Metro Exodus story trailer showcases a rough ride through Russia

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The tunnels of the Moscow Metro are a terrible place to live after the end of the world, but the surface—even after the air has cleared and the snow melted away—isn't exactly a summertime picnic either. There are monsters up above, and an awful lot of non-human unpleasantness too.

The new Metro Exodus trailer is narrated by Ana, the best of the Spartan snipers and also Artyom's wife and traveling partner aboard the Aurora, the train that will carry them out of Moscow and and across the blighted Russian landscape. Artyom, the lead character of the first two games, has always believed that life persisted outside of the Metro: The year-long train ride in Exodus "sees these hopes and dreams put to the ultimate test in the crucible of the Russian wastelands."

Despite the new overland setting, Exodus still looks very Metro. The wretched survivors of the war are still at each other's throats. The Reich will apparently be a factor in the game, and I'm pretty sure those "government you deserve" bozos are the Red Line. Dangerous mutants roam everywhere, and the weather is definitely better but it's still bleakness as far as the eye can see. Lines like "I'll drown you in your own blood!" and "You're not saving anyone!" are a little over the top, but that's Metro for you. If you want an upbeat post-apocalypse, play Fallout.

Developer 4A Games announced yesterday that Metro Exodus will have a built-in photo mode at launch, and based on this trailer it looks like there will be some good opportunities to make use of it along the way. It's set to come out on February 15.

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.