Metro Last Light Faction Pack DLC Review – A Small But Worthwhile Package

The story of the Moscow Metro post-global nuclear war is a fascinating one, and it's a positive move on the part of 4A to extend their yarns beyond just Artyom's arc with DLC packs. That the first of said packs, called Faction, contains three stories for a $5 pricetag was a bit worrying, though; conventional DLC wisdom says $5 won't get you a superbly substantial amount of content, after all.

My worry was not about bang for buck, but rather having enough content for these stories to mean anything. And after playing the first of the three stories, I started to think my fears were being realized. 

The first listed mission has you take control of a Reich soldier who must fight off hordes or Red Line soldiers from a static position, and if that sounds familiar, it's because it's pretty much the same sort of scenario as the final mission in the main game at D6, albeit with a sweet new sniper rifle and grenade launcher to help. While reasonably entertaining, it felt like an ultimately pointless exercise because of the lack of context for the battle; that you are a Nazi and the people you're shooting are commies doesn't really matter.

The feeling carries over the third mission, in which you must stealth your way through a Reich base as a Red Line sniper. This is actually a cool little mission, and if you're ever played a dedicated sniper game like Ghost Warrior you'll find familiar concepts, i.e. that you must take out the foes in front of you while not allowing the greater group to realize you're doing it. It's a new sort of experience for Metro, but again lacks real context or meaning. It's just another operation in the war for the metro. But maybe that's the point. We'll come back to this.

The second mission, which you should play last, is the one where this pack truly shines. In it, you are a new Ranger, and you're tasked with venturing up to the surface to collect a large number of random items like gas canisters and computer keyboards. You have to take multiple trips, because there's only so much you can carry in your bag, and whenever you return with stuff you're rewarded with bullets that you'll definitely need to get better equipment as you wander further and further from the home base each time, and you'll need to be legitimately prepared should you make it into the Great Library, where the true treasure can be found. It's a neat progression, and there's a real sense of accomplishment in making progress. Furthermore, it's immediately understandable why what you're doing needs to be done. 

Even so, that Ranger's tale is a mundane one, even if it's enjoyable and well crafted. And I think the point of these three stories is to demonstrate that the battle for the Metro involves a lot more than just what Artyom has been up to. As with any war, there are many battles to be fought that may not be so epically important. And the contrast between showing the Nazis and Red killing each other while the Rangers scrounge for resources is interesting. The Rangers are trying to save the metro while the Reds and Reich are just doing their best to destroy it.

I'd say this is a promising beginning for the series of Last Light DLC that will be rolling out over the next few months. Maybe we can hope for something more overtly substantial in the future, but more along these lines would not be unsatisfying.