Metro 2039 preview: back to the tunnels, but not entirely

Metro 2039 is a return to the claustrophobic underground of the original Metro games — and after a couple of hours with the demo, it mostly delivers on that promise. Ukrainian studio 4A Games has positioned this as a deliberate step back from Metro Exodus's open-world ambitions, and the Moscow sewers and station-settlements on show here feel as dense and atmospheric as anything in Metro 2033 or Last Light.

The player character this time is the Stranger, a new protagonist with a darker backstory than series veteran Artyom. The demo opens in Sevastopolskaya, an underground settlement that nails the series' signature mix of grim detail and suffocating atmosphere. Surface sections still carry that slow dread — Geiger counter ticking, dusty winds, the constant threat of radiation. Combat feels tighter than Exodus, partly thanks to punchy audio design, and the standout weapon is a new compressed air rifle that handles silent headshots and mutant kills with equal efficiency. The corridor gunfights otherwise echo Last Light more than they push anything new.

Most interesting is how 2039 handles its level structure. It isn't a full open world, but it isn't a pure corridor shooter either — the surface sections work as small hubs with optional exploration spokes branching off the main path. One entirely optional building, occupied by Humanimals — Nosferatu-style mutants with light sensitivity who sleep standing up — produced some of the demo's tensest stealth moments. A separate hallucinatory horror section set in an abandoned school goes for psychological scares, complete with ghost children and a self-moving tricycle, but lands with less impact. 4A says these mind-bending sequences will appear frequently throughout the full game, suggesting the Stranger's troubled psychology is a recurring narrative device.

The demo leaves a cautiously optimistic impression. The atmosphere is intact, the new weapon is a highlight, and the optional detours show 4A hasn't completely abandoned Exodus's freeform instincts. Whether the full game pushes its stealth and combat further than what the demo showed remains the open question.