0:00:03.199,0:00:09.290 When people talk about Metro Exodus, they[br]often use the term “immersive”. 0:00:09.290,0:00:12.630 But what do we actually mean when we use that[br]word? 0:00:12.630,0:00:16.170 Because, this is a term that is not very well[br]defined. 0:00:16.170,0:00:21.760 I’ve seen it used to describe games with[br]hyper realistic graphics. Survival horror games. 0:00:21.760,0:00:24.660 VR titles. Immersive sims. 0:00:24.660,0:00:28.980 And I’ve seen people call a game immersive[br]if it’s so captivating, you end up ignoring 0:00:28.980,0:00:30.200 the world around you. 0:00:30.200,0:00:36.460 It’s just a super vague term, and it's more[br]often used as a marketing buzzword than serious game 0:00:36.460,0:00:37.570 design lingo. 0:00:37.570,0:00:43.750 And yet, I totally get what people mean when[br]they say that Metro Exodus is immersive. 0:00:43.750,0:00:48.050 Because this game achieves something I don’t[br]see very often in games - which is where I 0:00:48.050,0:00:52.250 genuinely feel a sense of existing in the[br]game’s world. 0:00:52.250,0:00:58.079 In fact, i’ve only felt it a few times before,[br]in games like Subnautica, STALKER: Shadow 0:00:58.079,0:01:01.260 of Chernobyl, Event[0], and Far Cry 2. 0:01:01.260,0:01:06.299 And it’s not to the extent where I forget[br]that I’m sitting in front of a TV, and genuinely 0:01:06.299,0:01:09.710 think I’m wandering around Africa or post[br]apocalyptic Russia. 0:01:09.710,0:01:12.320 I’m not a complete idiot. 0:01:12.320,0:01:17.639 But it just sells me on the feeling of being[br]in a place - with much more effectiveness 0:01:17.639,0:01:19.880 than most other games. 0:01:19.880,0:01:25.659 And in a year that is already jam-packed with[br]post-apocalyptic, open world shooters with 0:01:25.659,0:01:31.899 crafting systems and drivable vehicles - Metro[br]Exodus is the only one that really captures 0:01:31.899,0:01:35.549 that feeling of being in a nuclear wasteland. 0:01:35.549,0:01:40.819 And so, in this video, I want to bust apart[br]the buzzwords and look at some super specific, 0:01:40.819,0:01:46.490 totally tangible design decisions that are[br]employed by developer 4A Games, to draw us 0:01:46.490,0:01:50.840 into the world of Metro Exodus. 0:01:52.640,0:01:59.579 Now, for some background, the first two Metro[br]games - Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light, take 0:01:59.579,0:02:04.359 place in the ruins of a Moscow that has been[br]ravaged by nuclear war. 0:02:04.359,0:02:09.560 The surface is a deadly, irradiated hell-scape[br]that’s crawling with mutated creatures - but 0:02:09.560,0:02:14.069 the underground Metro tunnels are safe, warm,[br]and full of life. 0:02:14.069,0:02:16.940 These games are primarily linear shooters. 0:02:16.940,0:02:19.370 But Exodus is something quite different. 0:02:19.370,0:02:24.890 In this one, hero Artyom and his pals decide[br]to leave the Metro behind, and travel across 0:02:24.890,0:02:29.530 post-war Russia to look for a safe place to[br]live, overground. 0:02:29.530,0:02:33.630 They travel first on foot, and then later[br]by train. 0:02:33.630,0:02:36.780 Along your journey, you’ll stop off at various[br]locations. 0:02:36.780,0:02:41.269 Sometimes that’s for linear levels that[br]harken back to the original games. 0:02:41.269,0:02:46.000 But at other-times you get dropped off in[br]miniature open world maps, like the icy banks 0:02:46.000,0:02:51.579 of the Volga river, or a sparse sandy desert:[br]which is actually the dried out Caspian sea. 0:02:51.579,0:02:58.630 And it’s in these tiny open worlds that[br]Metro Exodus is at its most immersive. 0:02:58.630,0:03:04.090 So the first, and most obvious way that Metro[br]Exodus achieves immersion is the way the game 0:03:04.090,0:03:07.000 rarely takes you out of the in-game world. 