Metro Awakening stands as a landmark release on the PSVR2 in 2024, marking a bold new direction for Vertigo Games, previously known for the Arizona Sunshine series. Transitioning from the chaotic zombie mayhem that’s a natural fit for VR to the subtle tension of the Metro series—with its emphasis on stealth, meticulous ammo management, and a haunting atmosphere—was no small feat. Our initial doubts about the developer’s ability to translate Metro’s distinctive elements into VR were quickly dispelled. They’ve successfully crafted one of the standout titles on PSVR2.
Taking place several years before the main Metro storyline, Metro Awakening casts players as Serdar, navigating the perilous confines of Russia’s metro system. Serdar is part of a small community, but his immediate concern is for his wife Yana, who urgently requires medication. She’s tormented by ghostly whispers of their deceased son. Armed with a pistol and a trusty gas mask, players must brave the lurking dangers of the metro network.
Right from the start, Vertigo Games impressively captures the bleak, makeshift aesthetics inherent to the Metro series. The environment, suffused with the flickering glow of barrel fires, paints a vivid, unsettling picture. The game plunges you into others’ squalor, from devastated camps marked by human remains to monster-infested nests glowing with radioactive fungi—each location artistically rendered in disconcerting detail.
Although Metro Awakening doesn’t boast the visual grandeur of some other VR titles like Horizon Call of the Mountain, its lighting effects convincingly ground the game’s setting. The ominous green glow of mushrooms and the eerie flicker of lights evoke the grimy essence of the series. Sneaking past grotesque creatures and erratic survivors feels especially real under such immersive lighting.
The dedication to immersion is further enhanced by VR-specific features that Vertigo Games has seamlessly woven into the gameplay. Whether you’re wiping away gas mask condensation or using your lighter to clear a web, these VR moments greatly enhance the experience. A standout moment might be navigating a spider-infested area, scanning your surroundings with your weapon ready, only to feel a massive spider pounce and crawl around your headpiece, thanks to pinpoint haptic feedback. Such moments simply cannot be replicated on a screen.
Metro Awakening doesn’t overwhelm with a vast armory, but each weapon feels satisfying, thanks in part to combat mechanics refined since Arizona Sunshine 2. The act of reloading—manually ejecting and replacing magazines or loading every shell into a shotgun—remains thrilling, bolstered by the PSVR2 Sense Controller’s haptics. Improvements include the ability to support a weapon by its barrel, freeing one hand for other tasks. Mastery of shooting, reloading, and weapon switching becomes second nature with time spent in the game.
The controls deserve praise for maintaining immersion without breaking the world’s realism. Aside from occasional load screens, interaction within the environment remains in-world. Flashlights are toggled by pressing the right button while holding the controller to your head; your rifle sits over your right shoulder, while reaching over your left shoulder brings out your backpack. Even checking ammo feels real, with the option to visually inspect your magazine.
You might occasionally fumble, like grabbing your backpack instead of ammunition, but Metro Awakening generally avoids the common control issues found in other VR shooters. The thrill of stalking enemies, closing one eye to aim with your crossbow, and experiencing ammunition scarcity is absorbing. This scarcity, long a Metro series hallmark, adds a tactile dimension by encouraging actions like scavenging discarded weapons for magazines or retrieving crossbow bolts.
When the action ramps up, Metro delivers. Quick headshots, grabbing a fallen weapon, and darting back into cover to unleash a few more rounds—all feel exhilarating. Stealth scenarios, where you distract foes by tossing bottles and maintain shadows to avoid detection, expertly balance tension and strategy. However, there are minor gripes—melee knockouts can be tricky, and enemy footsteps sometimes challenge your positional awareness.
Combining mechanics and visuals, Metro Awakening crafts some remarkably intense campaign moments. The ominous music, dynamic lighting, and seamless control integration elevate the immersion, fully drawing you into its world.
On the narrative front, Metro Awakening’s story is solid, beginning with engaging characters and plausible VR mo-cap. While its story isn’t boring, our engagement waned as the plot veered more into the supernatural. While these elements add variety to gameplay, they lack the engaging pull of sneaking past bandits and monsters.
The campaign slightly loses steam towards its end. We yearned for more variety in settings, and the emotional climax underwhelmed a bit. Some on-rails shooter sequences felt too frequent. Still, memorable gameplay moments sprinkled across the 10-hour experience kept us hooked.
Technical performance was mostly smooth, with only minor hiccups like occasional crashes during area loading, brief immobility after loading, and a couple instances of frame rate drops. For the most part, these were infrequent and didn’t mar the experience.
### Conclusion
We apologize for ever doubting Vertigo’s ability to craft a Metro VR game. The developers from the Netherlands have superbly captured this cult series’ essence, enhancing it with various VR-specific features. Despite some narrative hiccups and our wish for more diverse settings, Metro Awakening’s highlights far outshine its shortcomings. Its stunning visuals, atmospheric setting, and intuitive controls make it one of the most immersive VR experiences we’ve encountered.
