Metro Exodus could have been the best game in the trilogy

Both Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light were ahead of their time when it comes to a videogame series. Although the games were lacking in fundamental gameplay, and limited hardware having to run on an Xbox 360. They did manage to gain a niche following that was built up over the years, especially after the game released as new people came into the series. For myself, I started the games before reading the books they were adapted from. Years later, a new influx of gamers would come in late in the series (most having never heard or recognized Metro Exodus as a continuation of Last Light). Having followed the game during it's reveal and eventually playing it, it's no surprise people never played or remembered the first two games.

The immediate change in direction comes from the trailers and reveal of the game. The trailers showed the polar opposite of what made a Metro game, a Metro game. That is, departing from the claustrophobic train tunnels and venturing out into this pseudo open world. If you were to watch the gameplay trailer without knowing what game is was, you'd think it's some spiritual successor to the Metro series.

Gameplay Trailer

This open-world idea was teased by the first gameplay trailer of Metro Exodus. At first glance it sounds promising as the beginning of the trailer kept with the dark atmosphere of the first games. When you start playing in these open areas though, they leave little to be desired. With no main mission marker to go to, it feels like you kind of stumble around until you find some enemies to fight. The general gameplay doesn't help the world either as they double down on this hyper realism with movement. Whenever you walk into a patch of grass or mud, you characters slows down to a snails pace. While carrying 3 rifles and with 100 bullets each no small feat of strength and cumbersome, this does not make the game fun to play. Aside from the slow gameplay mixed with open areas, the story unfortunately takes a hit as they sidelined the most interesting part of the first two games. That being, the Dark Ones.

Metro Last Light Dark One

The first two games made it clear from the opening cutscene that there is something else out there. That, there was something else going on in the story other than a civil war in the metro tunnels. The Dark Ones were a mysterious race that added an interesting science fiction element to the world. It also posed interesting questions that would affect not only the main character but entire plot points. They helped push the games out of familiarity and added some ambiguity to the plot and characters.

One major narrative point that should have shaped the entire plot of this game was the leaving and returning of the Dark Ones. The canonical ending of Metro Last light has the civil war stopped and the little Dark One that has been with you throughout your journey stopping you from detonating a bomb. This in turn, saves the main character and fulfills a promise that is made between Artyom and the little Dark One. The ending cutscene sets up really interesting narrative that could have been brought back in full capacity (not as an easter egg). The narrative ends with the Dark One promising to return, "But one day we'll come back. I'll be big then." Another interesting point the main character says is, "Maybe they really were sent to save us."

What Metro Exodus needed to do was just finish what this narrative means exactly. Did the Dark Ones ever really come back? Where did they come from? Who sent them there to save them? These questions won't ever be answered as Metro Exodus doesn't even mention these questions or narrative again in the main plot points.

Spoilers

Even with this said, I fell like the bad ending gives the most satisfying conclusion for the Rangers and Artyom. Old friends from the other games come back(even if they're dead with Artyom) and Anna is saved along with everyone else on the Aurora. Anna's ending monologue brings Artyom's courage and characteristics full circle with her accepting the fact that he sacrificed himself for her. It's just a shame they dropped the old narrative of the Dark Ones. This ending to Artyom with them bringing back the Dark Ones would have been the best possible ending to the trilogy.