0:03:07.000,0:03:12.080 So your map is sellotaped to a leather binder,[br]and your quest marker is on a compass that’s 0:03:12.080,0:03:13.489 strapped to your wrist. 0:03:13.489,0:03:17.390 And when you’re crafting something, you’ve[br]got to sling your backpack on the ground to 0:03:17.390,0:03:19.349 get your materials out. 0:03:19.349,0:03:24.299 Where other games would definitely make this[br]stuff into menu screens or HUD elements, Metro 0:03:24.299,0:03:29.629 makes them physical and tangible parts of[br]the world, meaning the only time you disconnect 0:03:29.629,0:03:34.670 from the world around you is when you pause[br]the game, or hit a rare loading screen. 0:03:34.670,0:03:38.180 And there’s an interesting byproduct of[br]this decision - and thats how you are left 0:03:38.180,0:03:40.569 vulnerable when performing these actions. 0:03:40.569,0:03:45.069 You don’t pause the game to craft things[br]in the safety of a menu screen, but you do 0:03:45.069,0:03:47.750 it in real time, in the world. 0:03:47.750,0:03:51.879 So if you quickly need to craft a medkit in[br]the middle of battle, you need to find a safe 0:03:51.879,0:03:56.890 place and hastily get your bag out and patch[br]together a box of Superdrug plasters. 0:03:56.890,0:04:01.349 Of course, it’s possible to take this stuff[br]too far. 0:04:01.349,0:04:07.799 A game like Red Dead Redemption 2 really focused[br]on tangible and physical interactions with 0:04:07.799,0:04:12.709 the world, with hyper detailed animations[br]and menus that made you look through an authentic 0:04:12.709,0:04:14.650 catalogue of cowboy hats. 0:04:14.650,0:04:20.790 But, at times, it tipped the balance into[br]tedium, and it also very rarely led to actually 0:04:20.790,0:04:22.870 interesting gameplay consequences. 0:04:22.870,0:04:26.350 But there’s more to Exodus’s grounded[br]design. 0:04:26.350,0:04:29.770 Something we see in a lot of open world games[br]is upgrades. 0:04:29.770,0:04:34.390 You grab currency as you play through the[br]game, and then open a menu to unlock new skills 0:04:34.390,0:04:37.690 - from basic actions to superhero powers. 0:04:37.690,0:04:42.640 Again, Exodus keeps things in the game world:[br]So the only upgrades you can make to your 0:04:42.640,0:04:47.610 character are from things you can actually[br]find - whether that’s scopes and silencers 0:04:47.610,0:04:52.550 that you rip off discarded weapons, or handy[br]objects that you find on your travels. 0:04:52.550,0:04:55.956 Metro Exodus actually feels like scavenging, 0:04:55.960,0:04:59.900 while these other games are more akin to, well, shopping. 0:05:02.140,0:05:07.800 Another key way that Metro Exodus achieves[br]immersion is by forcing you to be more aware 0:05:07.810,0:05:10.200 of your surroundings and your status. 0:05:10.200,0:05:15.070 It does this, in part, by asking you to constantly[br]fix stuff. 0:05:15.070,0:05:18.930 So your gas mask needs its filter replaced[br]every few minutes. 0:05:18.930,0:05:22.010 And any cracks and holes in the glass have[br]to be patched up. 0:05:22.010,0:05:26.720 You’ve got a gas-powered rifle, and you[br]need to physically pump it by hand to keep 0:05:26.720,0:05:27.740 using it. 0:05:27.740,0:05:31.810 Your guns have to be regularly cleaned, or[br]else they’ll jam in the heat of battle. 0:05:31.810,0:05:36.270 Your electrical gear, like your headlamp and[br]night vision goggles, has to be charged by 0:05:36.270,0:05:38.520 hand crank when the power runs low. 0:05:38.520,0:05:42.310 And your health doesn’t regenerate, so you[br]need to patch yourself up with medkits. 0:05:42.310,0:05:47.340 It’s this sort of regular personal maintenance[br]that means you must always be thinking about 0:05:47.340,0:05:49.710 your character and your needs. 