground tunnels that Metro is known for.
Although there are returning mechanics (such as the need for gas masks), there are several other new changes to the gameplay in Exodus. One large one is the addition of a crafting system, which will allow players to customize their weaponry more heavily and intricately. Another is the philosophy of choices. As mentioned above in the story overview, we are going to see the addition of story choices to the gameplay. While we don't have any specific details on how these work, it's possible this new system will bear similarities to the hidden morality mechanics of Metro 2033 and Last Light.
While the designs of levels are being changed and new gameplay features implemented, the Metro world itself will become much more dynamic as well. After years of nuclear winter, the world will finally once more experience the other seasons; throughout the story, the game will transition between winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Several things will change depending on the current season. For instance, the types of creatures encountered in summer will vastly differ from those in the autumn.
In addition to this, there will also be dynamic weather — it will snow in the winter, and rain in the spring, just like in real life. Lastly, 4A has confirmed the addition of a day-night cycle. Whether or not gameplay mechanics change between day or night is unknown, at least for now.
4A Games aims to push modern hardware to its limits
4A Games isn't holding back in designing the visuals.
In a statement, Bloch made it clear that impressive, strong visuals are a priority for 4A Games:
The platforms that we support, we target the strengths of each platform and utilize them to the max and so the case of PC is that we try to make sure that if you have a lower end card that's within our specification, it'll still work and will stay play and look great. If you have that high end max, ridiculous video card—we'll blow it up. We'll still push it to its limits. That's always a priority for us.
Based on this, we can expect Exodus to be a stunning game from a graphical standpoint.
It's also worth noting that 4A is making sure that the game will play well as long as you have the minimum specifications. Whether you have an average mid-range PC or a shiny new Xbox One X, Metro: Exodus will (hopefully) run great on both — as well as every other platform. Xbox One X, owners though, will be pleased to know that Exodus will run at a 4K resolution on the new console.
Metro: Exodus pricing, availability and release details
Metro: Exodus is slated for release sometime next year.
4A Games has confirmed that Exodus will be released in 2018, though no specific release times have been given to the public. It will be available to purchase both digitally and physically for Xbox One, PC and PlayStation 4 (PS4).
While not confirmed officially, it's likely that Exodus will be, like its predecessors, rated M for Mature. The game will cost $59.99, and you can preorder it on Steam for PC, or on Amazon for Xbox. (The release date on Amazon's website is a placeholder as the official date hasn't been revealed.)
Your thoughts
Are you excited for Metro: Exodus? What new features or changes would you like to see in this next entry to the franchise? Let us know in the comments. If you haven't played the Metro series before, make sure to check out the Redux edition, which includes remastered copies of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light!