Metro Awakening VR Review

Metro Awakening VR takes the beloved, haunting world of the Metro series and plunges it into virtual reality, bringing a whole new level of immersion to Dmitry Glukhovsky’s post-apocalyptic vision. Developed by Vertigo Games, known for VR hits like Arizona Sunshine, Metro Awakening departs from the fast-paced action typically seen in VR shooters, instead focusing on survival, stealth, and storytelling. As a prequel to Metro 2033, Awakening introduces players to Sedar, a doctor whose perilous mission is as personal as it is: navigating the harrowing Moscow tunnel system to reunite with his wife. This journey not only sets the stage for Khan, a mystic figure in the Metro lore but also weaves a rich origin story that fans of the franchise will appreciate.

Launching on November 7, 2024, for platforms including PlayStation VR2, Meta Quest 2 and 3, Steam VR, and Viveport, Metro Awakening promises to envelop players in an experience that combines the gripping survival horror the series is known for with the visceral, hands-on intensity of VR. Every corner holds a new danger, and every encounter could be your last, as you’re not stepping into the boots of a hardened soldier but rather into the shoes of an ordinary doctor. Unlike Artyom, the silent protagonist from the mainline games, Sedar speaks, giving players a character who expresses fear, doubt, and resolve in equal measure.

With contributions from Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky, who served as the lore consultant, the game has been crafted to bring out the emotional depth and personal stakes of Sedar’s story. Whether through the eerie soundscapes or the heart-pounding encounters with scarce bullets and scarce opportunities for survival, Metro Awakening is poised to redefine the series’ experience in a way only VR can.

Setting and Story

In Metro Awakening VR, the setting takes players back to the origin of the terrifying Moscow underground, a place that is as much a character as it is a backdrop. Unlike previous Metro titles, which placed players in the role of battle-hardened survivors, Awakening lets players experience the harrowing environment through the eyes of Sedar, an ordinary doctor whose primary goal is to survive the dangers lurking in the tunnels and reunite with his wife. The world is dark, dank, and deadly, with every shadow and sound potentially signalling an encounter with the unknown. Moscow’s tunnels are more than just a hiding place; they are a labyrinth of despair, filled with both human and inhuman threats.

The story is deeply personal, focusing on Sedar’s journey rather than a grander mission to save the metro or humanity. It’s a refreshing shift from the usual protagonist trope, as Sedar isn’t a soldier with access to abundant weapons. Instead, he’s on a mission of love and desperation, where every move counts and each decision could mean life or death. This vulnerability adds a robust emotional layer to the experience, forcing players to think strategically rather than relying on brute force. As players delve deeper, they learn more about Sedar’s motivations, past, and the sacrifices he’s willing to make, all while uncovering pieces of lore that explain the mysticism surrounding Khan’s character.

An intriguing element in Awakening is how the game starts to reveal Khan’s backstory, a character beloved for his enigmatic presence and mysterious abilities in the mainline Metro series. As players progress through the story, they see how Khan’s journey intertwines with Sedar’s, foreshadowing his transformation from an ordinary man into a legend shrouded in mysticism. Through encounters with supernatural forces and cryptic visions, Sedar’s journey hints at the powerful forces at play, connecting the dots between survival and the spiritual dimension of the Metro world. These moments give fans a new layer of understanding about Khan and his role in the post-apocalyptic landscape.

The partnership with Dmitry Glukhovsky to create Awakening ensures that the narrative remains true to the heart of the Metro series. By working closely with Vertigo Games, Glukhovsky infused the story with the series’ signature darkness and gritty realism, balancing horror with heartfelt moments. Sedar’s journey through the desolate metro system is a story of courage, fear, and love, exploring what people are willing to risk for those they hold dear. In the tunnels of Moscow, amidst the whispers of spirits and echoes of the past, Sedar’s story is not just about survival but about finding hope in the darkest of places.

Gameplay and Mechanics

Metro Awakening VR takes the core mechanics of the Metro series—resource management, stealth, and survival—and adapts them to the immersive realm of VR, creating an experience that feels both familiar and refreshingly intense. As Sedar, players are immediately thrust into a situation where careful planning and cautious movement are essential. Unlike previous protagonists, Sedar is not a trained soldier, which means that even the most straightforward encounters require strategy and nerve. The combat is purposefully slower and more deliberate, making every shot count. Ammunition is scarce, adding weight to each encounter and making players think twice before engaging with enemies directly.

