Format: PSVR2
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Developer: Vertigo Games
Publisher: Deep Silver

Setting the largely-outdoors "Exodus" aside, the "Metro" games have been about navigating dark, cobweb-filled, mostly linear pathways filled with rubble, tipped over train cars, and radioactive bright green mushrooms. Vertigo Games successfully managed to shift from the colorful, cartoonish style known in their "Arizona Sunshine" series, to mimicking the traditional, more realistic "Metro" aesthetic. The character geometry is a bit dated, but some of the game's special effects are amazing-- the lighting in particular; peering nervously over a crate while an enemy's headlamp beam volumetrically lights up dust in the environment is incredible. Tasteful use of pre-baked shadows around things like sewer grates add sophistication to the environments, and overall the package has flawless performance.

Like the prior "Metro" games, the English voice acting is done by people who have-- or can at least imitate-- an Eastern European or Russian-esque accent, and it works great here. The main character's voice actor does a good job of conveying the character's evolution from arrogant Materialist to the humility of realizing he doesn't know everything. The rest of the cast is equally effective. There is some humor as well, such as the exaggerated way enemies react to player noises or sightings. The title's main theme is a simple, somber guitar song-- and it does a nice job of setting the mood. The game's sound effects and atmospheric music pieces pop out of the speakers, and lend a great deal of atmosphere.

Anyone who has played the "Arizona Sunshine" titles will be immediately comfortable: the backpack can be grabbed off the left shoulder, and from there the gas mask, charger, filters, and the lighter can be used, along with a quick glance at ammo counts. Weapons are selected off the right shoulder, with the pistol always harnessed from the right hip. The guns all have working reloading and function more or less like real life firearms. The level design is fantastic, with nice sign posting and pacing. The only knock is that it's very difficult to grab the correct "thing" in the heat of a fight-- and, the spider enemies are oddly difficult to kill, with shots sometimes seeming to pass right through them!

Metro Awakening is everything anyone could have asked for from a VR "Metro" title. Vertigo Games was a great choice in developer, because they could take what they do so well-- excellent constrained area level design, realistic gunplay-- and apply that to a new formula, with a new coat of paint. The PSVR2's hardware puts in a great shift here: its HDR goes to good use with inky blacks, and ultra bright highlights, such as when the player burns a cobweb with his lighter; while the controllers and button layouts make gameplay intuitive-- when things activate as they should, that is! Add to it an interesting story, and one has got a solid VR title sure to please series fans and otherwise.