At this year’s Gamescom, we had the chance to check out some of the great VR games that will be released this year. Besides the enchanting Escaping Wonderland and the potential VR hit Batman: Arkham Shadow, one of the highlights was Vertigo Games’ narrative VR survival horror shooter Metro Awakening VR, which will be released on November 7th for Playstation VR 2, Meta Quest 3, Quest 2 and PC VR via Steam and Viveport.

Metro Awakening VR simply looks great on the Playstation VR 2. The play of light and shadow in the narrow corridors creates an insanely oppressive horror atmosphere. The constant scarcity of resources such as ammunition, electricity, and light also keeps the tension high.

To emphasize the survival aspect, Vertigo relies on game mechanics that are as realistic as possible. While this adds to the immersion, it can also lead to frustration in the long run. For example, when I have to identify the right item in my backpack in stressful situations, or when the grappling mechanics don’t always fit perfectly.

Metro Awakening also requires you to memorize a lot of interaction patterns: How do I activate the lamp, and where do I find the charger to recharge it? Which hand do I use for which backpack, and where was the syringe gun again?

But if you internalize this and get involved in the dark fight for survival, you should have a lot of fun with this mix of narrative shooter and survival horror. Whether Metro Awakening VR will be the VR hit that this first demo suggests, we’ll have to wait until the beginning of November, when we’ll be able to test the final version.