The emphasis on stealth is central to Awakening’s gameplay, providing an alternative to brute force. Players can use shadows, cover, and silent takedowns to bypass threats, creating tense moments where every sound and movement could give them away. The VR environment enhances this aspect by allowing players to crouch, peek around corners, and physically interact with their surroundings. This level of engagement adds to the tension and immerses players in the experience, making evading or sneaking past an enemy as thrilling as confrontation. For those familiar with Metro’s gameplay, this emphasis on stealth feels like a natural progression, now heightened by the VR medium.

Weapons in Metro Awakening VR are functional but far from abundant. Players must scavenge for bullets, clean and maintain their firearms, and use found resources to create makeshift tools or weapons. The game’s VR-specific mechanics extend to interacting with these weapons, requiring players to reload, aim physically, and fire, which adds a tactile layer to combat and resource management. The realism of handling these weapons brings an extra level of challenge; fumbling a reload or aiming off-center can mean the difference between life and death in critical moments. Each encounter, whether with human enemies or the mutated horrors of the metro, becomes a carefully calculated risk.

Adding to the gameplay is an innovative “spiritual awareness” mechanic, where Sedar occasionally experiences visions and encounters that hint at Khan’s supernatural origins. These moments provide temporary abilities—like seeing enemy outlines through walls or detecting hidden traps—that give players a brief advantage but are unpredictable and limited in duration. This mechanic is a clever nod to Khan’s mystical reputation, offering players an intriguing way to explore the unknown while balancing Sedar’s vulnerability. The spiritual awareness mechanic, combined with the slow-paced, methodical gameplay, makes Metro Awakening VR a richly layered experience, blending survival horror with moments of unexpected power.

Multiplayer and Replayability

While Metro Awakening VR is fundamentally a single-player experience, its replayability lies in its narrative depth, immersive world, and varied approaches to survival. The absence of a multiplayer mode doesn’t detract from the game’s lasting appeal; instead, Awakening focuses on replayable elements that encourage players to revisit the story and explore alternate routes. Every playthrough offers unique encounters, as enemy patrols and resource placements are randomized to ensure that no two journeys through the Moscow tunnels feel the same. This unpredictability invites players to adapt their strategies with each run, testing different approaches to both stealth and combat.

The choice to engage in stealth or direct combat heavily influences each encounter, giving players options to experiment with tactics. Metro Awakening encourages exploration, allowing players to discover hidden areas, secret supplies, and pieces of lore that add to the understanding of Khan’s origins and the mysteries of the metro. Replayability is further enhanced by the game’s reactive environment, where player choices affect specific scenarios and outcomes. Opting for stealth over aggression or assisting NPCs can lead to new story fragments, creating a more personalized experience that rewards curiosity and thoughtful decision-making.

Metro Awakening VR also offers a “Challenge Mode,” where players can tackle specific objectives under increasingly difficult conditions to keep players engaged beyond the primary campaign. This mode includes time-limited survival tasks, stealth missions, and combat trials designed to push players’ skills to their limits. The VR setting makes these challenges feel visceral and intense, providing an avenue for players who seek mastery of the game’s mechanics. With limited resources, randomized enemy placement, and dynamic environmental hazards, Challenge Mode offers a demanding but rewarding experience that extends the game’s lifespan and replay value.

For those drawn to the atmospheric elements, Metro Awakening includes an “Exploration Mode,” where players can wander through the beautifully haunting tunnels without combat, focusing solely on uncovering the environment’s hidden stories. This mode encourages players to take in the haunting sights and sounds of Moscow’s underworld, immersing themselves in the eerie beauty of the metro. Exploration Mode is particularly appealing for fans who wish to explore the lore and ambiance at their own pace. It makes Metro Awakening VR a multifaceted experience that caters to thrill-seekers and story enthusiasts alike.