0:05:49.710,0:05:53.880 We generally see this sort of gameplay in[br]survival games, where you are constantly losing 0:05:53.880,0:05:58.160 energy and becoming more hungry - and by having[br]to always think where your next meal will 0:05:58.160,0:06:01.270 come from, you become more immersed in the[br]situation. 0:06:01.270,0:06:05.920 I’d argue, however, that a lot of these[br]games do go too far. 0:06:05.920,0:06:10.110 These meters bottom out so quickly that you[br]end up just fretting about running out of 0:06:10.110,0:06:11.510 energy all the time. 0:06:11.510,0:06:15.500 And now you’re no longer thinking about[br]the world as a real place, but a collection 0:06:15.500,0:06:19.930 of The Sims-style meters that always need[br]to be topped up. 0:06:19.930,0:06:25.970 Exodus takes a much lighter touch: Artyom[br]never needs to eat a sandwich or go to the toilet, and 0:06:25.970,0:06:29.050 the only punishment for letting something[br]break is a momentary setback. 0:06:29.050,0:06:34.840 But it’s enough of a concern to occupy some[br]space in your mind, and make you more aware 0:06:34.840,0:06:36.540 of yourself. 0:06:36.540,0:06:39.190 Same goes for the harsh resource scarcity. 0:06:39.190,0:06:42.970 You are regularly running out of ammo in this[br]game, to the point where you count your bullets 0:06:42.970,0:06:46.951 before every engagement because you need to[br]be sure you have enough ammo to make it out 0:06:46.951,0:06:47.951 alive. 0:06:47.951,0:06:51.040 Maybe it’s better to just let the enemies[br]walk past. 0:06:51.040,0:06:55.630 You can craft stuff, as I said, but there[br]are limitations here as well. 0:06:55.630,0:06:59.760 This is not a game where you can sellotape[br]together a helicopter, after all. 0:06:59.760,0:07:06.290 So, for one, Metro Exodus only has two crafting[br]resources: metal and chemical. 0:07:06.290,0:07:09.930 And because everything comes from the same[br]source, you’re constantly having to make 0:07:09.930,0:07:12.480 decisions about where to spend your scrap. 0:07:12.480,0:07:18.190 Do you make health packs? Or ammo? Or filters? Or grenades? You can’t have everything. 0:07:18.190,0:07:23.320 And, also, Metro limits the things you can[br]craft based on your location. 0:07:23.320,0:07:27.321 Because while you can piece together bullets[br]when you’re at a crafting workbench, the 0:07:27.321,0:07:32.060 only ammo you can make when out and about[br]is ball bearings for your pneumatic gun. 0:07:32.060,0:07:36.100 So you have to think ahead about what you’ll[br]need to carry with you. 0:07:36.100,0:07:40.890 The main way that Exodus makes you more aware[br]of your surroundings, is by not doing what 0:07:40.890,0:07:46.730 most open world games do - which is filling[br]your map with icons and question marks and 0:07:46.730,0:07:48.560 tiny points of interest. 0:07:48.560,0:07:54.190 No. In Exodus, your map is empty (outside of your[br]mission marker) and it’s up to you to fill 0:07:54.190,0:07:55.260 it up. 0:07:55.260,0:07:59.380 You can do this by getting somewhere high,[br]pulling out your binoculars, and focusing 0:07:59.380,0:08:02.590 the lens on curious locations. 0:08:02.590,0:08:08.410 When you actually reach that location, though, Exodus[br]is - again - very different to your usual 0:08:08.410,0:08:10.090 open world game. 0:08:10.090,0:08:16.340 So, the third way that Exodus lures you into[br]its world, is by never giving you full information 0:08:16.340,0:08:17.780 about what’s going on. 0:08:17.780,0:08:23.100 You see, when you play something like Rage[br]2, it will tell you exactly what each area 0:08:23.100,0:08:26.900 on the map is as soon as you get within 100[br]metres. 