I've been a fan of the Metro series since 2033 released on the 360, and I've played that game many times. Moved on to Last Light to give it another playthrough, and I'm already having a blast with it, but god does the :so-true: "DAE gommulists are as bad as the nazis" shit really get annoying.

They start off by showing the Nazis to be literal skull measuring concentration camp building monsters, but when it comes to the commies, there is minimal ideological exploration. Supposedly the Red Line follows their ideology and there is plenty of the aesthetic with CCCP flags everywhere and comrade this and that and what not, but nothing of value is really shown beyond the same tired tropes of them being traitorous hypocritical thugs running a police state, and the game spends WAY more time emphasizing them as the main antagonists. The first game dabbled in this but it was way further in the background and there was more plausible deniability that it was just a shitty faction using the name.

The irony is that in the original novels, written by a Russian author, the communists aren't a major faction. Artyom meets a few of them and they have a warm exchange and he gets to learn about some of their theory (he thinks Che is a station). Of course, the game devs are Yoooookrainian, it's just so on the nose. Besides this, I really love these games for their world building, atmosphere, and linear experiences. Hopefully Exodus minimizes this shit, as it is the only game in the series I haven't played yet.

As a fun bonus, here is some concept art of what the Red Line officers were originally going to look like

  • Puggo [he/him]
    ·
    2 anni fa

    I'm pretty sure Last Light goes with the "Communists are worse than the Nazis" trope, since the Red Line become the primary baddies whereas the Nazis get relegated to doing nothing or whatever.

    I don't recall Exodus having any kind of shit takes on communism aside from maybe one achievement. In fact I think there's some interesting side conversations you can hear.

    • MC_Kublai [none/use name]
      ·
      2 anni fa

      Yeah it's quickly shaping up to be a worse portrayal of the communists. I'm still basking in the glow of stealth killing every last nazi without getting caught.

    • Bloobish [comrade/them]
      ·
      2 anni fa

      Wasn't there cannibal nazis at the end of the game? Or were those just regular cannibals?

      • MC_Kublai [none/use name]
        ·
        2 anni fa

        Don't remember which. Unrelated, but I love me some cannibals in my apocalyptic, western, or just plain creepy and remote fictional settings. They're like MSG. Just sprinkle on some cannibals and we're golden.

        • Bloobish [comrade/them]
          ·
          2 anni fa

          For the cannibals from The Road were the most harrowing, something about remote backwood cannibals is freaky as hell

          • MC_Kublai [none/use name]
            ·
            2 anni fa

            The scene in the cellar still haunts me. Backwood cannibals are the exact vibe I'm talking about. I remember playing Red Dead Redemption and doing the side quests concerning the cannibals outside Armadillo up in the mountains. Cholla Springs had always been a cozy zone for me, but after that quest I could never shake the nagging feeling that they could be up there in the mountains, always watching me wherever I went.

            • Bloobish [comrade/them]
              ·
              2 anni fa

              Had that same vibe for the night people in RD2 as well as the murder cult in the north eastern region, camping at night and getting threatened at gunpoint by cannibal hillbillies was not pleasent

      • Puggo [he/him]
        ·
        2 anni fa

        Those were just regular cannibals and they were in the third game