Metro Exodus Review: 6 Ups & 4 Downs

4. Scavenging, Crafting And Surviving Is A Great Gameplay Loop

On the surface, there isn't much that marks Exodus' crafting system out from a game like The Last of Us, but that's fine. You can whip your backpack out while out exploring in order to create the essentials - items like medkits, filters, Molotovs and certain ammo types - while an actual crafting bench is needed to tinker with items more extensively. Here you can modify your guns - sometimes transforming them entirely - choose your loadout and change your armour configuration.

Fortunately these systems allow you to create satisfying new gear, which is a good thing because you’re going to find yourself spending a lot of time scouring the floor for boxes and spamming square to hoover up resources and crafting items.

Everything in the game is trying to kill you - even your own weapons and armour, which are practically held together by sticky tape. Guns already have limited ammo, but extended use makes them dirty, which in turn makes them jam, which in turn allows a mutant to swoop in and disembowel you. Everything needs constant maintenance, but that preparation makes the times where you can unload your pristine weapons in a hectic firefight all the more earned.

It’s a loop that perfectly balances making the player feel powerful when they’ve put the time into scavenging, while retaining a sense of peril and improvisation when resources are running low.