Metro: Last Light is a post-apocalyptic-themed, first-person shooter video game with stealth and survival horror elements. It was developed by Ukrainian studio 4A Games, published by Deep Silver, distributed by Square Enix in North America for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2013. A remastered version of the game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox Onein August 2014 as Metro: Last Light Redux within the Metro Redux package
A sequel to the video game Metro 2033, its story follows Artyom, a Ranger living in Moscow‘s metro system after a destructive nuclear war. Tasked with finding the mysterious Dark Ones, Artyom must venture to different parts of the metro system, and the surface filled with radiated gases, and fight against different factions and mutated monsters. The game improves on various gameplay mechanics of 2033, and introduces elements such as weapon customization.
Developed by a team of about 80 people, Last Light is a direct sequel to 2033, with franchise creator Dmitry Glukhovsky writing the game’s dialogue and main story outline. Multiplayer modes were planned but were eventually scrapped in order to focus on single-player, which the developers hoped would “rekindle memories of Half-Life 2“. Originally set to be published by THQ, which provided a very limited budget for the game’s development, Koch Media acquired it after THQ’s bankruptcy. A Wii U version was planned but was ultimately canceled
The game received generally positive reviews from critics. Praise was focused largely on its atmosphere, world design, tone, graphics, and gameplay, while criticism was directed particularly at the artificial intelligence and technical issues. The pre-order bonus Ranger mode, marketed as the definitive way of playing the game, triggered controversy. The game was a commercial success, with its first-week retail sales in the US surpassing the lifetime retail sales of 2033. A sequel, Metro: Exodus was released in 2019.
