Metro: Last Light Review

Hey gang,

I know this is really late and many of you already have the game but I finally got some time to finish playing Metro: Last Light and decided to do a quick review on it. Just to let you know, Metro: Last Light takes place right after the first one, Metro 2033, so it is recommended that you play the first one before you play the second one. Please note that I played this on Normal difficulty which is the second hardest out of three (excluding Ranger Mode) and completed it in about 12 hours.

First off are the graphics. The visuals are absolutely amazing and the game does a great job at bringing life to a dead word. The textures are very detailed and add more to the games eerie factor most of all. Character models were done very well and makes every NPC look unique and different. The developers did a good job at designing the levels so that all the metro tunnels would be different as to not get boring and making dead barren wastelands look so beautiful that you actually want to enter them.

The gameplay is just what you would expect from a linear first person shooter and is almost identical to Metro 2033. One added action that is worth mentioning is the fact that you have to manually wipe off your gasmask when it gets dirty. This doesn't seem like much but when in combat and blood, water and dirt keeps flying at your face, it can get a little tricky and just adds to the frustration (in a good way) of trying to shoot jumping mutants while reloading and trying to figure out where to go. There are more weapons, gadgets and accessories to choose from which let you create the perfect load out for any situation. Every combat situation can be approached in a different way, weather you want to sneak past your enemies, run in the room guns blazing, or a little bit of both. I did feel that the game was geared more towards stealth though and playing this way made my experience much more enjoyable. The currency is still pre war ammunition that can be fired or used to purchase metro made ammunition, weapons, accessories and even a few "special" things. I did find that playing on Normal difficulty I was given way too much ammunition and money which really took away some of the challenges in the first game. If you are a returning Metro player, I recommend playing on the Hardened difficulty in order to add more of a challenge and bring you closer to the Metro world. Also one thing to note is that the game does have a lot of in-game movie modes, where situations are viewed through the players eyes but the player has no control over them. This was fine at first but it continued throughout the game and just became more annoying rather than adding any affect or feeling to the game.

The games AI is very basic and straightforward but good. Companions do a great job at staying out of the way and assisting when the time comes. Human enemies play "dumb" most of the time while sneaking around them but was still challenging. The best part about the human NPCs though would have to be the dialogue. The thick Russian accents and corny dialogues made it a blast to wait in the shadows and listen to enemies or sit at bar and just listen to soldiers rant. One aspect of the game that I found depressing is the fact that the main character, Artyom, still does not have an in-game voice. Between each level he would speak as if he was writing a journal entry but whenever spoken to in-game there is never a response or conversation, which really takes away from the connection with the players character. The mutant AI did get confusing at times because many of them had this "don't shoot unless fired upon" rule so I didn't know if I should engage an enemy or walk past them to earn a Moral Point.

The story picks up a little after Metro 2033 when Artyom destroys the "dark ones". I personally found it much easier to follow then the first game but I did have my doubts at times. I found myself, on occasion, wondering why I was doing certain tasks and not even wanting to do some because I knew it wouldn't make a difference. One feature of the game that carried over from the original was the use of Moral Points. Moral Points are positive points awarded to the player when doing good acts, listening to certain conversations or even when exploring. The outcome or ending of the game will depend on how many Moral Points the character has, so that is one thing to keep in mind. In all honesty the story was good and is what is wanted and expected form any sequel.

All in all I give the game an 8 / 10. It is a fun and beautiful linear first person shooter that does a great job at portraying a post-apocalyptic Russian wasteland. I do wish more control was given to the player during certain situations and that there was more depth put into areas, but this really didn't effect the overall experience. If you played and enjoyed Metro 2033, or are a fan of creepy and eerie first person shooters, then I highly recommend picking up this title and supporting the creators. If you are skeptical about jumping right in then it might be worth waiting for it to go on sale because there is no multiplayer and it will be around for a while.

I hope you enjoyed this review and found it helpful, please let me know if you have any questions.

-JackALope

Very good review. I have 2033 so will eventually play it, then maybe catch Last Light.

Excellent review. I played the first one so reading this review gives me pretty good insight to Last Light.

That said, I'll probably pick up this one later on down the road. Plus I really didn't get into the first one. In fact I kind of played it off and on, then finally finished it.

Anyway great review, the way one should be done. +1

Thanks for this review JackALope52x. I enjoyed "Metro 2033" and based on your review, I'am sure Ill enjoy "Metro: Last Light" too.

PS: You finished it in 12 hours. It will probably take me 12 weeks!

Well on the other hand 12 hours seems kind of short.

You had me at "Eerie"... but I still liked your review of it. I have no desire of either getting the game or watching a trailer of it because you already painted a very good picture of how eerie it gets

I wish I could get into these shooters as it seems we get more and more of them but, what can I say... I am a yellow belly chicken when it comes to horror!

Dude said:

Very good review. I have 2033 so will eventually play it, then maybe catch Last Light.

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Thanks! Yeah like I mentioned before if you enjoy the first one then it might be worth it to pick up Last Light.

sygnus21 said:

Excellent review. I played the first one so reading this review gives me pretty good insight to Last Light.

That said, I'll probably pick up this one later on down the road. Plus I really didn't get into the first one. In fact I kind of played it off and on, then finally finished it.

Anyway great review, the way one should be done. +1

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Thanks for the kind words sygnus. Honestly if you didn't enjoy or couldn't get into the first one that you might one to stay away from Last Light because it plays just like 2033.

Manigue said:

Thanks for this review JackALope52x. I enjoyed "Metro 2033" and based on your review, I'am sure Ill enjoy "Metro: Last Light" too.

