Metro Exodus Diaries Part Five

This is my ongoing exploration of the Metro series, played in release order, where I will chronicle my playthrough like a text-based Let’s Play. This time I continue Metro Exodus.

After a slight detour on my way to get the passenger carriage, I was well on my way - to another detour…

The problem that I was finding with this wide open space, compared to the cramped spaces of the Metro, was that there was just so much to see, and so many places to go…

Deciding to head for the main objective - get the railcar so that I could collect the carriage. An anomaly formed, sparking electricity all over the place. Heading up the nearest structure, as I wanted a good vantage point and to escape the anomaly, I could hear some noise coming from a big hole in the roof. Upon closer inspection, it was a demon asleep in a nest, not a hole in the roof. I quietly took Nastya’s teddy bear from its place in front of the nest, then as quickly as I dared took the zipline down to the ground.

Safely away from the demon (which were a hassle in past games and I had no intention of tangling with now), an anomaly formed pretty much on me, zapping me and requiring me to leg it away. I was in such a hurry that I almost blundered into some pilgrims - I assumed that they wouldn’t be happy to see me, so avoided them. I located a dead one who had left a note about how they had tried to vanquish an anomaly, and failed, as well as a tape from someone else who had been sent for the same task.

Good thing the batteries still worked

Thinking that I had a way to get the railcar, I went over to an old factory and looked for a way in. Unable to find one, I decided to use a boat to cross the surrounding bit of water. I was going to explore an old service station when I overheard some bandits talking. I quietly sniped the man on top of the station - forgetting that I had uninstalled my silencer. Thankfully, however, a bunch of mutanimals stormed the place, distracting the bandits while I looked around the area. Once the mutanimals had been defeated, I went around murdering the bandits until the final survivor surrendered. As with last time, I left him alive and conscious whilst I looked around and looted.

After searching a warehouse - where I killed two more mutanimals and almost died from radiation - I tried to find a way to cross the water back to the factory. It was impossible, until I realised that there was a little tunnel towards the right side, hopped into a boat and rowed over.

Row row row the boat across the radioactive sea

Entering the factory, I saw similar markings to what I’d seen at the church. Going further, I saw mutanimals scampering around the place and going into hiding - and heard the now-familiar sound of the whale shrimp. No doubt it was the so-called Tsar-Fish which the religious folk worshipped…

Disembarking from the rowboat, I tried to make my way quietly through the factory. This was quickly made impossible as mutanimals came out of the water to attack me. Pretty soon I was out of ammo for my tihar, especially when I came across an albino-looking mutanimal that acted like a bullet sponge. After rotating some of the track, I went to cross a rickety bridge. The Tsar-Fish smashed into a wall, sending me tumbling into the water below.

I don't have ammo to spare, you git!

Somehow, I managed to get into the hole that it had created - which was when my radio crackled as people tried to contact me. Due to the steel and cement surrounding me - and the fact that I was mute - they couldn’t hear me. More mutanimals attacked as I reached the top of a stairway, and I was running seriously low on rifle ammo. I was going to have to dip into my savings if I wanted to survive - also grenades and molotovs.

As I went to cross a gantry, the Tsar-Fish leapt up and destroyed half of it, taking some mutanimals with it. I could only suspect that it was toying with me. After some more walking and a bunch more shooting, I reached a pipe to crawl through. At the other end, I watched as the Tsar-Fish leapt through an open door and devoured mutanimals. It’s exit pulled down the door, clearing the way for my exiting the pipe.

Very reminiscent of the radioactive bear in the previous game

More shooting followed, I got a little lost, but when I found my way again, I located some hanging bodies, a bell and a lever. On a whim, I cut the rope holding one of the bodies. The Tsar-Fish hurried over, so I fed it the other bodies. Then, I rang the bell, and wandered off to the room to my left. Inside were wrapped corpses - presumably to be hung and fed to the Tsar-Fish. After a bit of looking around, I found some night vision goggles and a tape with a woman talking some science stuff.

With my new toy equipped, I went back out of the room and pulled the lever that I had seen before. Part of the track spun, throwing girders and heavy stuff right where the Tsar-Fish had been earlier. I cursed at myself, went and opened the main door and saw that pulling the handle had unveiled my prize - the railcar.

Not as nice looking as the one Andrew made...

Hopping aboard the railcar, I started driving it along the rails. I’d say that I was heading for my destination, but I had to follow the tracks. I could turn the chair to face forwards or backwards, in a nice bit of design, so when I reached a junction I could easily reverse. A demon had taken an interest in me, so swatted at me as I pulled the handle to change tracks, but I was quickly back aboard and safe. Oh, when I had left with the railcar the radio crackled to life and I was asked if I had been successful. They took the engine noise to mean that I had - not that I could tell them one way or the other…

Further along the track I burst through a blockade. I quickly got out and checked for bandits, but given the one dead man I could see, I assumed that I had shot him earlier. I went into the building that he was stood upon and made some ammo at the workbench before returning to the railcar. A short way up the tracks, a bandit asked if they were expecting a railcar - and opened fire. I jumped out and dealt with them, with bullets, pellets and a couple of molotovs. It took about 10 minutes until I was finally alone, but once I was, I raised a gate and returned to the railcar. Reversing onto the carriage just inside the gate, I could finally return to the Aurora.

Home sweet train

In all, it wasn’t a long drive back to the others. I did expect the Tsar-Fish to attack me when I went near water, but I was safe in the railcar all the way back. I got out and spoke to Nastya, returning her teddy, and listened to Yermak as he told me how much Anna had worried. Then, I listened to Katya and Stepan for a moment, before heading inside the train. Miller wanted to speak to me.

After a quick well done, Miller explained that I had to go on another mission. I had been up literally all night retrieving the carriage, but no rest for me, no I was to take Duke and Krest over to the bridge so that we could take control of it. We’d need to if we ever wanted to get the Aurora across. At least my fear of having to cut short the carriage retrieval, to aid in this mission, hadn’t been realised. But, no rest for the weary, I cleaned my weapons and was heading back out…