Graphics and Sound

Metro Awakening VR fully uses modern VR hardware to deliver a visually stunning and profoundly atmospheric experience. The environments, meticulously crafted by Vertigo Games in collaboration with 4A Games, faithfully capture Moscow’s underground tunnels’ haunting beauty and oppressive dread. The VR format allows players to fully appreciate the scale and detail of the world around them; flickering lights, crumbling concrete, and the eerie glow of phosphorescent fungi make each area feel alive with an unsettling presence. Every corridor and chamber is carefully designed to maintain a sense of claustrophobia and foreboding, immersing players entirely in Sedar’s journey through the depths.

Lighting is used brilliantly to heighten the sense of dread, with shafts of dim light occasionally piercing the darkness and casting long shadows that play tricks on the eye. This attention to detail makes the metro feel vast and confining, with every corner potentially posing a danger. The VR platform enhances this by allowing players to physically lean around corners, peer down dark passageways, and even crouch to avoid detection—all of which contribute to an intensely personal sense of immersion. With ray-traced lighting and dynamic shadows on higher-end VR headsets, Metro Awakening creates a chillingly lifelike visual experience that transports players directly into the game’s post-apocalyptic world.

Sound design plays an equally crucial role in Metro Awakening VR, with every audio element crafted to draw players deeper into the game’s unsettling environment. The game uses spatial audio to significant effect; the distant sounds of dripping water, echoing footsteps, and the scurrying of mutated creatures make players feel as though unseen underground threats truly surround them. Sedar’s breathing becomes audibly ragged in tense moments, reinforcing his vulnerability and adding to the game’s suspense. With a set of quality VR headphones, the audio experience becomes remarkably immersive, turning even simple sounds into potential triggers for fear.

The soundtrack and voice acting are also top-notch, with Dmitry Glukhovsky’s involvement ensuring the tone stays faithful to the Metro series. Sedar’s voice acting brings a layer of humanity to the experience, as his reactions range from whispered monologues to fearful mutterings. The game’s original score swells at key moments, amplifying the horror and emotional depth of Sedar’s journey. Each track is carefully placed to support the narrative, creating moments where players feel fully enveloped in the world. Together, the graphics and sound design make Metro Awakening VR one of the most immersive titles in VR, drawing players into a world of survival horror that feels uncomfortably close to reality.

Final Thoughts

Metro Awakening VR is a triumphant leap forward for the Metro series, delivering an experience that captures the essence of survival horror while entirely using virtual reality’s immersive capabilities. Vertigo Games and Deep Silver have crafted a game that brings the atmospheric dread and richly layered storytelling of Metro to life in a fresh and uniquely intense way. Sedar’s journey through the Moscow tunnels is not only a test of survival but an emotional exploration that adds a new layer to the franchise’s lore, delving into the origins of Khan and the spiritual undercurrents that define the Metro universe.

The VR platform allows players to experience the tunnels in a way no flat screen could ever replicate. Every movement feels deliberate, every encounter is tense, and the stakes feel higher when the player is directly involved, physically navigating the dark, dangerous world. Awakening differentiates itself from traditional VR shooters by focusing on a slower, more methodical gameplay style, embracing a narrative-driven approach that keeps players invested in Sedar’s personal quest. The gameplay is challenging but rewarding, and the emphasis on resourcefulness and stealth adds to the sense of immersion, making each survival decision feel impactful.

Despite the absence of multiplayer, Metro Awakening VR succeeds in offering high replay value through its dynamic encounters, multiple paths, and additional modes. Challenge and Exploration Mode provide different ways to experience the game, catering to those seeking intense survival trials or a more relaxed, lore-focused experience. The game’s design encourages players to experiment with different strategies, discover hidden stories, and engage in the world at their own pace, making it accessible to both newcomers and veteran fans of the series.

In conclusion, Metro Awakening VR is a masterclass in VR survival horror, combining a gripping story, stunning visuals, and an immersive soundscape that brings Moscow’s underground to life like never before. For fans of the Metro series and VR enthusiasts alike, this title offers an unmissable experience that explores the human side of survival in a brutal, unforgiving world. With its captivating narrative, expertly crafted setting, and innovative VR mechanics, Metro Awakening VR stands as a new high point for VR storytelling and a promising entry in the Metro franchise.

We prepared this review with a digital copy of Metro Awakening VR for the Meta Quest version provided by Deep Silver.