Metro Awakening Review (PS5 / PSVR2) | Push Square

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Metro Awakening is arguably the biggest PSVR2 release of 2024, but it’s also a big shift for Vertigo Games, the team behind the Arizona Sunshine series. While the wacky and bloody antics of zombie slaying are an easy fit for the VR format, the Metro series is all about stealth, bullet counting, and that dread-inducing atmosphere. While we had concerns as to whether the developer could transfer the hallmarks of the series to the VR format, not only has it proved that it can, it’s also delivered one of the best games on PSVR2.

Set a handful of years before the mainline series, Metro Awakening puts you in the shoes of Serdar, a survivor condemned to a life within Russia’s metro system. Nestled within a small community, Serdar’s wife Yana is in dire need of medication, as she is haunted by the sounds of her dead son’s voice. With a pistol by your side and a trusty gas mask strapped to your backpack, you head out to the dangers and horrors of the metro system.

Immediately, it is clear that Vertigo has nailed the aesthetic of the Metro series, with thrown together lodgings lit up by the amber hue of nearby barrel fires. As you explore you’ll witness no end of horrific sights, from dilapidated camps littered with human remains to mutant nestings speckled with radioactive mushrooms. It all looks fantastic in the grimmest sort of way, and it’s thick with this deeply unnerving atmosphere.

While not as visually impressive as something like Horizon Call of the Mountain, the lighting gives Metro Awakening a much more realistic sense of setting. The green glow of mushrooms, the flickering lights, or even just the flashlight on your head all nail the grungy feel of the series as you sneak around horrid monsters and deranged survivors.

The entire visual package comes together masterfully thanks to the immersive VR features that Vertigo has implemented. It can be as small as wiping the condensation off your gas mask visor or flicking on your lighter to burn away some cobwebs,