0:08:26.900,0:08:29.010 In this case, it’s a bandit camp. 0:08:29.010,0:08:34.169 And so, just like the 20-or-so other bandit[br]camps in the world, you know that this location 0:08:34.169,0:08:37.110 has a number of bad guys that you need to[br]kill. 0:08:37.110,0:08:42.690 It even tells you what resources you can find[br]there, because who doesn’t like checklists? 0:08:42.690,0:08:49.150 But Metro Exodus gains a great deal by not[br]telling you this information about its world. 0:08:49.150,0:08:53.600 So, here, I came across a wrecked airplane[br]hangar. 0:08:53.600,0:08:59.600 Outside, I found and killed a flying gargoyle[br]mutant. 0:08:59.600,0:09:04.970 Then I went inside, and found a bunch of monsters[br]- only to suddenly hear a bunch of bandits 0:09:04.970,0:09:07.030 pull up outside and start shouting at me. 0:09:07.030,0:09:11.460 I then fought them off, until one gave up[br]and surrended. 0:09:11.460,0:09:16.040 I didn’t know exactly what was happening and I didn’t know what to expect. 0:09:16.040,0:09:18.510 And I didn’t know if I would be rewarded[br]for my efforts. 0:09:18.510,0:09:23.830 I just had to become fully immersed in the experience[br]at hand. 0:09:23.830,0:09:28.890 Because when developers have systems in their[br]game, it’s really up to them how much they 0:09:28.890,0:09:30.770 reveal to the player. 0:09:30.770,0:09:36.480 Games like Rage 2 and Far Cry New Dawn are[br]extremely open - but more immersive games 0:09:36.480,0:09:41.020 can withhold that information, and keep you[br]from ever being able to predict what will 0:09:41.020,0:09:42.200 happen next. 0:09:42.200,0:09:47.360 Like, when enemies surrender, you’re left[br]asking… what happens if you leave them? 0:09:47.360,0:09:50.300 Will they sneak up behind your back? Or run away? 0:09:50.300,0:09:53.730 What happens if you kill them? You just don’t know. 0:09:53.730,0:09:55.370 Here’s another story. 0:09:55.370,0:10:00.790 There was a time in the Caspian area where[br]I got ambushed by roving bandits in a truck, 0:10:00.790,0:10:04.170 and was plunged into a frantic, dusty firefight. 0:10:04.170,0:10:08.990 And then a short while later I slept in a[br]safe house, only to be woken up by enemies 0:10:08.990,0:10:10.740 surrounding me outside. 0:10:10.740,0:10:16.580 I genuinely still have no idea whether these[br]were scripted events, or systemic moments 0:10:16.580,0:10:17.680 driven by the AI. 0:10:17.680,0:10:23.670 But it doesn’t matter because the effect[br]was the same: they were surprising, unpredictable, 0:10:23.670,0:10:26.610 and anxiety-inducing moments. 0:10:26.610,0:10:30.130 Compare that to something like a scavenger[br]in Far Cry New Dawn. 0:10:30.130,0:10:34.800 They’ve got an icon over their head, and[br]a tool tip in the corner of the screen, and 0:10:34.800,0:10:39.450 it’s immediately obvious that this is a[br]distinct, authored chunk of content that will 0:10:39.450,0:10:42.090 be repeated over and over again. 0:10:42.090,0:10:44.020 It feels gamey and inauthentic. 0:10:44.020,0:10:47.690 As always, there’s a balance to strike. 0:10:47.690,0:10:53.440 some games end up being so withholding about[br]their systems that they are completely impenetrable. 0:10:53.440,0:10:58.400 And players need a certain amount of information[br]and predicability to make effective plans 0:10:58.400,0:11:00.670 and play with intentionality. 0:11:00.670,0:11:04.910 So it’s not just about being completely[br]random - it’s about stopping players from 0:11:04.910,0:11:10.360 ever finding the edges of the simulation. 0:11:10.360,0:11:12.860 The final element, is player reactivity. 0:11:12.860,0:11:18.430 I think the most believable and immersive[br]game worlds, are the ones that most effectively 0:11:18.430,0:11:21.450 react to your presence and decisions. 