PS: You finished it in 12 hours. It will probably take me 12 weeks!

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My pleasure mate. The playtime could most definitely be longer. I could have spent a lot more time in certain areas and on a hard proper difficulty, it should be perfect. On Normal mode I just kind of blew threw it.

AstaLaVista said:

You had me at "Eerie"... but I still liked your review of it. I have no desire of either getting the game or watching a trailer of it because you already painted a very good picture of how eerie it gets

I wish I could get into these shooters as it seems we get more and more of them but, what can I say... I am a yellow belly chicken when it comes to horror!

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Really? Horror and everything affiliated with it is my favorite. It's the only thing that still gets my blood pumping these days.

A good woman does the blood pumping for me but yeah... sometimes, you gotta get away from the nagging and cap some knees

AstaLaVista said:

A good woman does the blood pumping for me but yeah... sometimes, you gotta get away from the nagging and cap some knees

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Haha well put man...but I meant more along the lines of the only "video games" that get the blood pumping.

After reading this review, I have started playing 2033 to see if I would be wanting last light. At first I was a little weary, I'm now all the way to chapter 2, it's starting to spark my interest. I have never been a fan of games with a lot of cut scenes...but this one is getting interesting.

Dude said:

After reading this review, I have started playing 2033 to see if I would be wanting last light. At first I was a little weary, I'm now all the way to chapter 2, it's starting to spark my interest. I have never been a fan of games with a lot of cut scenes...but this one is getting interesting.

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Nice, that makes me happy. Just don't think about how linear it is and you'll be fine.

I must admit I couldn't originally get into this game. Too slow.

However, I felt like playing a movie and so subsequently my view of this game has changed a lot. I also prefer playing this with a controller. It suits the pace and the Auto-Aim is adjustable to make up for the shortfall of using a controller over a mouse.

When you allow yourself to adapt to the pace, It's very immersive and quite compelling. I also can now appreciate the little changes like more weapons and ammo which is an improvement over the original.

A.I is a bit questionable at times though. There's been a few times sneaking in the dark I've literally run into an enemy and they don't notice. Same with killing. Some are oblivious there comrade is dead halfway through a conversation.

It's harsh on hardware though. Even with 3 670's I have to game @5040x1080 with SSA set to .5, rest cranked, to keep 60FPS. It's worth it though. Physx looks nice in this game. Little bits of flame dripping from a torch just look that bit more realistic and thus, immersive.

SSAA is an odd one. Both off and x2 provide the same frame rate hit.

smarteyeball said:

I must admit I couldn't originally get into this game. Too slow.

However, I felt like playing a movie and so subsequently my view of this game has changed a lot. I also prefer playing this with a controller. It suits the pace and the Auto-Aim is adjustable to make up for the shortfall of using a controller over a mouse.

When you allow yourself to adapt to the pace, It's very immersive and quite compelling. I also can now appreciate the little changes like more weapons and ammo which is an improvement over the original.

A.I is a bit questionable at times though. There's been a few times sneaking in the dark I've literally run into an enemy and they don't notice. Same with killing. Some are oblivious there comrade is dead halfway through a conversation.

It's harsh on hardware though. Even with 3 670's I have to game @5040x1080 with SSA set to .5, rest cranked, to keep 60FPS. It's worth it though. Physx looks nice in this game. Little bits of flame dripping from a torch just look that bit more realistic and thus, immersive.

SSAA is an odd one. Both off and x2 provide the same frame rate hit.

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You are a genius!! That is the whole part of the feel of the game that bothers me, it just does not feel right. I am a die hard keyboard mouse guy... but I have used a controller on playstation/xbox before. I am pretty sure if I get a controller I will branch out in my PC game selection. Some games/styles are better suited for a game controller.

I must admit it's rare I'll use a controller for a FPS, but this game simply suits it. Especially with that strange fast horizontal/slow vertical movement it has.

And yes, there are quite a few games that I prefer the controller with because they are suited to it. Especially console ports where you know it's been designed for a controller.

Plus it's one of those games that if you want the precision, you put the controller down - be precise - then pick the controller back up.

Win all round

That's interesting that you guys find that a controller suits the game better. It felt perfectly fine to me on mouse and keyboard. Then again I didn't even try it in my controller so I don't really have anything to compare the mouse and keyboard too.

I do agree though, some games are just better suited for a game controller. For example I just picked up Remember Me and tried playing it with the keyboard and mouse and just found it way too challenging to play. I plugged in my controller and felt right at home. There is a lot of hand to hand combat with "combo moves" and the keyboard just isn't set up for that.

Side tracking for a moment I've never used a controller in my life but playing Dead Space 3 made me wish I had one. Finished the game with a mouse & keyboard but it was a struggle dealing with the engineering door locks.

This clearly told me the game was made to use a game controller.

^ It's worth getting one Drew.

There's nothing wrong with the mouse/kb aspect of this game. But due it's pacing, I guess the 'casualness' of a controller is how I found it to be enjoyable.

smarteyeball said:

Even with 3 670's I have to game @5040x1080 with SSA set to .5, rest cranked, to keep 60FPS

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Maybe it was a patch or something but I bumped the resolution back to native and I'm still getting solid 60's


This is such a good looking game. And the PhysX gets better. The Bridge level with sheets of rain washing sideways - awesome.

The whole game is impressive visually. Pics don't do it justice.

Ya, but the gameplay sucks. IMO

It`s always dark, and why isn`t the compass on the screen like any other game.

You`re constantly running out of ammo, the weapons suck, and what`s with this gasmask that`s always getting cracked and dirty.

Waaaaa

LOL