We reviewed Metro Exodus

Driftwood
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 | 4:00 PM
12 comments

GSY Review PC PS4 Xbox One

Many people have been eagerly waiting for the release of Metro Exodus and so have we. Even though the previous 2 games were far from being perfect, they have always had a particular flavor for us. The question was to know if that flavor wouldn't be too different after leaving all the underground locations of the Russian capital. To find out if that's the case, all you need to go is give our verdict a quick read and enjoy all the videos we have prepared for your eyes only.
Note: All the captured footage was recorded before the release of the dedicated Nvidia drivers.

Verdict

People expect Metro Exodus to look gorgeous and they will not be disappointed. It obviously comes with a price, as you will need a very powerful PC to max it out, and even if you do, playing in the extreme preset with hairwork, advanced physics, RTX and DLSS will require you to cap the framerate at 30 fps if you want to play in 4K with the most powerful GPU of the moment. We should have videos of the game running with a GTX 2080 Ti on Thursday, so get ready to be amazed. Although we haven't seen the console versions yet, our good friend John Linneman has told us they seem to struggle, especially on base PS4. Pro and X are mostly stable at 30 (with an advantage for Microsoft's console apparently), but funnily enough, performance is more consistent on base Xbox One overall. Exodus really is the kind of game people will use to benchmark future GPUs, but is it fun to play? The answer is yes for the most part. This third installment has managed to add some more open levels which work well and do not make it feel like you're playing just another open world games. It means you're not going to be overwhelmed by useless activities to keep you busy. The point of these 3 locations (Volga, Caspian and Taiga) is to give your more space for exploration and survival, rewarding you with some nice pieces of equipment if you venture outside of the main storyline. There are risks to do so, as the local fauna is always hostile, and the creatures can quickly outnumber you, but it is possible to remain unseen. Some sequences are still a bit clunky, voice-acting also sounds a bit tacky, but the incredible work 4A Games have achieved on the game's atmosphere and visuals make up for the title's shortcomings. By leaving the dark corridors of Moscow's metro, the series is bound to step into the light more, both literally and figuratively.

On the plus side
Graphically amazing
The overall presentation
Atmosphere is still excellent
It's good to be back in the world of Metro
Metro has evolved but it's still Metro
Open areas are actually a good addition
Crafting and upgrading make sense in this world

On the downside
Very demanding game in the highest presets
No custom settings on PC, why?
Gameplay is still a bit clunky at times
Voice-acting is a bit tacky
AI is still lacking
Story could have been deeper
A few bugs

Commented on 2019-02-13 16:56:41

Overall how did you find the difficulty and resource scarcity with the inclusion of the open areas? Did it feel balanced?
Im thinking of doing a first playthrough on hardcore difficulty since i like the survival horror aspects of metro

In reply to

Driftwood

Commented on 2019-02-13 17:15:31 In reply to AndreasZ94

Played in normal mode so resources were ok overall, though sometimes I was a bit low on ammo (it was mostly annoying once because it was an all action scene). Provided you don't try to kill all the creatures you encounter in the wild, you have enough ammo but you still need to be careful.

Commented on 2019-02-13 17:27:49 In reply to Driftwood

Ok sounds good, i was worried ammo would be a lot more plentiful than in the previous games. Glad you still need to be careful

aceven

Commented on 2019-02-13 20:28:41

Damn, i failed the window to preorder on steam, is it worth it on consoles?

MaxPower

Commented on 2019-02-13 23:16:57

Kind of disappointing how little you can tweak your settings in the game (much like previous titles) especially if some settings that generally don't much affect overall performance (like textures settings) are behind the higher graphics options.

syder

Commented on 2019-02-14 00:13:17

Tacky voice acting is not really a problem for me i'll put the voices in russian for immersiveness. Game sounds good overall.

alitig

Commented on 2019-02-14 01:19:09

Thanks but plz some footage on PS4 pro or one x in 4k

martan

Commented on 2019-02-14 09:00:21

Is the overall feel for the graphics consistent?
On the screenshots you've posted I can see many low resolution material or am I just being too harsh?

I'm glad the atmosphere and difficulty is still there even through the open world is introduced, that's basically all I needed to know ;)

KORNdog

Commented on 2019-02-14 13:50:06

Seems a lot of reviews are saying it looks amazing but gameplay suffers due to poor AI and menial objectives . The weak voice work and technical issues put this safely in the "wait for a discount" pile for me. Maybe this semi open world wasn't the best decision they could have made?

marker

Commented on 2019-02-17 07:14:39

I hope this game does well. Very underrated series IMO

Simplex

Commented on 2019-02-17 18:52:19

"Although we haven't seen the console versions yet, our good friend John Linneman has told us they seem to struggle, especially on base PS4. Pro and X are mostly stable at 60 (with an advantage for Microsoft's console apparently), but funnily enough, performance is more consistent on base Xbox One overall. "

Console version runs at 30fps, not 60. 60fps with such graphics quality on the current generation of consoles is impossible.