The Metro franchise has by no means didn’t impress up to now, and although it stays to be seen how lengthy we’ll be ready for its subsequent mainline instalment, those that’re craving extra Metro do have Metro Awakening to show to. Developed by Vertigo Video games solely for VR units, Metro Awakening is promising a tense, immersive, and genuine Metro expertise, whereas additionally telling an unique story penned by Metro writer Dmitry Glukhovsky himself.
Out now for Meta Quest 2 and three, PS VR2, and SteamVR, the first-person shooter has clearly turned just a few heads, and to study extra about it and the way it interprets the Metro system to the VR medium, we lately had the possibility to ship throughout a few of our questions in regards to the sport to its builders. Under, you possibly can learn our interview with sport director Samar Louwe.
NOTE: This interview was carried out previous to the sport’s launch.
“The Metro collection has all the time thrived on immersion, and immersion can be on the core of VR, so it was a pure match.”
As a franchise, Metro has all the time been targeted on immersing gamers of their settings whereas delivering prime notch graphical presentation. Was that what led to exploring making a VR sport within the collection, given how effectively suited that kind of an expertise might doubtlessly be to digital actuality?
Positively. As you stated, the Metro collection has all the time thrived on immersion, and immersion can be on the core of VR, so it was a pure match. VR can take this to an entire new degree—placing gamers proper within the coronary heart of the Metro tunnels, surrounded by the eerie ambiance and the threats lurking at midnight. The mix of VR’s distinctive capabilities and the storytelling depth of Metro actually excited us.
What different VR video games, if any, did you draw inspiration from?
Regardless that it’s virtually 5 years previous, Half-Life: Alyx continues to be very related. On the time it confirmed the VR trade the way it was accomplished. Now, it’s nonetheless what new video games might be in comparison with when they’re launched. However we even have a pool of data to attract from in-house. When the group was accomplished with Arizona Sunshine 2 they have been in a position to bounce in and assist us out with all the teachings they’d realized.
Metro Awakening is the primary sport within the collection not developed by 4A Video games. How linked to these different titles is it? Did you get the possibility to collaborate with them on this title?
We collaborated with 4A Video games all through improvement. They offered us with belongings and references from the mainline collection, which helped be certain that we stayed true to the essence of the video games.
What has the expertise of working with Metro writer Dmitry Glukhovsky been like? How closely has been concerned with the sport’s improvement?
Working with Dmitry Glukhovsky has been a useful expertise. Proper from the beginning, we reached out to him to verify the story would really feel genuine to the Metro collection. He ended up stunning us by crafting one thing actually private and emotional. That route pushed us to go all in on a story-driven method, placing character improvement proper up there with ambiance and gameplay. Dmitry introduced such depth to Metro Awakening, serving to us create one thing that feels true to the Metro world but in addition contemporary and introspective in a means we hadn’t initially anticipated.
“We collaborated with 4A Video games all through improvement. They offered us with belongings and references from the mainline collection, which helped be certain that we stayed true to the essence of the video games.”
How straightforward was it to translate a posh console FPS to the completely different enter and controls of VR?
It positively required a shift in pondering. In VR, gamers aren’t simply urgent buttons—they’re bodily interacting with the world, which meant reimagining core actions like aiming, capturing, and even placing on a gasoline masks to really feel pure and immersive. We labored intently with our gameplay group from the begin to fine-tune these interactions till all the things felt responsive and true to the Metro universe. It was difficult, however the result’s an expertise the place each motion feels instant and interesting, making the world come to life in an entire new means.
Will Metro Awakening be a largely linear expertise just like the collection’ earlier entries, or can gamers count on some components of open-ended exploration just like Metro Exodus?
The best way Exodus ventured into new territory with its open world construction was an awesome step for the mainline video games, it elevated the sport to new heights. As a participant I totally loved taking part in by it. However the story in Exodus can be about Artyom venturing out, escaping the Moscow metro system, on a quest to see what extra is on the market. Whereas the story Dmitry wrote for Metro Awakening is rather more focused: you have to discover your spouse. So, it was solely logical to not distract our gamers (and protagonist) with open-ended areas. Moreover, since it is a story that’s set earlier than the occasions of 2033, it made much more sense to stay to the unique setting.
The allure of the sooner video games can be an excellent match for the immersive nature of VR. The confined areas within the Moscow underground allowed for the urgent and inescapable ambiance that we knew was going to achieve success for our medium.
The Metro franchise has all the time been notably efficient at delivering its personal model of distinctive, post-apocalyptic horror. How have you ever approached translating that to a VR expertise with Metro Awakening?
Our method has been to amplify Metro’s distinctive sense of rigidity and dread by VR’s immersive capabilities. Spatial audio, dynamic lighting, and bodily interactivity are all key to creating an environment that retains gamers on edge. VR lets gamers have interaction immediately with the setting, whether or not it’s wiping fog off their gasoline masks or navigating by darkish, claustrophobic tunnels. By bringing gamers immediately into these intense moments, we’re creating an expertise that feels instant and visceral heightening each the worry and the marvel that Metro is thought for. That is Metro at its most intimate.
“We labored intently with our gameplay group from the begin to fine-tune these interactions till all the things felt responsive and true to the Metro universe. It was difficult, however the result’s an expertise the place each motion feels instant and interesting, making the world come to life in an entire new means.”
Roughly how lengthy will a median playthrough of the sport be?
It varies relying on the participant’s method and magnificence—one thing we’re already seeing with gamers who’ve entry to the Deluxe Version—however on common, a playthrough ought to take round 10 hours.
Metro Awakening is concentrating on all main VR platforms at launch. How has the expertise been engaged on these three very completely different takes on VR on the similar time?
It was a aware determination to make sure we delivered a constant expertise throughout PC VR, Meta Quest and PlayStation VR2, whereas nonetheless permitting for sure areas to shine on higher-end platforms like PC and PlayStation. So, it has been each a problem and a possibility. Larger-end programs allow us to implement superior rendering and lighting for enhanced visuals, whereas Meta Quest pushed us to innovate in efficiency optimization. Our technical groups have collaborated intently, balancing constancy and efficiency, and guaranteeing the sport seems and performs its finest on each platform. It’s been a rewarding journey that’s pushed us to be artistic and adapt, profiting from what every platform has to supply.