Metro Awakening is the first spin-off in the franchise developed specifically for VR by Vertigo Games. It was released for PC and PSVR 2. I tested the PC version on Steam and encountered some performance tweaking issues initially. The game doesn’t optimize performance on startup, so you’ll need to make your own adjustments. I had to tweak the visuals, including the resolution scale slider, AA, and textures, to achieve an acceptable performance level. Otherwise, the game was stuttering or unresponsive. Once the settings were locked in, I didn’t face any further issues aside from long load times.
Specifically, regarding the gameplay, I was really impressed with the attention to detail. From the first room the game starts in, you can interact with various objects. The controls are customizable, allowing for either a sitting or standing layout, and I was able to adjust them to my liking. While it is not the most interactive VR game nor the most visually impressive, it does its job fine. I disliked how dark it can look at times, and unfortunately, there is no way to adjust this setting. It is a design choice that might lead to a divisive opinion.
Metro Awakening answers one of the major questions in the series lore: the origins of Khan. It’s more of a prequel featuring an original character, Serdar. Most of the game is set underground and features many linear corridors. It may not stand equal to VR greats like Half-Life: Alyx, but I found it enjoyable enough to see it through to the end. My biggest disappointment was how linear and repetitive it feels for the majority of the story. As a VR experience, it fails to impress like Half-Life: Alyx or even Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The VR implementation is done well, although some controls can be confusing, like figuring out how to turn on the flashlight.
The best part of the game is when it offers a mix of horror and action. The sound design is excellent, making us feel fully immersed in the environment. Considering the developer’s previous work includes Arizona Sunshine and its sequel, I was not surprised to sense a degree of familiarity here. For what it’s worth, the game’s story is well-written and each character goes through a development arc. The studio also worked with the series creator, Dmitry Glukhovsky, to develop the lore, and I enjoyed it as a seasoned fan of the franchise. While it might not reach the heights of the series, as a spin-off with its VR focus, it is pretty good.
While I found the gunplay enjoyable and it was a treat to see the classic Metro weapons in VR, the linear aspects of the game often overshadowed this thrill. There are many sequences where you just wander around settlements, watching NPCs go about their daily lives, gossiping and talking to each other. The controls can get a bit cumbersome as you use the stick to teleport to a location. I don’t have the most spacious VR setup, but walking through all these long corridors got on my nerves, especially with the darkness and limited visibility, even with a flashlight.
After a fantastic opening, the pacing of the story slows down to a crawl, and this won’t be the only time it happens. The quality of the game is just not as good as the prologue, as the level design becomes repetitive. The game is barely a few hours long and lacks replay value. It doesn’t make for a good VR showcase for anyone unfamiliar with the VR space. The focus on the story means you have to be invested in the narrative, and there’s less of the survival horror aspect that many fans were hoping for in Metro Awakening.
Vertigo Games deserve credit for creating an authentic Metro experience. However, some of their design decisions unfortunately clash with the quality of the game itself. The gunplay is fantastic, but the endless walking through linear corridors and climbing stairs is not. Despite its issues, I enjoyed my time with the VR title considering the lack of big-budget VR games.
Metro Awakening Game Information
- Price: $39.99
- Publisher: Vertigo Games
- Developer: Vertigo Games
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
