Martin Rumenov Vertigo Games, known for VR titles like Arizona Sunshine and After The Fall, is set to expand the Metro universe with a new virtual reality experience for PlayStation VR2. Metro Awakening, slated for release later this year, promises to deliver an immersive journey into the franchise’s dark and atmospheric world.
Story and Setting
Metro Awakening serves as a prequel to the events of Metro 2033, offering players a fresh perspective on the series’ origins. The game introduces a new protagonist, Serdar, described as “a doctor and a rationalist” on a desperate quest to find medication for his wife. This personal mission leads Serdar into the treacherous tunnels beneath Moscow, where he must confront mutants and navigate the thin line between life and death.
Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro novels, has collaborated closely with the development team to craft a narrative that he describes as “essential” to the series. Glukhovsky emphasizes that this origin story returns to the foundations of Metro, now enhanced by the immersive capabilities of VR technology.
Gameplay Adaptations for VR
Vertigo Games has focused on translating the Metro series’ signature elements into a compelling VR experience. The game maintains the franchise’s balance between stealth and combat, with an emphasis on creating tension and uncertainty. Players will find themselves physically ducking behind cover and peering through small openings to spy on enemies, adding a new layer of immersion to the stealth gameplay.
To preserve the series’ tactile nature, Metro Awakening incorporates diegetic UI elements and interactions. For instance, players must physically check their ammunition by pulling out and inspecting their weapon’s clip, rather than relying on a HUD display. The game also utilizes PS VR2’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback to enhance the visceral feel of the post-apocalyptic environment.
Comfort and Immersion Settings
Recognizing the diverse preferences of VR users, Metro Awakening offers two primary locomotion presets:
- Immersion: This setting features continuous stick movement with snap rotation as the default, with options for even more immersive controls like continuous rotation.
- Comfort: For those who prefer a less intense experience, this preset offers teleportation-based movement.
The game doesn’t shy away from pushing VR boundaries, particularly in Immersion mode. Players can expect to be physically moved within the virtual space, such as being knocked over or thrown from a rail car, enhancing the sense of presence in the Metro world.
Metro Awakening aims to capture the essence of the Metro series while leveraging the unique capabilities of virtual reality. By combining a compelling new story with immersive gameplay adaptations and flexible comfort settings, Vertigo Games is poised to offer both series veterans and newcomers a fresh perspective on the post-apocalyptic underground of Moscow.
Metro
Metro is a post-apocalyptic first-person shooter video game series based on the novels by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. The games are set in the ruins of Moscow following a devastating nuclear war, with survivors taking refuge in the city’s vast metro system. Here’s a brief overview of the main entries in the series:
- Metro 2033 (2010): The first game introduces players to Artyom, a young man born before the war who must leave his home station to warn others of a new threat called the Dark Ones.
- Metro: Last Light (2013): A direct sequel set one year after the events of Metro 2033, following Artyom as he deals with the consequences of his actions and new conflicts arising in the metro.
- Metro Exodus (2019): The third main entry expands beyond the confines of the Moscow metro, as Artyom and a group of survivors embark on a year-long journey across post-apocalyptic Russia aboard a train called the Aurora.
The Metro games are known for their immersive atmosphere, blend of stealth and action gameplay, and moral choice system that affects the story’s outcome. They feature a unique setting where players must manage limited resources, deal with radiation and toxic air on the surface, and face both human and mutant enemies. The series is praised for its storytelling, world-building, and the tension created by its survival horror elements.
Dmitry Glukhovsky
Dmitry Alekseyevich Glukhovsky is a prominent Russian author, journalist, and political activist born on June 12, 1979, in Moscow. He is best known for his post-apocalyptic science fiction novel “Metro 2033” and its sequels, which gained international acclaim and were adapted into a successful video game series.
Glukhovsky’s career spans multiple fields:
- Literature: Besides the “Metro” series, he has written other novels like “FUTU.RE” and “Text”.
- Journalism: He has worked for international media outlets such as Euronews, RT, Deutsche Welle, and Sky News.
- Video games: Glukhovsky collaborated with game developers on the “Metro” video game adaptations.
In recent years, Glukhovsky has become known for his outspoken criticism of the Russian government and its actions in Ukraine. As a result, he was placed on Russia’s federal wanted list in June 2022 and subsequently sentenced in absentia to 8 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the Russian military. Glukhovsky currently lives abroad due to his legal status in Russia.
