Metro 2039 is a Big FU to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, and that's Perfect

Overnight 4A Games revealed its next entry in the Metro series in Metro 2039 and held no punches in explaining that the entire next-entry project pivoted both narratively and tonaly in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is a huge fuck you to those events and the impact they've had on all manner of functioning life in Ukraine, but is also a poignant and creative response. No one tells Ukraine what it can and can't do.

Leaving Artyom out to pasture after his adventurous, seasonal train ride in the brilliant Metro: Exodus, the studio introduces us to "The Stranger", a new protagonist battling his own traumatic demons as we move once again back into the Metro tunnels of post-apocalyptic Moscow. All factions are united under a single banner -- the Novoreich and its fascist leader, the Spartan Hunter. Misinformation, propaganda and an iron fist leave Metro dwellers in a constant state of figurative and literal dark, despite the promise of a new life on the surface. Our new hero, The Stranger, who will be fully voiced, has already left the Metro once before, but events have led him back to a place where he once swore he'd never return which presumably is where his "waking nightmares" will manifest from. All of which was showcased in an intense cinematic reveal ahead of a gameplay trailer, which you can see both of below -- first in the isolated cinematic followed by the actual 15-minute showcase video featuring a closing video with in-game action:

As you can see, even by Metro standards this is looking to be a darker and more on-the-nose story. We've been promised this is solely a single-player shooter with a deep narrative that will also involve choice and consequence, and all running off 4A Games' own engine where it will be pushing the latest tech innovations just as far as it did with Exodus and Ray-tracing back in 2019.

We also have a handful of screens for you to peruse showcasing the visual fideilty of the game from one of the best in the business you can check out below. Metro 2039 is coming later this year in Australian summer with no official date yet attached, but will be on PC, PS5 and Xbox.

Stay tuned for more as we have it!