Metro Last Light Redux (2013)
Metro: Last Light unfolds in the year 2034, a grim continuation of humanity’s struggle to survive in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Moscow. One year has passed since the events of Metro 2033, when Artyom, a young survivor of the underground Metro system, helped guide a missile strike that annihilated the mysterious beings known as the Dark Ones. These psychic creatures had been feared as a new evolutionary threat to mankind, and their destruction was believed to be necessary for human survival. Yet in the uneasy calm that follows, doubt lingers. Artyom, now a full-fledged member of the Spartan Rangers, cannot shake the feeling that humanity may have committed a terrible mistake.
The Rangers, an elite and relatively neutral military order devoted to protecting the Metro’s fragile civilization, have established their base in D6—a vast, heavily fortified pre-war military bunker discovered shortly before the missile strike. D6 is a treasure trove of advanced weaponry, technology, and supplies, but much of it remains unexplored. Its existence, however, is no longer a secret. Word has spread through the Metro’s tangled political landscape, and rival factions covet its resources. The communist Red Line seeks to expand its authoritarian control, while the fascist Fourth Reich dreams of racial purification and dominance. Both view D6 as the key to ultimate power beneath the earth.
Into this tense atmosphere steps Khan, a mystical wanderer who believes the Metro is shaped by forces beyond human understanding. He brings astonishing news: one Dark One survived the missile barrage. Rather than seeing it as a threat, Khan insists this survivor represents hope—a chance for reconciliation between species. Colonel Miller, the hardened and pragmatic leader of the Rangers, rejects this idealism. To him, the Dark Ones remain an existential danger. He orders Artyom to venture to the irradiated surface alongside Anna, Miller’s daughter and an expert sniper, with a simple objective: find the Dark One and eliminate it.
On the surface, amid the shattered skeleton of Moscow, Artyom encounters the survivor—a small, frightened Dark One child. Before he can decide what to do, soldiers of the Fourth Reich capture him. Imprisoned in a brutal Nazi-controlled outpost, Artyom meets Pavel Morozov, who claims to be a fellow prisoner and a soldier of the Red Line. The two stage a daring escape, fleeing through ruined streets and mutant-infested tunnels. Pavel proves charismatic and resourceful, and the pair form what seems like genuine camaraderie as they navigate deadly territory together.
Their journey ends at a Red Line stronghold, where the truth is revealed: Pavel is not a low-ranking soldier but a high-ranking officer. Artyom is immediately arrested and interrogated for information about D6 and the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Dark One child is taken, and Anna is captured by Lesnitsky—a former Ranger revealed to be a deep-cover Red Line spy. Artyom narrowly escapes imprisonment and begins a desperate pursuit through hostile territory. Along the way, he witnesses the Red Line’s ruthless tactics firsthand, including the slaughter of an entire station’s population under the pretense of containing a deadly epidemic. The horror deepens when Artyom learns the outbreak was deliberately caused. Lesnitsky stole a weaponized Ebola strain from D6’s vaults and released it as part of the Red Line’s scheme to destabilize rivals.
Artyom rescues Anna, but both are exposed to the virus and quarantined. Believing they may be facing death, the two drop their emotional barriers, sharing an intimate and vulnerable moment that cements their bond. When tests later confirm they are not infected, their relationship carries a new depth born of shared trauma and relief.
Artyom’s path crosses Khan’s again, and together they find the Dark One child. Through a series of psychic visions and fragmented memories, Artyom recalls a forgotten truth: as a child, he was once saved by a Dark One and formed a psychic link with their kind. He had been meant to serve as a bridge between humans and Dark Ones, but fear and misunderstanding led him to betray that role. Overcome with guilt, Artyom vows to protect the child and seek redemption.
Their destination becomes Polis, the cultural and political heart of the Metro, where leaders from the Rangers, Red Line, Fourth Reich, and the mercantile Hansa are gathering for a peace conference centered on D6. During the journey, Artyom confronts and defeats both Lesnitsky and Pavel, ending their personal betrayal and slowing the Red Line’s plans. The Dark One child reveals another crucial discovery: many Dark Ones did not die but lie in hibernation deep within D6.
At Polis, the conference proves to be a façade. Using his psychic abilities, the Dark One forces Red Line Chairman Moskvin to confess publicly that the talks are merely a distraction. General Korbut, the true power behind the Red Line, intends to seize D6 by force and use its weapons to dominate—or eradicate—other factions. The fragile balance of the Metro teeters on the edge of all-out war.
Artyom and the Rangers rush back to D6 to prepare a last stand, but Korbut’s assault is overwhelming. An armored train smashes through defenses, and many Rangers are killed. Artyom and Miller are captured, surrounded by Red Line troops poised to execute them. At this critical moment, the story’s outcome hinges on Artyom’s moral journey—reflected through the player’s accumulated “karma.”
In the darker ending, Artyom chooses destruction. He detonates D6’s self-destruct mechanism, denying Korbut access to its power but sacrificing himself, Miller, the Rangers, and countless enemies in the blast. Later, Anna is shown telling their young son about his father’s bravery, framing Artyom as a tragic hero who gave everything for humanity’s survival.
In the canonical “good” ending, Artyom prepares to destroy D6 but hesitates. The Dark One child intervenes, awakening the hibernating Dark Ones. Using overwhelming psychic power, they turn Korbut’s own soldiers against each other in terrifying hallucinations, shattering the Red Line assault without mass slaughter from the Rangers. Korbut’s ambitions collapse, and humanity is spared both tyranny and self-inflicted annihilation. Artyom recognizes the child as humanity’s “last light of hope,” finally understanding that cooperation—not fear—is the path forward.
In both endings, the surviving Dark Ones depart, seeking a safe place to rebuild their species. Before leaving, the child promises they will return one day to help humanity restore the world. Artyom’s journey, whether ending in sacrifice or redemption, transforms the Dark Ones from enemies into symbols of possibility—proof that even in a broken world buried beneath ash and steel, hope can still endure.
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