Metro Exodus (Enhanced). Having played the previous games and enjoyed them, it took me a while to get around to this. Not a problem given we got the enhanced Version with ray tracing and Global illumination. Those graphics are incredible, and really fit with the atmosphere of metro, but also with what they do in this version, with 4 very different areas and environments, that also opens it up to be semi open world (without the Ubisoft clutter).
The actual FPS part of the game is satisfying but I like that it doesn’t just keep throwing more and more enemies at you. There is plenty of variety and approaching it as an FPS gets you dead fast. It encourages a mix in approach. The crafting mechanics are also excellent, and you feel like you are in a post apocalyptic world where resources are scare and you need to hunt for them. Equipment gets damaged, gets dirty, and requires you to find workbenches to fix. As the game went on, this aspect got harder and having guns jam through dirt/use, added to the atmosphere which is also very well done between the environments.
Story telling is good and a nice change to previous metro games with the new environments. Exodus creates a brilliant atmosphere backed up with excellent graphics, solid shooting but well thought out crafting/exploration and stealth aspects that meant I really enjoyed it.
One of the best games I’ve played in the last year.
9/10
Some images: