2019 was a different time in many more ways than one, and for 4A Games, it was when we first heard about the next mainline entry in the Metro series. However, throughout the years, there’s been next to nothing else…until now. Metro 2039 has finally emerged, and thanks to an Xbox First Look, there are plenty of new details to scour through.
While based on the novels by Dmitry Glukhovsky, 4A Games touts this as a brand new original story with a new protagonist and cast of characters. Plenty of ties abound to the previous games and universe as a whole, but it’s a place for newcomers to jump in and venture into the Metro for the first time. A single-player story experience, hand-crafted from the ground up to enthral and shock you.
What can you expect? Well, to start with, Metro 2039 marks…
The Return to Moscow and The Series’ Darkest Story Yet
4A Games and Glukhovsky said this would be the darkest story in the series yet, and they weren’t kidding. Set several years after the events of Exodus, Metro 2039 returns to the Moscow Metro, where a single cause has been born out of decades of fighting between multiple factions and ideologies – the Novoreich. They’re led by Hunter, the former Spartan Ranger whom Artyom viewed as a mentor, but time has clearly changed him.
He rules through fear, constantly subjugating the people to propaganda and seemingly indoctrinating them with his philosophy: “If it’s hostile, you kill it.” 4A Games says his regime is fighting against a “dark and terrifying enemy,” and considering his stance on the Dark Ones, who else could he be talking about?
However, Artyom may factor into all this; he’s not the star this time. Instead, players control Stranger, a mysterious individual who previously resided outside of the city. Assailed by nightmares, he ventures deep into the Metro. Based on the violent imagery in his head – including the Dark Ones seemingly pressuring him – attempting to resist and not returning isn’t an option. How will he cross paths with Hunter? What is his purpose? There are still a lot of blanks to fill, but as the first fully voiced lead in the series, the Stranger’s role is heavy indeed.
Only the Metro
The other notable bit from the presentation is how much Metro 2039 is seemingly going away from the structure of Exodus and back to that of previous games. Creative Director Andriy ‘mLs’ Shevchenko said the development team is going “back to the tunnels and leaning into what makes Metro, Metro.” Executive producer Jon Bloc also said during the presentation that the team is “all set on making an experience that is truly Metro. There is only Metro, nothing else.” Everything that you know about the first two games – the claustrophobia and intimacy of the underground, the weight of the darkness, and how every decision “has a cost” – will be reinforced.
Of course, based on the in-engine footage thus far (and even the cinematic trailer, which shows Stranger on the surface), it’s clear that players will spend time on the surface. Has 4A Games shifted away from the larger areas of Exodus? For now, it’s not exactly confirmed, although Bloch said that 2039 would “take advantage of the strengths of every game in the franchise before it.”
Rebuilt Ray Tracing and a Realistic World
That includes ray tracing, a staple of Exodus, and 4A Games isn’t resting on its laurels. Bloch says the team is “focused on rebuilding our implementation of this technology to bring a more tuned and performant experience that is still nothing short of stunning and hauntingly beautiful.” Thanks to the studio’s proprietary engine and tools, the team can craft a world that’s “as dense, realistic, and believable as we can imagine,” says Shevchenko.
“They allow us to make Metro feel tangible. You can walk into a room, and it behaves like a real place. Nothing is prefabricated. Everything is unique and grounded,” he adds. Everything that you’ll see has a reason to be there. Locations feel like they actually had people living in them, which means you’ll also be able to sense their final moments, leading us to…
Frozen Stories
Described as a way to push the player’s imagination even further, “Frozen Stories” are essentially environments that aim to convey a narrative without any dialogue. One example is happening upon a messy apartment and using all the chaotic details to piece together what happened. There’s some spilled tea on the table, a card game in progress, bags by the door as the former residents were either leaving soon or only staying for a short while.
What happened to them? Judging by the corpse near the bed and the unloaded gun, it seems they were attacked…and too late to mount a response. So if you’re curious to learn more about the setting of Metro and further immerse yourself in the world, 4A Games promises “many opportunities” like this, further incentivizing you to stay a while and try to piece together what was.
Returning Weapons, Familiar UI, Terrifying Enemies
Of course, we also received our first gameplay snippets mixed with real-time cinematics, which showed Stranger walking through the Metro before some Nosalises, the mutated creatures of old, discover him and give chase. He runs down the abandoned escalator, looks back, fires a single shot – clearly not the best idea – before getting pounced on. After a struggle, he manages to kill one with a knife to the head. Thankfully, some survivors dragged him inside their settlement, shutting the doors on the rest of the pack.
It may not seem like much, but it’s Metro throughout. The gas mask that Stranger breathes through, droplets realistically falling on it as he wipes the condensation off; the watch denoting how much time is left on the air filter; and even the signature Shambler shotgun. Movement appears weighty, and you can feel the walls seemingly closing in on the player. The environmental details are similarly incredible – as the Stranger runs down the stairs, you can see him kicking a pile of debris, which also tumbles down. The “frozen story” of the location is also apparent at first glance – a makeshift barricade, a corpse that couldn’t escape, and the remains of what seems to be other monsters.
As harrowing and incredible as it all looks, you need to remember: This wasn’t meant to be the vision for Metro 2039. However, real-world events, both in 2020 and 2022, essentially changed 4A Games’ outlook. While previous games were about “preventing war,” per Shevchenko, he says that now, “War is our reality, and our message has shifted to be about the consequences, the cost of silence, the horrors of tyranny, and the price of freedom.” What does that mean to the player, and how will it change them? It’s up to you to venture into the Metro and find it.
Metro 2039 will launch this Winter for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. And yes, unlike Exodus, it will be available on Steam and the Microsoft Store out of the gate alongside the Epic Games Store. Whether you’re a new player or simply returning to the darkness once more, it’s clear that this will be an experience unlike any other.
