Metro: Last Light‘s Decomposing Bones Will Make You Hallucinate

Many of the Metro game staples have transferred over to this new title. Things like surviving off of gas masks—kept track of by a timer on your watch—and recharging your headlight are still present. But there are a few additions that help immerse you in the dire world where survival seems bleak. Spiders and bugs will splat on your mask, and Artyom will wipe the smeared blood and goo away. Your ears ring with the sound of close-range gunfire and lightning strikes. He still hunts desperately for oxygen replenishments and ammunition, too.

As Artyom and his new companion—Pavel—explore the calamitous outdoors, they stumble on a plane wreckage. Pavel says he’s heard of the tall tales of souls trapped on the rusting plane. Unfortunately for the two soldiers they’re not so tall, and Artyom starts to have shooting visions obstruct his sanity. After a vision of the plane crash, where the pilots witness grand explosions signifying the start of war, Artyom comes to and sees Pavel still in the clutches of a similar hallucination. Artyom is less susceptible to the mutants’ effects, so he’s able to help his companion come back to reality before he suffocates from removing his gas mask.

When we first met Artyom he was young and loyal. He’s grown a lot through his experiences in the metro of Moscow, and Metro: Last Light will see this expand and unravel a character impacted by the events of this world that’s been burned to the ground.