A Song of Ice and Flowers

Metro Exodus

The Metro series is known for its claustrophobic environments and tension-filled firefights, as you explore the tunnels under a Moscow torn by nuclear war.

Think of it as Fallout set in Moscow — the series isn’t as popular as some of the more sought after games out there, but it has a cult following, so much so Hollywood has sat up and taken notice. Based on the books by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus continues the saga, taking us across war-torn Russia.

What’s it about?

You play as Artyom, a boy who was born in 2013, when the nuclear attack razed Moscow. Brought up in the tunnels underground, his story begins when he emerges forth from the bunker in 2033, in the first Metro game.

After the events of Last Light, the story finds Artyom and his new wife Anna trying to find evidence of radio signals that prove that life exists outside of Moscow. They stumble upon a horrifying secret that has them and a handful of Spartan Rangers commandeer a train, The Aurora, as they head out across the continent in search of life.

The story of Metro has always been engaging, with a karma system that works. Your decisions not only have an effect on the reactions of the people around you, but also have ramifications on the ending. Exodus’ story keeps you sitting at the edge of your seat. Walk through the tunnels and you see people trying to escape with a little bit of food before something horrible got to them. Little shanties hold evidence of people’s lives as they fight to survive and scavenge.

How does it play?

As a survival horror, Metro Exodus hits all the right notes. The shadows themselves feel like they hold all sorts of monsters, and the game genuinely has a lot of scares that happen organically rather than being scripted. The game gives you a nice break by exploring the surface. You will plunge under its depths for that familiar claustrophobic tunnel exploring where you have to scavenge for ammo and materials, for when the creatures come, they come in packs.

If the mutants don’t kill you, then the harsh weather and radiation will. You need to manage your gas mask while changing your filters in time. Stay too long in irritated areas and you will die, so you need to keep an eye on your Geiger counter. There is a really good stealth mechanic built in too, letting you avoid enemies by switching off lights and creating distractions. The AI reacts realistically to these situations.

What did annoy was the different buttons and things you need to do to stay alive. The moment the tell-tale red vignette appears telling you’re not okay, it is hard to figure out what is wrong. The game works on a minimal hud, and while sometimes it does not work, there are many times it does. Especially in not spoon-feeding you with waypoints on where to go next, instead relying on you to find your way with just a basic hint. It is wonderfully refreshing and adds to the terror.

Far Cry New Dawn

The underlying theme of every Far Cry is that they are all about trouble in paradise. A beautiful place that is taken over by some form of tyrant. Where you play a reluctant hero who must unite and bring together the island to overthrow and end the tyranny.

A tried-and-tested formula that has powered several Far Cry games. A formula that makes these games undeniably fun, no matter how repetitive things may get. Far Cry New Dawn may be set in a post-apocalypse, but it’s still quintessentially Far Cry through and through.

What’s it about?

As a rule of thumb, wastelands are not pretty places. However, the wasteland of New Dawn is beautiful. In the years after the bombs fell, known as the Collapse, the radiation has given way to a super bloom. Covering the ground with acres of flowers as far as the eye can see. For a time, nature took over and everything was peaceful, even when people started emerging from their underground bunkers.

The post-apocalypse was a paradise until the Highwaymen came, led by nihilistic twin sisters, Mickey and Lou. Once more, Hope County will need a new hero to liberate it. If you found the name Hope County familiar, you’re right, New Dawn is a continuation from Far Cry 5. Set in mid-western America, the events of the first game triggered the Collapse. You play the survivor of a train ambushed by the Highwaymen; left for dead, you’re rescued by a group of survivors of a tiny settlement known as Prosperity, who enlist your aid to help them find specialists to build them up to stand against the antagonisers. So in true Far Cry fashion, you have to journey around the wasteland to unite Hope County and fight together.

Things start heating up when your settlement has to band up with a cult known as New Eden, radical extremists who were the antagonists in Far Cry 5. The writing is excellent with Far Cry’s usual humour when it comes to poking fun here and there at the post-apocalyptic genre itself.

How does it play?

As with all Far Cry games, New Dawn is fun from the get-go. You can set out in any direction and find things to do. The game is played from a strictly first-person view. The action is fast and fluid, letting you wield all sorts of weird weapons like a gun that shoots saw blades as well as conventional weapons.

There are a lot of things to do in the game and talking to everyone helps. You never know who’s going to hand you a treasure map. You also get to jump into all manner of Mad Max-esque vehicles as you race across the wasteland, rescuing folks or highjacking tankers full of resources. All of these you can collect to buy perks that unlock new abilities such as lockpicking, repairing or wingsuiting.

The only flaws with New Dawn are that things get repetitive too fast. Sure there is a lot to do, but soon you will find the enemy AI too dumb, and your buddies seem to get in the way. Like every Far Cry, this game is best played in short bursts to keep things fresh. The option to play as a male or female character which you can customise is great.

Should you get it?

Both Metro Exodus and Far Cry New Dawn are the salve we need from the horrible burn that was Fallout 76. . New Dawn is a great romp in a wasteland like you’ve never seen before.

The writer is a tech and gaming enthusiast who hopes to one day finish his sci-fi novel