When Metro Exodus was first revealed at E3 2017, it overwhelmingly appeared to be an open-world game. Publisher Deep Silver later clarified Exodus would be a `sandbox survival experience,` with players exploring large, non-linear levels throughout the game. So not quite open-world, but something approaching it, then. If a four-hour preview build is anything to go by, Developer 4A Games has fulfilled that promise, but it remains to be seen if the move turns out to be a positive one for the hitherto underappreciated series.In theory, marrying Metro`s survival gameplay with an open(ish) world is a great idea. Exploring a wide environment, scavenging for resources, and, well, struggling to survive sounds exactly like Far Cry 2, aka The Best Shooter Ever Made (don`t @ me). However, in practice, it has so far turned Metro from a flawed but focused survival experience into a flabby and frustrating sub-standard shooter.The two levels I played were set during different parts in the story; one sees the returning playable character Artyom stranded from his teammates in a jungle environment and the other has him investigating a town of bandits in the desert. 4A Games wouldn`t say when during the campaign these levels are set, but certainly being dropped in isn`t ideal preparation for a relatively involved survival game. In these areas, the increased scope and playing field felt like it undermined the core of the Metro series` gameplay experience. Identikit enemies filled both levels--enemies who are both plentiful and powerful, two attributes that are acceptable by themselves but aggravating when combined with a severe lack of ammunition and dissatisfying, fiddly combat that makes a giant crossbow feel like a spud gun. Difficulty is not something I dislike, but at least make it fun to overcome that difficulty; being trapped in a die-respawn-die loop because there are no spare bullets in the vicinity makes it feel unfair.Making your map a physical item Artyom carries is a ni ...
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