Metro Awakening Interview – Bringing the Horrors of Metro to VR

The Metro franchise has by no means didn’t impress to date, and although it stays to be seen how lengthy we’ll be ready for its subsequent mainline instalment, those that’re craving extra Metro do have Metro Awakening to show to. Developed by Vertigo Video games solely for VR units, Metro Awakening is promising a tense, immersive, and genuine Metro expertise, whereas additionally telling an unique story penned by Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky himself.

Out now for Meta Quest 2 and three, PS VR2, and SteamVR, the first-person shooter has clearly turned just a few heads, and to study extra about it and the way it interprets the Metro components to the VR medium, we not too long ago had the possibility to ship throughout a few of our questions concerning the sport to its builders. Beneath, you may learn our interview with sport director Samar Louwe.

NOTE: This interview was performed previous to the sport’s launch.

“The Metro sequence has at all times thrived on immersion, and immersion can be on the core of VR, so it was a pure match.”

As a franchise, Metro has at all times been centered on immersing gamers of their settings whereas delivering high notch graphical presentation. Was that what led to exploring making a VR sport within the sequence, given how properly suited that type of an expertise might probably be to digital actuality?

Positively. As you mentioned, the Metro sequence has at all times thrived on immersion, and immersion can be on the core of VR, so it was a pure match. VR can take this to a complete new stage—placing gamers proper within the coronary heart of the Metro tunnels, surrounded by the eerie ambiance and the threats lurking at the hours of darkness. The mixture of VR’s distinctive capabilities and the storytelling depth of Metro actually excited us.

What different VR video games, if any, did you draw inspiration from?

Although it’s nearly 5 years outdated, Half-Life: Alyx remains to be very related. On the time it confirmed the VR business the way it was achieved. Now, it’s nonetheless what new video games will likely be in comparison with when they’re launched. However we even have a pool of data to attract from in-house. When the crew was achieved with Arizona Sunshine 2 they have been in a position to soar in and assist us out with all the teachings that they had realized.

Metro Awakening is the primary sport within the sequence not developed by 4A Video games. How linked to these different titles is it? Did you get the possibility to collaborate with them on this title?

We collaborated with 4A Video games all through growth. They offered us with belongings and references from the mainline sequence, which helped make sure that we stayed true to the essence of the video games.

What has the expertise of working with Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky been like? How closely has been concerned with the sport’s growth?

Working with Dmitry Glukhovsky has been a useful expertise. Proper from the beginning, we reached out to him to ensure the story would really feel genuine to the Metro sequence. He ended up shocking us by crafting one thing actually private and emotional. That course pushed us to go all in on a story-driven method, placing character growth proper up there with ambiance and gameplay. Dmitry introduced such depth to Metro Awakening, serving to us create one thing that feels true to the Metro world but additionally recent and introspective in a manner we hadn’t initially anticipated.

“We collaborated with 4A Video games all through growth. They offered us with belongings and references from the mainline sequence, which helped make sure that we stayed true to the essence of the video games.”

How straightforward was it to translate a fancy console FPS to the totally different enter and controls of VR?

It positively required a shift in considering. In VR, gamers aren’t simply urgent buttons—they’re bodily interacting with the world, which meant reimagining core actions like aiming, capturing, and even placing on a fuel masks to really feel pure and immersive. We labored intently with our gameplay crew from the begin to fine-tune these interactions till every thing felt responsive and true to the Metro universe. It was difficult, however the result’s an expertise the place each motion feels rapid and fascinating, making the world come to life in a complete new manner.

Will Metro Awakening be a largely linear expertise just like the sequence’ earlier entries, or can gamers count on some components of open-ended exploration much like Metro Exodus?

The way in which Exodus ventured into new territory with its open world construction was an incredible step for the mainline video games, it elevated the sport to new heights. As a participant I totally loved enjoying via it. However the story in Exodus can be about Artyom venturing out, escaping the Moscow metro system, on a quest to see what extra is on the market. Whereas the story Dmitry wrote for Metro Awakening is rather more focused: you have to discover your spouse. So, it was solely logical to not distract our gamers (and protagonist) with open-ended areas. Moreover, since this can be a story that’s set earlier than the occasions of 2033, it made much more sense to stay to the unique setting.

The allure of the sooner video games can be an excellent match for the immersive nature of VR. The confined areas within the Moscow underground allowed for the urgent and inescapable ambiance that we knew was going to achieve success for our medium.

The Metro franchise has at all times been significantly efficient at delivering its personal model of distinctive, post-apocalyptic horror. How have you ever approached translating that to a VR expertise with Metro Awakening?

Our method has been to amplify Metro’s distinctive sense of pressure and dread via VR’s immersive capabilities. Spatial audio, dynamic lighting, and bodily interactivity are all key to creating an environment that retains gamers on edge. VR lets gamers interact immediately with the atmosphere, whether or not it’s wiping fog off their fuel masks or navigating via darkish, claustrophobic tunnels. By bringing gamers immediately into these intense moments, we’re creating an expertise that feels rapid and visceral heightening each the concern and the marvel that Metro is understood for. That is Metro at its most intimate.

“We labored intently with our gameplay crew from the begin to fine-tune these interactions till every thing felt responsive and true to the Metro universe. It was difficult, however the result’s an expertise the place each motion feels rapid and fascinating, making the world come to life in a complete new manner.”

Roughly how lengthy will a median playthrough of the sport be?

It varies relying on the participant’s method and elegance—one thing we’re already seeing with gamers who’ve entry to the Deluxe Version—however on common, a playthrough ought to take round 10 hours.

Metro Awakening is focusing on all main VR platforms at launch. How has the expertise been engaged on these three very totally different takes on VR on the similar time?

It was a aware choice to make sure we delivered a constant expertise throughout PC VR, Meta Quest and PlayStation VR2, whereas nonetheless permitting for sure areas to shine on higher-end platforms like PC and PlayStation. So, it has been each a problem and a possibility. Increased-end techniques allow us to implement superior rendering and lighting for enhanced visuals, whereas Meta Quest pushed us to innovate in efficiency optimization. Our technical groups have collaborated intently, balancing constancy and efficiency, and making certain the sport seems to be and performs its finest on each platform. It’s been a rewarding journey that’s pushed us to be inventive and adapt, benefiting from what every platform has to supply.