0:11:21.450,0:11:24.260 Metro Exodus certainly has a bunch of this. 0:11:24.260,0:11:28.800 You can holster your gun as you approach people,[br]and they’ll realise that - and some will 0:11:28.800,0:11:30.070 appreciate it. 0:11:30.070,0:11:34.490 And choosing to save characters, like slaves[br]and captured prisoners, can have consequences 0:11:34.490,0:11:35.610 later on. 0:11:35.610,0:11:40.050 In one section in the Volga I saved some people,[br]and got given a key. 0:11:40.050,0:11:44.980 And then, later, I used that key to unlock[br]a door in some flooded train station to find 0:11:44.980,0:11:47.140 a pair of night vision goggles. 0:11:47.140,0:11:53.480 That felt amazing, and the goggles became[br]a powerful reminder of one of my wasteland stories. 0:11:53.480,0:11:58.130 Exodus also has characters who ask you to[br]find stuff for them, like a guitar or a lost 0:11:58.130,0:11:59.220 teddy bear. 0:11:59.220,0:12:03.339 This doesn’t turn into a checklist in your[br]quest log, and there’s rarely a tangible 0:12:03.339,0:12:05.080 reward for your actions. 0:12:05.080,0:12:09.910 But the way the game reacts to your kindness[br]with heartfelt character moments makes it 0:12:09.910,0:12:12.779 totally worth going out of your way. 0:12:12.779,0:12:17.950 This all plays into the morality system, which[br]is one of the weaker elements of Metro Exodus. 0:12:17.950,0:12:23.560 It’s one of those systems where it weighs[br]up your quote unquote good and bad actions, 0:12:23.560,0:12:27.320 and then plays a good or bad ending cutscene[br]depending. 0:12:27.320,0:12:32.540 And the bad ending will probably get canonically[br]binned by the next game in the series. 0:12:32.540,0:12:37.550 And so there are games that do player reactivity[br]better than Metro, and I’ll come to them 0:12:37.550,0:12:38.640 in the future. 0:12:38.640,0:12:43.910 But it’s an important part of immersion,[br]and definitely worth talking about. 0:12:43.910,0:12:48.400 So Metro Exodus shows four key ways to make[br]a game feel immersive. 0:12:48.400,0:12:54.110 It keeps things grounded by having all of[br]your interactions be physical, tactile, and 0:12:54.110,0:12:55.460 in-world. 0:12:55.460,0:13:00.370 It asks you to be hyper aware of your existence[br]in the world, by asking you to maintain your 0:13:00.370,0:13:04.160 equipment, and scout ahead with your binoculars. 0:13:04.160,0:13:08.290 It withholds information about the game’s[br]underlying systems, so feel like you never 0:13:08.290,0:13:11.120 quite know what will be around the next corner. 0:13:11.120,0:13:16.660 And it reacts to you, by commenting on, rewarding,[br]and remembering your actions. 0:13:16.660,0:13:21.460 The immersive thrills of Metro are about more[br]than just the realistic graphics, the cracking 0:13:21.460,0:13:25.940 sound design, or the fact that you can play[br]with Russian voice acting turned on. 0:13:25.940,0:13:29.920 ANNA: *Speaking Russian* 0:13:30.000,0:13:33.760 And there’s more to it than the simple fact[br]that the game is first person, and the main 0:13:33.770,0:13:35.890 character doesn’t speak. 0:13:35.890,0:13:40.470 Those are all important, but it’s these[br]design decisions that - together - mean Metro 0:13:40.470,0:13:43.810 Exodus feels like more than a game. 0:13:43.810,0:13:49.700 It’s a harrowing, unknowable, uncharted[br]place that you travel to. 0:13:52.260,0:13:54.220 Hey, thanks for watching! 0:13:54.220,0:14:01.220 Remember that the GMTK Game Jam begins in[br]August - and full details will be coming next month. 0:14:01.220,0:14:08.060 GMTK is paid for by fans who support the show[br]on Patreon.com, and I massively appreciate 0:14:08.060,0:14:13.380 everyone who supports the show - no matter[br]how much, or how long they give for!