Living in post-apocalyptic Russian subway tunnels would be hell.

Among the mutants, the cramped and disgusting spaces, the toxic gases, and the bandits, death might be better. For the characters in Metro 2033 Redux (Metro 2033) every day is a new struggle to survive to the next miserable day. Yet, they move forward anyway, hoping that the next day will be better.

The game’s mechanics ironically reflect the differences between the hope of the characters and the oppressiveness of the world. So much about Metro 2033 is wonderfully made and executed, but there are times when parts of the game can make the player feel squeezed in from all sides.

Metro 2033 Redux, released on August 26, 2014 is a visually and technically upgraded version of the original game, with both graphical upgrades, less hiccups, and all DLC released for the original Metro 2033. The game takes place in 2033, 20 years after Russia was devastated by nuclear bombs. A small fraction of the populace of Moscow survived by retreating into the Russian metro tunnels.

Metro 2033 Redux makes several improvements on the original, and is definitely the definitive version of the game.

You play as Artyom, a young man who has spent almost his whole life underground, at his home metro station, Exhibition. After mysterious creatures known as “The Dark Ones” attack Exhibition you leave your home to seek the help of the elite combat unit, The Rangers.

This game is actually based on a 2005 Russian novel of the same name, by Dmitry Glukhovsky. You can see how having a concrete plot to work with definitely helps the story of the game in terms of cohesiveness and flow. As you play through the story, you can feel how Artyom feels and really get a sense for what life is like for people in the stations.

While a strong point, the story of Metro 2033 is outshone by the scenery and attention to detail, among other aspects. The metro runs on a currency of military grade bullets, so most weapons use inferior homemade rounds. Of course you can use military grade rounds in your weapons, but then what will you do when you need to trade for food or other resources? You need to wear a gasmask every time you head onto the irradiated surface, and you need to keep a steady supply of filters to even use the mask. Every station designed so it looks like somewhere people would actually live. Every station has areas to sleep, little markets, a makeshift bar, or entertainment areas. Walking through the various tunnels and on the surface, you find the bodies of others who tried to make it to other stations, just like you are trying to do. You pray you are luckier than them.

The thought put into the stations in the Metro really helps you understand the people inside them and Metro 2033's world.

The weapons are another high point. Some of them, like the Kalash, are based off of real world weapon (in this case the AK-47). Others, however, are cobbled together from whatever the metro citizens could find. For instance, the “Bigun” is a 6 round semi-automatic shotgun made entirely out of bicycle parts. Almost all the weapons can be upgraded, with a variety of sights, barrels, and other attachments. They are punchy and satisfying to use, and the different varieties mean that you’re always looking forward to your next shop visit to upgrade a current weapon or buy a new one.

Who doesn't want to use a shotgun made out of a bicycle?

Along the same lines, the variety of enemy AI keeps you on your toes, as you have to consider strategically how to use your weapons every time you encounter someone (or something) different. The human enemies try to flank you, throw explosives, and lay down covering fire. The mutants charge in groups and come in from behind, with the faster mutants attacking you in the back and retreating. Firefights are always dynamic, and never pop-up shooting galleries.

Another great feature in Metro 2033 is the “Ranger” difficulty that you can play on. This mode removes the heads up display entirely, along with crosshairs, among other things. It only takes a shot or two to kill you or any other character. Ammo is scarcer and total ammo inventory is halved, with the exception of silent throwing knife storage, which increases. As you can guess, stealth is heavily encouraged on this mode, but I would argue it’s not the most fun way to play. Sneaking around until you make a mistake and a frantic gunfight begins is definitely more enjoyable than reloading every time you’re caught. After all, who doesn’t feel proud of getting themselves out of a sticky situation?

Metro 2033 isn’t without its share of issues, however.

While the metro stations are generally well designed and thought out, the outdoor levels are significantly less directed. It makes sense that the surface of Moscow would be a snowy, chaotic mess, but it makes it very difficult to find where you’re supposed to go. Often, a doorway or path forward looks like a dozen of the other pieces of old wreckage that litters the surface. Sometimes it feels as if the designers were attempting to make you backtrack through every inch of the level, rather than leading you where you’re supposed to be going.

There are 20,000 possible directions to go in this picture alone.

There are also times the game doesn’t tell you what you’re supposed to be doing. The goal is usually simple: move forward. You can be given more complex objectives, such as planting charges to close a mutant-spewing tunnel. In that case however, I found myself shooting wave after wave of mutant, waiting for it to end. Normally, other characters remind you what you need to do, but not this time. I had to check my menu to figure out the objective, which obviously removes a lot of the tension at the moment.

Without spoiling anything, there are actually two endings to game. If you take enough “moral” actions during the game, you get the second ending. I thought that figuring out these specific actions was confusing and under-explained. Sometimes, the “moral” action makes sense, like when you give rounds to a man that begs against the wall of a station. Others, like moving to stand in the corner of a hospital room to get a better view of the beds, does not. Each moral action causes the screen to brighten momentarily and noise can be heard for less than a second, but there’s no explanation for what’s going on. All through the game, your screen colors change for a huge number of story and gameplay reasons, so I didn’t even notice when I was making a “moral” action. While a nice treat for anybody who looks it up, it seems as if this ending was hidden a bit too well.

Worth playing?

Yes. Metro 2033 Redux is an extremely enjoyable ride from start to finish. The story keeps you engaged, the combat is brutal and punchy, and the attention to detail and world building are exceptional among first person shooters. While there are significant issues with level design, direction, and explanation they do not detract from the overall package enough to sour the experience.