Metro 2039 Preview: Our first impression of 4A Games' next project

It has been seven years since we last heard from Ukrainian studio 4A Games. In the meantime, a group split off from the main studio to form Reburn, which released the somewhat disastrous La Quimera, whilst GSC Game World - where the founders of 4A Games come from - brought the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series back in full force.

In other words; seven years is a long time in this industry, but now 4A Games is finally, finally ready. By the time you read this, Metro 2039 will have been formally unveiled via an in-depth Xbox First Look presentation.

So let's briefly summarise what Metro 2039 is, what it isn't, and what ideas and circumstances have shaped 4A Games as a studio and Metro 2039 as a game.

Right, so Metro 2039 is, in a nutshell, a new AAA game which, as the title suggests, takes place three years after Metro Exodus ends. The idea is to send the player "back into the tunnels", so it seems the larger open spaces from Metro Exodus, as well as the more freedom-based level design from that game, are being dropped in favour of a more claustrophobic and intense single-player experience.

The game is built using the studio's very own graphics engine, the 4A Engine, which allows for some truly stunning environments. The brief glimpse of gameplay we've seen, along with the studio's supporting explanations, seem to suggest that we can expect something visually lavish, as well as a focus on immersion above all else. This is expressed, for example, through what the studio calls "frozen stories", meaning that as a player you'll be able to see these detailed snapshots of life right up until the catastrophe struck, and how the environments can tell their own stories without the need for spoken dialogue.

It doesn't appear that we'll be playing as the series' usual protagonist, Artyom, this time. Instead, you are "The Stranger", a protagonist who, after spending time on the surface, finds himself forced to delve back into Moscow's metro system. He does so, among other reasons, because all the factions we have seen previously have been united under a single totalitarian, tyrannical, and Nazi-inspired banner, the Novoreich. This regime is led by the enigmatic Führer Hunter, and the parallels - from the persecution of anyone with critical views of the regime, to endless amounts of propaganda, misinformation, and indoctrination - are clear.

The game appears to have a darker feel, a more horror-like tone, and a focus on pure survival in the tunnels. The studio itself states that this darkening of the Metro franchise is also due to what has happened in our own world since Metro Exodus arrived in 2019. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2020, and although a large part of the studio is now based in Malta, they say themselves that they are "majority-Ukrainian", and that the game has therefore been developed during the ongoing invasion.

"War is now a reality," as the developer says during the presentation, so now Metro is no longer about warning against the horrors of war, but about the consequences of waging war against one another.

As mentioned, the brief gameplay glimpse is short. The Stranger explores an incredibly detailed area, where he is then attacked by what appears to be a Lurker, a rat-like mutant that has been a recurring enemy in previous games in the series. He is, however, rescued by a team that just manages to close the gates to a safer part of the metro before the monsters overrun them. That's all for now, but we do know that the game is coming to Xbox Series, PC, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and PS5 this winter. We assume this places the game's release in December, as there appears to be absolutely no interest in launching major games anywhere near Grand Theft Auto VI, regardless of genre.

Although Exodus was a hit, there are apparently many who believe the game strayed too far from the series' more claustrophobic roots. Metro 2039 is a response to that, and the game appears dark, brutal, and kinetic, whilst also tying in more organically with the earlier Metro instalments. You've got plenty to look forward to.