AlthoughMetro Awakeningis gearing up to be the fourth entry in the post-apocalyptic subterranean series, its virtual reality format has introduced some unique challenges in terms of narrative and character writing, not to mention all the usual game design hurdles that developers need to overcome in the VR space.
Game Rant sat down withMetroseriesauthor Dmitry Glukhovsky who has been actively involved inMetro Awakening’s development, and he spoke about his approach to the narrative and character writing in a virtual reality game as opposed to traditional flat screen games. Glukhovsky revealed what he feels is most important when trying to immerse players in a narrative, as well as how people have an “empathy superpower” that allows them to strongly identify with well-executed characters.
How Players Become Metro Awakening’s Protagonist
Since players must physically inhabit a virtual reality character, the question of how to make the experience believable was something Glukhovsky considered early on. According to Glukhovsky, it’s important not to focus too much on the character’s backstory and overload the players with facts and history. Instead, dropping players head first into the character’s current problem is the best way to make players “become” the character.Half Life’s Gordon Freemanis a strong example of this: with minimal exposition or lore dumps, players quickly become Gordon Freeman, and his desperate struggle to escape Black Mesa becomes their own.
I thought about it, and then I came to the conclusion that the best you may do is to create a strong, immediate drama for the character, so you will now become him. The only way for you to become him is not to give any backstory for the character. The magic of drama and of dramatic storytelling is that once you identify with him or her and you recognize that the problem that he or she is facing is a serious challenge and you want to help him or her resolve it–whether it’s a personal problem, global problem–your identity dissolves into his or her identity.
10 minutes into a two hour film and you are the character, especially in the moments when the character starts making choices of morality. You completely forget yourself. You are the character. When life gets difficult for him or her your heart is spinning, when there is something awkward you feel ashamed, when he or she is in love you almost feel that sexual arousal too.
Glukhovsky also pointed out that people are especially pulled in when characters are faced with moral decisions. In this case, it’s important that the character makes a moral decision that the player would also likely make in their shoes, since missing the mark here can alienate them and take them out of the experience. This immersive effect from moral decision-making probably explains why many gamers enjoygames with morality systemsand dialogue trees.
Metro Awakening Doesn’t Have A Silent Protagonist
TheMetroseries largely went withsilent protagonists afterMetro 2033, butMetro Awakeningwill be a return to form. It makes sense in this case: the protagonist ofMetro Awakeningis Khan, a character players have encountered in the past and who is portrayed by the original actor.
We have the empathy superpower, and we can easily imagine ourselves being the other person, connecting to his or her needs and perspective.
So I think that the main challenge in the storytelling is just not to alienate this dictator as a gamer. Our protagonist ofMetro Awakeningspeaks, and this is the first time excluding the DLCs from the previousMetrogames and the first game in theMetroseries where the protagonist actually has a voice.
Calling back to what Glukhovsky said about immersion, using a voiced protagonist inMetro Awakeningshould help players connect more strongly with the game emotionally. As anotherHalf Lifeexample,Half Life: Alyx’s voiced protagonistwas an excellent demonstration of this quality. Thanks to Dmitry Glukhovsky’s legendary writing talent and Vertigo Games' undeniable VR track record,Metro Awakeningis shaping up to be a terrifying, gut-wrenching, and all encompassingly immersive experience.
Metro Awakeningreleases November 7 on PC, PlayStation VR2, and Meta Quest.
Metro Awakening
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Metro Awakeningis a story-driven first person adventure built exclusively for VR that blends atmospheric exploration, stealth and combat in the most immersive Metro experience yet.The year is 2028The survivors of nuclear Armageddon cling to existence in the buried subways of the Moscow Metro – civilization’s last refuge and tomb, where ghosts and spirits haunt the living in this man-made purgatory.You are Serdar, a doctor braving the darkness, crippling radiation and deadly threats of the Metro in the search for your wife and the medication she so desperately needs. As your courage and sanity are pushed to the limit you must learn to walk the line between life and death, the spirit and the material world, and awaken the being you will become…Features:• Lose yourself in a journey of spiritual awakening in this chilling, supernatural origins story from Metro creator Dmitry Glukhovsky• Experience Metro’s tense, heart-pounding gameplay in VR for the first time as you put on your mask, ammo and filters run low and your torchlight flickers and dies in the darkness• Wield a signature arsenal of hand-made weapons, don your gas mask, and venture into the depths of the Metro where desperate bandits, mutants, and worse haunt your every step.
