Highlights
- Metro Awakening is a story-driven VR prequel set in 2028, and it is promising an immersive experience in the Metro franchise.
- The developer of Metro Awakening, Vertigo Games, has a decade of experience in the VR landscape, making it likely that the game will deliver a compelling experience.
- Metro Awakening has the potential to be the killer app that PlayStation VR2 needs, but fans shouldn't worry about Metro going VR-only. Not only are VR games in established franchises usually spin-offs, but the official Metro Twitter account took to social media to confirm a traditional entry in the series is still coming.
There was quite a bit riding on this latest PlayStation State of Play, especially following Xbox's recent Developer Direct, but for the most part, it achieved exactly what it set out to do. Not a full-length showcase, the most recent State of Play still delivered around 45 minutes of entertaining reveals and long-awaited updates, covering PS4, PS5, and upcoming PlayStation VR2 games, with Metro Awakening being a major standout for the latter category.
The first Metro game in almost five years, Metro Awakening is set to be a story-driven VR prequel that takes place in 2028. For a series as already immersive as Metro, a VR game makes a whole lot of sense, and Metro Awakening's first trailer shows a lot of promise. But not everyone is happy about Metro Awakening's existence. For those wanting a fully-fledged mainline Metro sequel, Awakening's announcement has been a bit of a disappointment, though those fans really don't need to worry, as the future of the Metro franchise won't be virtual reality.
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The Future of Metro Won't Be VR
Metro Awakening Could Be a Killer App for PSVR2
Though its announcement trailer was brief, Metro Awakening already seems like a logical next step for the franchise, and its developer has more than enough experience in the VR landscape to deliver a compelling, story-driven experience. Metro Awakening is being developed by Vertigo Games, a studio that's been working in the VR space for a decade now. Over the last 10 years, Vertigo has worked on some of the best-reviewed VR games around, including the zombie shooter series Arizona Sunshine, the co-op-focused After the Fall, and the ultimate Sci-Fi simulator Star Trek: Bridge Crew.
It seems as though Metro Awakening is in safe hands, and that seems pretty evident from the game's debut trailer. Though it doesn't show much, Metro Awakening's trailer delivers all the usual franchise imagery fans have come to expect from a Metro game, from makeshift weapons to some horrifying mutant monsters to plenty of eerie underground tunnels. The atmosphere appears to be spot-on in Metro Awakening, and that's possibly the most integral aspect of the entire franchise.
It still has a little ways to go, and it's far too early to make any sweeping judgements, but it's more than possible that Metro Awakening could finally be the killer app that PlayStation VR2 really needs. While Horizon: Call of the Mountain was solid, it wasn't really the system-seller that Sony was probably hoping for, and though games like Resident Evil Village VR are great, they're not moving systems either. Metro Awakening could be that game, even if it's important to note that Metro Awakening is not exclusive, with it also set for a PC VR and Meta Quest 2/3 release.
Metro Awakening Is Just a Side Project for the Franchise
While Metro Awakening could be a match made in heaven for the franchise, fans without a VR headset probably don't need to worry about missing out too much, or worry that the Metro franchise will suddenly be a VR-only series moving forward. VR entries in established franchises are almost always spin-offs that, more often than not, don't really impact the mainline series. Horizon: Call of the Mountain is a good example of this, featuring cameos and crossovers with the mainline series, but probably not affecting the development of Horizon 3 in any major way.
As if that standard gaming industry pattern wasn't enough evidence, fans have also heard it directly from the series' original developers. Shortly following Metro Awakening's announcement, many fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns over the perceived direction of the series. In response, Metro's official Twitter account confirmed that 4A Games is still hard at work on the next mainline Metro entry, meaning that fans have nothing to worry about.
Metro
A post-apocalyptic franchise based on the novels from Russian writer Dmitry Glukhovsky. Includes games like Metro 2033, Metro: Last Light, and Metro: Exodus. A VR title called Metro: Awakening is also launching on the PS VR2.
- Developer(s)
- 4A Games
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
