Welcome to our review of Metro 2033 Redux, a game I never thought we’d see released on Nintendo Switch.
In 2013 the world was devastated by an apocalyptic event, annihilating almost all mankind and turning the Earth’s surface into a poisonous wasteland. A handful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age.
The year is 2033. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised underground. Having never ventured beyond the city limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat.
Your journey takes you from the forgotten catacombs beneath the subway to the desolate wastelands above, where your actions will determine the fate of mankind. But what if the real threat comes from within?
Metro 2033 Redux is the definitive version of the cult classic ‘Metro 2033’, available on Nintendo Switch™ for the first time. Fans of the original game will find the unique world of Metro transformed with incredible lighting, physics and dynamic weather effects. Newcomers will get the chance to experience one of the finest story-driven shooters of all time; an epic adventure combining gripping survival horror, exploration and tactical combat and stealth.
All the gameplay improvements and features from the acclaimed sequel ‘Metro: Last Light’ have been transferred to Metro 2033 Redux – superior AI, controls, animation, weapon handling and many more – to create a thrilling experience for newcomers and veterans alike. With two unique play-styles, and the legendary Ranger Mode included, Metro 2033 Redux offers hours of AAA gameplay for an incredible price.
Metro 2033 Redux is a critically acclaimed title from a few years ago and yes, it proves once again that bringing games to Switch does not mean you need to sacrifice on quality. No, Metro 2033 Redux looks and feels as dark as ever before and for those unaware, that is high praise. Having tried the game a few weeks ago on Xbox Game Pass, I knew I wanted to play this game on the go rather than on my TV. It just screamed playing it on the sofa or at break time during working hours. Metro 2033 Redux delivers in a grand fashion.
The game itself is critically acclaimed and I will not go too much into details on the story, I just love being Artyem and the dark feeling this game brings. My biggest gripe is the often weird loading times. While some interludes will perfectly blend with the loading times, it sadly did not always succeed this well. Loading times can be on the long time and for the record, I played it on a v1 AND a v2 Switch, each time with a Sandisk MicroSD with an actual read speed of over 90 according to my speed tests on my Surface pro. The reason why I mention this, I did what I can to see if I could speed up loading times but to no avail.
While they are not horribly long, they do bother me because they were obligatory even after getting wasted by one of the outside creatures and having to sit through it each and every time. I had one point where I kept getting killed due to low bullet numbers and while I did make it through eventually, it was more due to not giving up rather than my impatience almost deciding to stop playing. I know this sounds harsh to some, I just get irritated when I need to wait to continue playing.
Not all is bad though, Metro 2033 Redux is actually quite the decent game and once you remember to keep your journal at hand for directions when you get lost, the game will play great. Despite the advantages of being portable, I did end up enjoying the game the most on TV. I know, silly me right? But in all honesty, the small screen is not the easiest to play on when trying to take out an enemy in the distance. Not impossible, just easier on a bigger screen.
Metro 2033 Redux is one of those games that just clicks with you or it does not. For me, it is a definite yes, it clicked big time and when the game kicked me down, I kept getting back up and even ended up going to bed at 3 am on a working day. I guess that about sums it up. This game even made me really want to get better at the genre of First-person action shooters. Not that I am bad at it, on the contrary, I finish around 10 campaign games annually of the genre, just that it got me itching to play it all the way through, at level 5 at the time of writing this review. Needless to say, I also want to get my hands on the next game as well.
In conclusion, Metro 2033 Redux is as great as its reputation. Portability is an added bonus though, in my humble opinion, TV mode is the best way to really take in all the glamour that is this game.
