The only problem is that it’s almost out of fuel, and the only person who knows where the new fuel rods are located is the former captain who was expelled when the new gang took over. Very quickly in the DLC, Sam is able to hook up with a surprise ally, a fellow American who has taken over a Russian nuclear submarine. You can pretty much outrun everything in the water. Thankfully you get a boat fairly early in the game, and this one has a motor, so no stupid rowing this time around while getting attacked by shrimp. Because of that, many of the places you visit during your adventure are at least partially flooded, and some are only accessible by boat. Apparently most of the bombs missed the city, but triggered a tidal wave that wiped everything out anyway. Vladivostok is pretty wrecked, though not too radioactive. Instead, he is bound for Vladivostok, a coastal city where he hopes to find a vessel seaworthy enough to take him across the Pacific. The Sam’s Story DLC finds him heading off on that adventure, leaving behind the little paradise the group finally settled. He also talks about surfing and just wanting to go home should you bother to chat with him during the long train rides in Metro Exodus. Throughout the main game, the realization that life is starting again on the surface leaves Sam wondering if his family, and especially his father, might still be alive back in San Francisco. Sam’s Story follows our favorite US Marine as he attempts to leave Russia behind, where he has been trapped for over 20 years following the dropping of the bombs. I almost had more fun with this DLC than I did with the core game.
But the focus is the gameplay and the combat, and Sam’s Story has got plenty of it. It gives us some amazing open world gameplay alongside a satisfying story. Thankfully, Sam’s Story makes up for the sins of The Two Colonels.
The actual gameplay was limited to a few set-piece battles where your ability to affect the outcome was almost nonexistent, and some far too drawn out levels where you spent most of your time burning slime away from sewer tunnels like a plumber in hell. While the theatrical cut scenes in The Two Colonels are pretty amazing, they made up far too much of the DLC. As I pointed out in my review, it almost seemed like 4A Games was trying to win some type of award, like an Oscar or something, instead of providing a solid bit of gameplay. The first DLC was The Two Colonels, and, if I am being totally honest, was a bit of a disappointment. A few questions still remained however, and the two DLCs are attempting to clear them up, while also adding a little bit more action and adventure to this beloved series. Our motley crew zoomed across Russia in an old steam engine and eventually found themselves a new home. The Metro Exodus game was really a triumph for the series, taking us out of the cramped Metro tunnels and into the slowly recovering world outside.