A new Metro Exodus trailer shows us Artyom's nightmares

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A new Metro Exodus trailer that debuted during today's Inside Xbox livestream showcases some of the different environments and enemies that players will encounter as they traverse the ruined Russian landscape as the Spartan Artyom. More interestingly, it may also suggest that we haven't seen the last of the Dark Ones, the post-human mutants who figured prominently in the first two games. 

The Dark Ones were first presented as an enemy in Metro 2033, although it was eventually revealed that their powerful telepathic abilities were simply overwhelming the Metro survivors whenever they tried to communicate. That led to a spot of unhappy conflict resolution: No spoilers, but let's just say that in fine Russian post-apocalyptic style, the bad ending turned out to be the canon ending in Metro: Last Light. But they managed to persevere, and Last Light ultimate wrapped up on an ambiguous, but relatively upbeat, note. 

As far as I know there's been no mention of the Dark Ones appearing in Exodus, but the child who appears in this trailer bears some familiar hallmarks. The Dark One who accompanied Artyom through Metro: Last Light was also a small child , and this kid is clearly doing some wild stuff inside Artyom's head. Whispering "come closer" and "will you help us?" in a dream-like state is also reminiscent of their previous efforts to communicate with Artyom, and also of their desire to coexist with the remains of humanity. 

Or it could all just be a dream—either way, it's a great trailer. We'll find out soon enough: Metro: Exodus comes out on February 15. 

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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