035PREVIEW
the game saves, the distance we’ve travelled from
Moscow is shown. It’s just numbers, usually, but
here in the desert we really feel that distance.
Our party – we’re travelling with a bunch of
NPCs – catches the leering eye of bandits. This puts
everyone on edge. We could holster our guns and try
the peaceful approach but initial interactions suggest
these bandits may not be up for a chat. Those who
can stand the heat set out to scout the area and
investigate a nearby radio tower that sounds like it’s
the stage for a drawn-out firefight.
In the Volga we found ourselves crawling through
foliage in an attempt to avoid altercations with
electrical anomalies and whatever else was desperate
for us to waste our precious bullets. The Caspian’s
dunes require a different approach. The area’s littered
with corpses, and it’s easy to get complacent and
think that whatever threat polished these chaps off
has long since withered away in the heat. Trouncing
through the dunes, we all but trip over a weathered
corpse only for it to spring up and give chase.
Frantically pumping the pneumatic Tihar as we make
evasive manoeuvres, we backpedal over a few more
lethargic Humanimals before finally blasting through
the conga line we’ve collected.
There’s a radio tower up ahead of us; it’s
absolutely crawling with Humanimals too, and we
hope when you come to tackle it that you
have the sense to craft a good stock of on-
the-go Tihar bullets beforehand.
Eavesdropping on the bandits’ radio
communications, it becomes crystal clear
that an understanding reached peacefully
is going to prove... elusive. Their leader,
The Baron, is a pompous megalomaniac
and especially hung up on a lone woman
holding out at a lighthouse. We don’t have
to help her, but ignoring her feels a little
too much like helping the Baron.A STAB IN THE DARK
We crawl through a network of shadowy
tunnels swimming in natural gas and plenty
of traps, which we learn were left by the
lady in the lighthouse. We have night vision goggles
to give us an edge in this area of the level, but it’s
still far from a walk in the park: a hastily lobbed
combat knife gives away our position and we scurry
back into the shadows, desperately searching our
backpack for something that will end things quickly
as the Baron’s men call to each other about Artyom’s
last-known position. A quickly crafted molotov
cocktail makes the most of the especially explosive
atmosphere found in these tunnels, revealing how, in
Metro Exodus, there’s more than one way to escape
from a dangerous predicament.
Emerging back into daylight, we happen across
that lighthouse standoff. The lady at the top dishes
defiant taunts to the Baron’s men just as well as she
delivers sharp shots; we’re intent on becoming fast
friends with her. After the nail-biting caverns before,
we’re in for a little catharsis as we eliminate each of
the Baron’s thoroughly distracted bandits with nowt
but our trusty combat knife (though we’re given the
option to subdue them non-lethally too).
Surrounded by corpses (and having collected each
of our blades), the lady of the lighthouse makes it
clear that the enemy of her enemy is her friend. Her
name is Giul and we can’t help but feel this is only
the beginning of a beautiful alliance.FACTRICK
Anna is art director Sergei
Karmalsky’s fave character- he jokes his heart beats
fast when he talks about her.
- ONE & ONLY
Executive producer
Jonathan Bloch reveals
his favourite character is
crotchety Bourbon.- ON THE ROCKS
4A Games has a sub-studio
in Kiev, Ukraine but has been
headquartered in Sliema,
Malta since around 2014.- NEW HOME
Above The dunes around the Caspian sea feel a world away from Moscow’s
dark, cold underground. Just remember your sunscreen factor 150.
Above Bullets are precious, so you won’t want to spray them
around. Save them for when they’ll make the most difference.
Above Everything feels rusted, faded or slightly worn out,
including the people in this post-nuclear Russia.
“A HASTILY LOBBED
COMBAT KNIFE GIVES
AWAY OUR POSITION
AND WE SCURRY BACK
INTO THE SHADOWS.”