New Metro Exodus story trailer is a gorgeous train ride through the ruins of Russia

Metro Exodus will bring the famously claustrophobic series into a much more agoraphobic open-world post-apocalypse, and we got another glimpse at that open world in a new story trailer released today. Narrated by Anna, a top sniper and the wife of protagonist Artyom, the trailer showcases Exodus' varied and beautiful environments, as well as the threats - both human and most-definitely-not-human - lurking in the wasteland. You can watch it above. 

Exodus is centered around the Aurora, a big-ol' train that Artyom and the other Spartans are hoping to ride to salvation in the East. Developer 4A Games and publisher Deep Silver describe it as a "continent-spanning journey across post-apocalyptic Russia," and it certainly looks the part. The story trailer features barren crags, thickly wooded forests, frozen and decrepit cities, bleached sand dunes (which are apparently in the Caspian desert), and other environments. 4A Games says Exodus also sports dynamic weather, day/night cycles, and rotating seasons. Plus, as 4A Games recently confirmed, Metro Exodus has a photo mode so you can frame the post-apocalypse just right.  As Anna put it: "It's not just Russia out there. It's the whole world." 

Actually, Anna has a knack for summing up my thoughts on Metro Exodus. Here's another golden quote from her: "Who are those people trying to kill us?" I was expecting mutants, but the raving Soviet dictators and scientists in the story trailer? Granted, given the series' history, I probably should've expected those too, but they still raise more questions than the mutants. What's their problem, and more importantly, what do they have against cool trains? Seriously, I am into this train, both as a home base and as an anchor for the story. 

Deep Silver said today's story trailer is "just the first in a series of upcoming gameplay reveals," so expect more tantalizing teasers to drop before Exodus releases on February 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. We'll also have more on Metro Exodus in the coming weeks. 

While you wait, catch up on Metro Exodus' E3 announcement trailer, which is much more gameplay-focused.  

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.